Global Study Abroad in Scotland: Field trips to historical and cultural places in Edinburgh City.

I had a very wonderful study abroad experience this summer in Scotland. I explored the culture, living areas, and multiple popular sightseeings in Scotland while taking one history and one society classes there. Another important person that helps to make this trip so great and well-arranged for me is the study abroad managing team from IFSA, they organized housing, field trip transportation and itinerary of the study course. I also can reach out to them for any food recommendations, travel advice, medical concerns, or any issues.

Due to the relation of coursework with the historical and cultural background of Edinburgh city, the program brought to me the opportunity to visit museums, galleries, and botanical gardens. The Anatomical museum showed me the birth of genetic and neural science in response to human behavior and disease diagnosis. The national museum has multiple rooms  that store discoveries related to technology, science, and society made by many scientists and physicians. I was impressed the most with the Royal Botanical garden where I can see the path of finding and preserving plants going beyond the scale of European countries and the continuation of investing and renovating through many imperials to preserve the beauty of nature and science. These places are located right at the center of the city and I can easily get public transportation to commute. Otherwise, I mostly walk between places to enjoy viewing the street and breathe the fresh air.

What I like the most about Scotland is weather and infrastructure. Scotland is not hot in summer, it’s windy and cloudy and the geographical character of the high land area make Scotland a bit colder compared to the United States. Other than that, Scotland becomes more ancient and peaceful when I can view those brown castles and green lands scattered around the city. Thus, I enjoyed walking on the streets, hiking, jogging with friends to shop on the way and to stop by any restaurants to explore new foods. I especially like the crepe made by the coffee shop Wanderlust right near my class building. Both sides of the streets are filled with countless restaurants and coffee shops, so it would be great to make a plan ahead of highly-recommended places to explore the cuisines. The next place that I am enchanted by is the campus of the University of Edinburgh. The campus is so big and beautiful and was surrounded by museums, bookstores, restaurants, and convenient stores. Hence, this area exuded the atmosphere of fun, comfort and tranquility. The library on campus has become one of my favorite places for studying and looking through the window at sunset to catch the light yellow shining of the sun makes me fall in love with Scotland. The library opens 24 hours and sunset time in Scotland was late. The sky was not dark until about 10.30 pm. Hence, it is usual to see restaurants open until 11pm and groups of young people gathered at the pub or bar about midnight.

I will update more things about Scotland in my next blog to give you an overview of how authentic and fascinating this land looks.