Departing for Dalkeith: Take 2

Currently, the temperature is about -14⁰ F here in Rice Lake. 

Our garden as winter sets in

Edinburgh is 45⁰ F, rainy, and windy. That sounds practically balmy right now. Soon my family and I will leave the snow and subzero temperatures behind to experience a Scottish winter and spring.

My name is Katrice Shuler, and I have the tremendous opportunity to teach in Scotland with the Experience Scotland program (formerly known as Wisconsin in Scotland). I teach psychology at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College in Rice Lake, Wisconsin.

This semester, Spring 2014, I will be teaching General Psychology, Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence, and Behavioral Statistics to students from WITC, University of Wisconsin, and Normandale Community College. Those students, other faculty members, and family will all be living and learning together in Dalkeith House, southeast of Edinburgh, with the Experience Scotland program.  For more on the program, check out http://www.uwrf.edu/WisconsinInScotland/.

When Tim McRaith taught in the Wisconsin in Scotland program in the fall of 2011, he wrote of the many possibilities that a partnership between WITC and the Experience Scotland program would bring. Thanks to his trailblazing and the work of many instrumental individuals at WITC, Dale Shultz and Anna Lehman will be the first WITC students to live, study, and immerse themselves in Scottish life with the Experience Scotland program. Dale is a business student as well as a graduate of WITC’s Barber-Cosmetology program. Anna is a pre-nursing student who is taking advantage of the time between the petitioning process and being able to begin the nursing program.

Experience Scotland will provide new challenges and inspirations for us all. The students will come from various schools, including WITC, University of Wisconsin, and Normandale Community College, and they will have a broad range of majors and interests. I look forward to the exciting opportunities that we will have, such as field trips to places like the Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh and the Freud Museum in London. We also will all learn more about Scotland, of course. With the bid for Scottish independence looming, there should be much to discuss and discover. In the end, our experiences will allow each of us to better view the world with a cross-cultural perspective. 

Our future home, Dalkeith Palace

One of the most rewarding aspects of this experience, though, is the fact that my family will be traveling with me: my husband, Ahmyn Masci, and our two children, Seryahna age 9, and Djanko age 7. In Rice Lake, my husband was working at Main Street Market Food Co-op. He actually started working there right before Denise and Tim left for Scotland in 2011. While in Scotland, he will be responsible for much of our homeschooling with the kids. Seryahna and Djanko are excited for this adventure, looking forward to touring castles, being close to the sea, making new friends, and exploring new places. They are both seasoned travelers, with many trips across the country under their belts. I think that they will do well traveling across the Scottish countryside and other countries too.

Djanko, Ahmyn, me, and Seryahna at Christie Mountain in Bruce, WI -- before the snow

I look forward to seeing Scotland through the eyes of my children and my students. Interestingly, this adventure will not be my first time in Scotland. One of the many reasons that I am so excited about this opportunity is that I participated in a study-abroad program while in college. I studied and worked in London for a semester with a program sponsored by Boston University, and I reveled in the experience. During my semester in London, I visited Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Stirling and absolutely fell in love with Scotland. I cannot wait to fall in love all over again.

Who needs a phone box anymore?

This time, though, a few differences will be obvious. One of the differences that I’ve begun to ponder is that in my previous trip to London, slightly over 2 decades ago, communication with family and friends in the states was different. I couldn’t skype; there were no “blogs,” and I did not even have an email account. I wrote letters and postcards and had to find a pay phone to place calls – yes, those famous red payphone boxes. Now, communication will be varied, and it will be easier to stay in touch with family, friends, and even complete strangers. This blog is just one way that I will be able to share the WITC in Scotland experience. Additionally, Dale Shultz will be taking care of our International Education Facebook page. 

My family and I will depart soon – in about a week. We have much to do between now and then. Before too long, though, I will be posting about our jaunt across the pond. Cheers, and stay warm!