Drookit by Lochs and Glens

This past week has been one of the most fun and exciting ones I've had abroad, and somehow it ended up being one of the scariest as well.  Last Wednesday on the way to class I happened to have an allergic reaction that caused me to get hives all over my body.  Ya.. not fun.  So last Wednesday I got to spend my afternoon sitting in the walk-in clinic.  Thankfully I haven't had any more problems, but those are the moments when you wish you were home.  After lots of crying, sitting in the doctor's office, and lots of sleep, I was notified that I had a package waiting for me!  I was surprised with a gift from my dear friend Emma back home as well as a letter from my friend Kayla.  Needless to say that was just what I needed after a day like that.

This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Scotland.  Now I know I say every new trip I take is my favorite, but this time I'm being serious.  Scotland was beyond beautiful, it exceeded my expectations, and it showed me a completely different culture.  Friday morning I headed off to Edinburgh (with a Starbucks of course) and five hours later got to the city!  Edinburgh is so incredible.  All of the buildings are big and tall, the history is insane, and the people are so friendly!  A tour guide showed the group multiple cemeteries, pubs, and cites we would have missed if we were on our own.  One thing I didn't realize was that Scotland is obsessed with death.  It was so weird to see gravestones with skulls and nasty sayings on them compared to nice and sincere messages on the ones I've seen.  I think I've seen enough cashmere, plaid scarves, and Walkers cookies to last a lifetime.  

On Friday night, some friends and I decided to go listen to some live music.  As we were waiting for the music, this old man started talking to me.  The WHOLE night he kept getting really close to me and talking my ear off.  If he only knew that I had no idea what he was saying the whole time.  I guess he was known at all of the pubs and restaurants in town because another man came up to me and told me some pretty bad things about the guy.  After that, I decided to make a move on it and head back to the hostel.  As I was just about to get up, the loud old man asked if I was leaving and proceeded to kiss my hand.  SO GROSS.  After I finally got out of there I had been kissed on the hand by two old men, got creepy looks from another guy the whole night, and had my fill of a Scottish pub.  Never again.

Saturday morning I woke up early, got ready for the day, and headed off to go to the Highlands!  Also, I had a wonderful night's rest because I got a double bed at the hostel.  It was amazing.  Before I made it to the Highlands, the bus took a pit stop at Sterling Castle.  The wind was insane, the rain was insane, and my hair was insane.  Even though the weather wasn't the best, I enjoyed being outside so much!  I got an incredible view from the castle and enjoyed learning about Scottish history.  

After the castle, Loch Ness was next!  Scots call Lakes, Lochs.  So when people say the Loch Ness Monster, they mean the monster that is in Lake Ness.  I had no idea until this trip!  You learn something new every day.  When we were traveling through the mountains, the bus pulled over on the side of the road so everyone could get a good photo in the Highlands.  That wind was the strongest wind I had EVER experienced!  I literally was being blown away along with my scarf.  I couldn't even see when someone was taking a picture of me so I just started laughing.  Funniest and wettest moment of my life.  After pictures, we went to a Highland show about how Scots used to live.  After that, we finally got to the hostel.  I ate haggis for dinner... well kind of.  I couldn't finish because I was getting sick to my stomach, so I just shouldn't have ordered that for dinner.  Even though the wind was in my face all day, the rain made my pictures blurry, and my dinner wasn't the greatest, I wouldn't trade this day for anything.  I loved how imperfect it was because it created some pretty amazing memories.

After staying in a wonderful hostel that felt more like a hotel, I was ready for Sunday.  On Sunday, I got some beautiful pictures of Loch Ness, Highlander cows that look like Ed Sheeran, and learned about Nessie.  It's crazy to me how even with today's technology, we still don't know if he is real or not!  After multiple hours on buses, I finally got to explore the woods in the Highlands.  I literally felt like I was walking in a Disney movie.  Everything was just so magical, there was moss on all of the trees, and I just wanted to stay there forever.  There was also a huge waterfall in the woods, and I was just speechless.  Everything about Scotland was magnificent, besides the Haggis.

Words can't explain how much I enjoyed this past weekend.  In other words, I will be going back at one point or another.  These pictures don't do the scenery justice either.  Now that I have been here for over two months, I've learned one important thing.  Being dependent.  I have relied on God the most I have in my entire life.  I've given Him my situations, whether I'm covered in hives in a foreign hospital or dealing with the loss of a family member, I've relied on Him.  Being dependent has been the best decision I've ever made.  Some people call getting letters from home on a bad day a coincidence.  I call it God.  This constant adventure I've been on has been crazy.  I've had fun, I've been scared, and I've been living.