A Student's Semester In Scotland

The year 2022 will start with me taking a long, solo trip, as that is when I will spend a semester at the Ayr Campus of the University of West of Scotland pursuing the second master’s degree I will be getting. To say that I am looking forward to this trip would be one of the biggest understatements I could make currently. I cannot wait to start my life as an international scholar while also getting the chance to explore the second country on my “To Visit” list, nor can I wait to see the sight that inspired one of my favorite traditional songs, “Loch Lomond” which I once performed during my undergraduate career as part of a tenor/bass choir. The largest draw, however, is the call of my ancestral homeland as a descendant of the Clan Donald who ruled the western islands of Scotland.

I’ve always been a bit of a scholar, but the prospect of being an international scholar is something I cannot refuse now that it is within my grasp. I cannot wait to expand my horizons and learn how other countries handle various issues, and, more importantly, meet other international scholars. I hope to form an international network of scholars dedicated to sharing our research and discoveries with each other. Aside from the immediate benefit of shared information, this endeavor will lay the foundation for the next international network I want to build through the second international degree that I hope to pursue while studying law: an international network of lawyers dedicated to lobbying for stricter anti-monopoly laws, labor laws, free speech, and environmental protections worldwide, as these are issues that transcend national-boundaries due to the power wielded by governmental and corporate entities.

I have heard so many tales of the beauty of Scotland which whets my appetite. Given that I grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains and am a proud pluviophile (aka a person who loves the rain), Scotland is a land I will very much enjoy visiting. I cannot wait to frolic in the fields and hills and truly enjoy the land I have heard so many stories about. As a full-time student, I will not have much time for exploration, so will not bother when any traditional tourist activities. Instead, I will focus on seeing as much as I can and learning about the people who live there.

Aside from the sights, the music also draws me. I discovered Celtic folk music when I was sixteen and it has inspired most of my musical tastes, especially when it comes to my love of acapella music. From the romantic ones like “Red is the Rose” by the High Kings to the more comedic pieces like “The Sick Note” by the Dubliners. A close second to the beautiful tones of Celtic acapella music is the primal exhilaration that comes from listening to war drums and bagpipes. There’s something about that sound that gets my blood and adrenaline pumping and invokes a feeling of confidence and power inside me that I usually cannot access.

Finally, the call I feel to both explore the land of the clan I descended from, not the mention my scholarly side wanting to know more about them, is almost irrepressible. All I currently know is our tartan and our motto. The latter is this: “By land and by sea.” Given the motto and the location of the clan, I presume that fishing provided much of our economy, but when my more imaginative side takes hold, I also imagine proud Celtic Vikings, exploring the European coast. I shall soon be able to regularly gaze out into the body of water they sailed upon, a thought which gives me immeasurable joy.