England by Hiram

Learning how to cope while traveling is important because you are being exposed to a lot of new things. Traveling in a large group can make things even harder especially when you have an introverted personality. Winding down to the end of our journey has been the most difficult for some of us. Tensions between others can be high and things are easily misunderstood or misinterpreted. However, there are ways that you can learn to handle being in a large group for weeks at a time. When you have free time use it to your advantage. Get away from the noise and go hang out with a small group of friends or go for a walk by yourself. Sometimes it’s better to be alone and there’s nothing wrong with being alone. If you have had a particularly stressful day, find someone you trust to confide in. Afterwards, take a nice long hot shower to relax. If you are having problems with another person and feel that you can talk to them about it than talk out your issues. It is okay if you do not feel comfort

Going to Dunsinane Hill to read the end of Macbeth was informative. When reading the play it was not obvious that there was a fortress at the peak. I somehow imagined that the soldiers were just fighting on a hill. Now that I have climbed the hill I have realized how wrong my imagination was. The hill is very steep and would not be easy for the offensive side. I truly think that Macbeth had the advantage in real life even though he did lose that battle. I also think that being in Braemar and going to Dunsinane made Macbeth the king and Macbeth the character easier to distinguish from each other. The play is not a history and so many people take this story as reality without realizing the history behind it. Getting to explore Scone Palace afterwords made so much sense to the story. Although Malcolm III was not Macbeth’s immediate successor, the first crowing at Scone did occur after Macbeth with his stepson. I find it incredible that they still have the original coronation throne des

May 4th Evening Blog This evening, after the hike, we had some down time at the hostel. Many of us went into town and shopped around while others stayed at the hostel or explored the mountains some more. Its been a really nice day, the weather warmer than expected this day, which made for a nice evening. The class gathered in the kitchen area of the hostel and cooked dinner. All of us had agreed to make breakfast for dinner, which was an amazing idea. Group activities such as this always have a way of bringing groups together, especially if french toast is involved. After dinner the Macbeth group in the class has planned to do their group activity. The class has gathered in the lounge and was handed group discussion questions to go over. During the discussion the Macbeth group had bursted into the room shouting “King Duncan has been killed!” which made the group activity much more exciting. At this point everyone was handed a clue and the group activity has continued. Each group i

May 4th Morning Blog This morning we woke up in a hostel in Braemar, Scotland. It's a small village in the middle of beautiful mountains, that surround the area. Today the group had some class time after breakfast to discuss a few important concepts of our travel and of the activities and plays we have seen on the trip so far. This is a nice place to catch up before traveling back to London for the remainder of our trip. Here it is very quiet and relaxing, whereas London is city life. After our class discussion we had time to get lunch. A few of us walked into town that was right around the corner from our hostel, to get lunch. The food here is amazing. People here are much more health conscious than they are in America. Here they don't add a bunch of salt or butter to everything so you can taste the natural flavor in the food. After lunch the class met back up and we went on a hike that took us through the village and up along the mountain. The walk was much more enjoyabl

For those that don’t know me, I’m Amber. A week and a half before I had to leave the states to go on a trip of a lifetime, I accidentally injured my left knee, severely. As a result of that, the possibility of me going on the study abroad trip wasn’t looking that good. After annoying several different medical professionals, I was given the green light to do this Shakespearean infused adventure. The group and I have been through a lot in the past two weeks. I might have not been able to do as much as I have without the help of my professors and classmates. They have offered me help whenever I could need help. Sometimes I take it and other times I don’t (even thought I should, in all actuality, take it). This brings to mind the one point I want to give to whoever reads this: know your own limitations. If you think you can do it then attempt it, but don’t hurt yourself more while doing so. Two instances of this happening to me so far had completely different results. The first instance

Post originally from April 30th: April 30th was our last day (Until we return from Scotland) In London. The plan for the day was packing everything up and have breakfast by 9 AM so we could all check out of the youth hostel. Our luggage was stored in the back room and with our backpacks we split up into groups for some free hours until we all met up in the station for our class portion of the day. Maya, Amber, Savannah, Hailey and I went to Kensington park. This was a location that I had personally been begging to go to so I was very lucky that they wanted to as well. The flat and huge park was unlike any I have ever seen. I am used to paths cutting through a forest but by the look of it all of the trees seemed to be planted and maybe some were naturally there but it had an unique look of all the different trees sprouting up from the existing field. It was beautiful. In Kensington we quickly saw that it was a dog paradise. All sorts of dogs were everywhere -- terriers dashed in cir

