Deeside Day

We had another day of cultural activities to give our brains a rest and rejuvenate. After breakfast our hosts from the University of Aberdeen came to greet us and come along on a day trip along the Dee River. It took us about 2 hours but we rode up into the Highlands to a town called Crathie, near Balmoral Castle where the Queen is currently in residence. 

Our first stop was Royal Lochnagar Malt Whiskey Distillery. We took a tour and did a tasting. I am not a huge fan but it is always need to see how they make it. The Distillery is literally the next door neighbor to the Queen. The only thing separating them is a bit of land, a hill, and all of her security detail :-)

Speaking of the Queen, as we left we could see the guards opening up the gate to let her Land Rover out to go pick her up at the church up the road. There were people gathered along the bridge to try to get a peep. I wanted to jump out and join them. Rumor has it that Prince Harry has been spotted and some even say that the Royal Baby George is around. I doubt the second part. There would likely be more media around if that were the case.  Either way, I snapped a quick picture of the gate and her church as we whooshed by on our coach.

This part of the country is truly beautiful and would be great for hiking, biking or even just a nice drive in a convertible. It is so peaceful. We happened to get some great weather. 

On our way back we stopped at Crathes Castle for some tea & cake and a tour. The unique thing about the castle is that the family was living there up until the 60's when they had a fire. Yet still today they keep family pictures in a room so you can see what they are all up to. In 2005 they had a family wedding there in the gardens. It was an Alice in Wonderland theme, complete with costumed characters. 

I'm trying to call it a night early so I can prepare for a long but productive day of meetings tomorrow. Our theme is Leadership, Management & International Development. 

Weekend in Aberdeen

Robert Gordon University had great foresight in planning a day of cultural activities and leaving us to some much-needed free time. We have been going with such intensity that we all just needed some time to relax, reflect and take it all in. They hired a blue badge tour guide to take us on a coach ride around the city, providing some history and context. We are actually staying on the campus of the University of Aberdeen. So we started there.

One of the bus tour highlights was stopping to walk around a small fishing village on the outskirts of Aberdeen. Each home was once owned by fishermen and their families. Now they look to be inhabited by artists and eclectics. See what you think...

I appreciate the fine examples of meerkat sculpture. 

Afterward we were invited to a private screening of Disney/Pixar's Brave. We loved it and a few of us were fairly close to tears. Great movie about a mother-daughter relationship. It made me fairly homesick for little Helen.

Speaking of family, we learned today that our fearless Fulbright Commission leader, Eilish, has to unexpectedly leave our group and return to Ireland for a family emergency. We were all so heartbroken. She has been so amazing and a load of fun. Our Fulbright family has really appreciated all that she contributed to holding this program together. I can't imagine what it is like on the other side of the planning. Our thoughts are with her.

(Re)Introducing Lady Kelly, Laird of Dunans

Today was my birthday. I have to say I am quite lucky in two ways. First, I am having the opportunity of a lifetime as a Fulbright participant in England and Scotland. Second, our hosts at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen gave us the most unique gift at dinner...a decorative title of land ownership. Mine is Lady Kelly Jean Kirkwood of Dunans. Such a fun clever gift that supports the restoration of a castle. Now to get my frequent flyer account name changed to see if I can get upgrades :)

Robert Gordon University is really unique in that it is not like any category of institution we have in the United States. It is focused on vocational and professional education. So while it has some of the fields we might see in our 2 year institutions (medical technology) it also has architecture, business and engineering. They have very close ties to the oil and petroleum industry since Aberdeen is booming with job growth in that area. They have fantastic looking buildings and seem very much to be a rapidly expanding institution. They are very proud of their job placement statistics and see business and industry as the customer rather than the student. That does not mean that they don't care about students, but their goal is to get students placed. 

One thing I found particularly unique is that they use volunteer "patients" for their nursing students and have them conduct intake sessions. Then the patients evaluate the experience in terms of patient-client interaction. This seems like a great way to impart some of the soft skills that are important in the medical field. I am not sure if this sort of thing is done in the U.S. nursing programs, but it seems like a wonderful approach.

We are excited to have the chance to stay for 3 nights in the same accommodation. All of the moving is taking a toll. This weekend has been planned out but allows for some much needed free time. I can't wait to explore the city.