And the semester begins...officially

What better way to start the semester than with a party, or to be more precise and more Scottish—a ceilidh? Classes started on Monday morning, but Sunday night Dalkeith House hosted a ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee). The ceilidh reminds me of a square dance with an accordion. A lovely woman named Annabelle was the caller, explaining and demonstrating the dance steps. One interesting dance utilized groups of three instead of the more common couple or group of four. Even though we did not do-si-do in any of the dances, lots fun was had by sweaty students, faculty, staff, and family alike. Some students enjoyed the ceilidh so much that they went to a local one a few days later with the dance teacher.

Karla Zhe, the dance teacher, spinning with Dutch Shultz in the center

My family decided to celebrate the day before the first day of classes with a hike up Arthur’s Seat. This crag of 350 million year old volcanic rock (makes me feel infinitesimally small) rises over 800 feet above sea level. The panoramic views are spectacular! So was the wind on the day we hiked up it. Honestly, I was worried that the kids would get blown off the top – or me with my coordination. Seryahna and Djanko were troopers, insisting that we go up the steep way and asking to go back up Arthur’s Seat just a few days later. 

Beginning to climb Arthur's Seat

A really windy day on Arthur's Seat

The view

Looking down the mountain

Seryahna and Djanko waiting on the rocks

The views

Almost blown away on top of Arthur's Seat

As we trekked down, we viewed the ruins of St. Anthony’s Chapel, which dates back at least to the 15^th century. Possibly more spectacular to me, though, was St. Margaret’s Loch. The little pond itself was nothing extraordinary, but the 50+ mute swans were quite incredible. I have not seen that many swans in one place before, so I was amazed to see such a large game of swans. Yes, game is one of the terms for a group of swans. Another term is bevy. We also saw graylag geese and tufted ducks. The tufted ducks look like they have little ponytails. 

Mute swan

Greylag goose

A bevy of swans

Tufted duck

The kids helped me on a trial run of measuring the trees

Old oaks that students will measure

Okay, okay, okay…after all of these adventures, I was ready to start classes. I even heard students say that they were ready to start classes, too. I am teaching Introduction to Psychology, Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence, and Behavioral Statistics. The students in each of these classes seem motivated. I am excited about utilizing the rich cultural and societal experiences to further learning. For example, I am working on some field trips to Edinburgh College and to the National Museum, and statistics students will gather their own data in the old oaks on the grounds.  

Another beautiful old oak

Students & my kids waiting for the bus

Waiting for the bus with the castle in the background

Almost the whole of the house took a field trip this past Friday to Cramond Island, a sometimes island west of Edinburgh. Cramond Island lies in the Firth of Forth (the narrow inlet of the North Sea where Edinburgh sits). About 40 of us piled onto public buses and made our way to the village of Cramond. From there, we walked across a bridge that was less than a mile long. We had to go at low tide because the island is exactly that, an island, when the tide is high. There are many stories of people getting stuck on the island until the low tide or of trying to make it across the bridge as the tide rushes in and requiring rescue services. There are old abandoned buildings, loads of trails, an unbelievable amount of trash and broken glass, excellent beaches, and reminders of ancestors from unfathomable times ago. Cramond Island boasts some of the first evidence of humans in Scotland – hazelnut shells dating from 8500 years ago (“Cramond Island,” 2010-2014). More recent evidence of human use can be found in the crumbling remains of a farmstead from the 1800s and military buildings and structures used for defense during World Wars I and II. All of us on the field trip enjoyed beautiful weather for trekking around the island. For more on Cramond Island, see http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/edinburgh/cramondisland/. 

The walk out to Cramond Island

Cramond Island

Cramond Island

View of Inchmickery Island

The family on Cramond Island

Djanko & Seryahna with friends Vince & Renae on the beach

 Some of you may have seen in the news that areas of Great Britain have been flooding. So far, we have been lucky. Areas of southern England have experienced massive flooding, but Scotland has had less rain than average. Of course, it is hard for me to tell when we do have rain almost every day. However, we may be in for a taste of the big rains when we head south to London this weekend.