Edinburgh This city is a stark contrast with London.  Where London has had to rebuild from losses sustained in a devastating fire in the 1700’s and the Blitz during WW2, the Scottish capital has had no such losses.  Most of the city buildings, at least where we were staying, look to date back as far as the 18th century and often older.  And nothing was older than the Royal Mile, a stretch of basically ancient road connecting the city’s two palaces.  As you can imagine, this is a huge tourist destination; the whole pedestrian zone was lined with shops promising tartan, well-made scarves and Celtic jewelry.  And food, lots of that.  Even the buildings on the lest populated stretch near Holyrood were covered with baroque columns and look as though they have stood the test of time.  Considering where they are, they have. The entire complex was built on top of a dormant volcano: Holyrood at the bottom and Edinburgh Castle at the crest.  This is especially significant if you know that Ho

Today, we arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland. The trip here began with an overnight train ride in a sleeper car. We were all bustling with excitement as we boarded the train car. For many of us, including myself, it was our first time on a train like that. The rooms were small but not uncomfortable and we were bouncing between each space trying to get a feel for our surroundings. We were aware that we had to be up early in the morning, prepared for the day, so we all tried very hard to turn in early. That was a difficult task for me because I felt like I was going to sleep on Christmas Eve with the level of excitement that was bubbling inside me. The train gently rocked me to sleep and I woke to knocking on our door with the train workers serving us morning tea. The sun was shining through the windows and as we unloaded the car the first thing I saw was the large silhouette of a castle-like structure on the horizon. I would come to find out this was a common theme in Scotland. One of the

Today was our first full day in London which began with a nice light breakfast in the youth hostel. Once everyone was met, we made our way to the underground where we boarded the tube that would take us to Westminster. As soon as we emerged from the underground station, string us right in the face was Big Ben. It was surreal standing in one of the most iconic cities in the world with one of its most renowned landmarks right in front of me. Then, right around the corner was the sacred and beautifully ornate Westminster Abbey. Built in 960 A.D. and then rebuilt in the 1500s, this immaculate place of worship has stood strong and proud as a Church of England and still is used for services. Somehow the inside of the church is even more intricate and magnificent than the exterior, with all of the glorious memorials, grave sights, and sculptures made from the most extravagant stones and metals. It’s amazing to me how structures such as Westminster Abbey have prevailed through hundreds of year

April 26th: The morning began with a charming breakfast at several different cafés for those of us who braved the morning air and worthwhile lack of sleep with Paul. Megan, Hanna, and I stopped at a café and ordered drinks. As we opened them to reveal their contents, we all agreed that they reflected our personalities. Megan: a creamy and delicate base with dark chocolate swirls and flings of powder on top. Me: Milky white chocolate bubbles below light pink and pearly marshmallows around freckles of chocolate. Hannah: a flat pool of mocha. We rejoined our traveling family to delight upon pastries and listen to some techno remix in a cute coffee shop. Hannah led us, afterward, to the home of Shakespeare’s birth and early life. On the small town’s horizon, she gestured to a jester holding the two mask of comedy and tragedy. Although the comical character himself represents comedy, he is written into most of Shakespeare’s creations including his tragedies. The human condition, lik

Today is my 22nd birthday and I will be spending it London! The group starts off the day leaving Stratford and boards a train for London. I like riding the trains. We don’t have that opportunity back in the states. They move fast and I get a great opportunity to experience the beautiful scenery of the U.K. Along the way, everything is a vivid green here and there are fields and pastures with sheep and cattle everywhere. I have never seen so many sheep in my life and I’ve had my fair share seeing farm animals growing up on a farm, myself. We arrive at London and it is a busy city. It reminds me of New York City. It still gets to me-- seeing people driving on the rights side of the car and driving on the opposite side of the road than we do back home. The cars here are mostly similar colors of black, grey, or dark blue. There aren’t many bright colored cars. The police cars here are neon yellow and easy to see unlike home. London is more modernized than the other places we have been t

Demetria “Meech” McCulloh 24 April 2017                   # issablogentry I didn’t feel before I do now Inspired At ease Deserving I didn't feel before I do now Lost in the clouds Peace in this unknowing English clouds are more fluffy Wilderhope Clouds are touchable Always dreamed of being surrounded by clouds Engulfed in white like it’s my wedding day Floating Breathing Resting This is more than I expected Yet everything I’ve dreamed I didn't feel before I do now Wilderhope youth hostel, Wilderhope’s youth hostel’s view, has made me at peace. It has made me realize that it’s time to dream bigger. I’ve touched the clouds now. I have to reach higher than that. I was grateful since the day I found out I was going on the trip but the thoughts, the thankfulness, the reflection and the inspiration that just being able to see Wilderhope in person, in the flesh, with my own physical eyes was life changing for me. There is not a thing that can happen on