Wild and Sexy Scotland.

I've made it back to the states! I would have made a post sooner, although moving back to school and starting brand new classes made that a bit tricky.

Other than the announcement, "All passengers must put their seat belt on immediately," given three different times on the plane ride, traveling went quite smoothly! I mean, why do you have to use the word immediately? It was only turbulence, but that's just terrifying.

Now before I tell you all about my highland adventure, I have to tell you about my last day of my internship!

In the afternoon, I was surprised with a wee presentation where I was showered with gifts and appreciation! Gifts included sparkling wine, whiskey, a card with sweet notes, flowers, and a Quaich. A Quaich is a small encrusted silver bowl. Traditionally, it is offered as a cup of welcome or farewell and derives from the gaelic word "cuach", which means "shallow cup". It is gaining popularity for using it to toast happy occasions.

To say I felt honored would be an understatement. I am truly appreciative of the support, appreciation, and opportunities given to me by the Eric Liddell Centre!

And it's now time to prepare yourself for the amazing scottish highlands!

I went on a 3 day guided tour of 28 people around the highlands with a company called Haggis Adventures. Cool name right? Well the tour itself was called Wild and Sexy Scotland. Even cooler name right? But here is the best part- we drove around in a yellow bus with the words "Wild and Sexy" on the side. I know, it just keeps getting better!

Day 1: Visiting Glencoe, the Wallace Monument, and various lochs (lakes).

(My apologies for not having a description of every picture!)

The Wallace Monument

Looking down the Falls of Dochart at Killin.

Standing in the Falls of Dochart.

Lovely travel companions on the tour!

Ranoch Moor

Looking down Glen Etive, the peak of Buachaille is on the right.

In Glencoe.

Looking down Glencoe.

In Glencoe.

The Commando Memorial near the Village of Spean Bridge. The ski centre of Nevis Range is in the background.

During this trip we stayed in a hostel called Morag's Lodge right on Loch ness! The first night of our tour, the hostel held a Pub Quiz where we divided up into teams and had to answer questions and complete challenges. It was a blast seeing as it had been a while since I was in a room full of people laughing SO hard!

Day 2: Visiting Isle of Skye!

We continued on our journey up to Isle of Skye, or also know as the "Isle of Mist", because yes, it was quite misty. I prefer to call it the "Isle of Rainbows" because we saw 5 rainbows in one day! It was quite a magical place.

The Scotland shaped Loch Garry.

Eilean Donan Castle.

Kilt Rock, Totternish Peninsula

The Quiraing

Slighachen

The bridge at Slighachen, or the "River of Eternal Beauty"

Eilean Donan Castle

Day 3: Loch Ness, highland cows, and waterfalls!

So I have to admit- the real reason behind going on this tour was to pet some Heilan Coo's (highland cows). Okay, well not really....

Except actually yes.

The tour guides weren't going to stop to pet the cows, but because I had been going on about them for the past 2 days, WE STOPPED TO PET SOME HEILAN COOS!

This little cow was so curious! And was really good at taking selfies.

The signs had english and gaelic on them!

Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness

Loch Ness

And of course we had to hunt for Nessie!

The Hermitage, near Dunkeld.

The Hermitage, near Dunkeld.

The Hermitage, near Dunkeld.

I realize this may have been an overload on pictures, but the highlands are just too beautiful for their own good!

Overall, including my internship, travels, and new relationships made, I will be forever grateful! I learned so much about myself and the world and I simply can't wait to go back for a wee' cuppa!

And much love to those who have been so supportive throughout this journey and have followed my travels. I couldn't have done it without any of you!

Research and Gardens and Laughter, Oh My!

Finally- I've been able to compile more pictures from my internship and even with carers!

And wow. This is my last week of the internship. Can you believe it? Because I sure can't.

Part of what I have been doing for the Ca(I)re Programme is attend the free courses for carers to provide support and a welcoming face.

Right now we are coming to an end on our Winter/Spring courses. This session the courses we offered were Computer Skills, Life Skills, Aromatherapy and Pilates, Greeting the Spring, Arts and Crafts, Relaxation, Late Winter Walks, and Painting. A new set of courses will be offered in the summer to give carers different options, which I helped plan for as well.

It has been so rewarding to attend the courses and see older carers learning new skills, getting some exercise, and simply having a break from their caring duties. This population is so deserving of this time to learn, considering the caring duties they perform are all unpaid.

As these courses are on these last weeks, part of my job has been to distribute and collect course evaluation forms completed by the carers. This allows us to measure how the course has gone for carers, the quality of the course in terms of teaching and venues, how the course has helped carers in relation to their mental and social wellbeing, and other various aspects. I am then creating reports on the data gathered. The data gathered is crucial to keeping the program running as it is shared with our funders. Without proof of progression and positive outcomes, there in turn would be no funding.

Along with the evaluation forms, I even held my very own and very first focus group! I was in charge of gathering the statistics of the carers, creating the research questions, recording the group, and creating a report of my findings. Even though the group was quite small, it was a very valuable experience nonetheless.

So far, all of the evaluation forms have contained positive feedback. How wonderful is that?!

Here are some pictures from the courses:

Aromatherapy and Pilates:

Late Winter Walks:

Greeting the Spring:

This course was at Dr. Neil's Garden where the carers learned about plants and gardening, made wreaths for their homes, and even made bonfires! It is too beautiful not to show a wee bit more pictures.

This jolly carer learned how to take "selfies".

Dynamic Earth Day:

Dynamic Earth is an interactive museum all about the history of the world. Every year they give out "Golden Tickets" to charities that allows us to take up to 10 carers at a time for free. Since receiving the golden ticket this year, we were able to take a group of carers to Dynamic Earth. This is just my boss, Julie, and I posing with a Sabered Tooth Tiger.

Laughing Yoga:

Laughing Yoga is run by the Ca(I)re Programme, just separately from the free courses offered.

Never heard of laughing yoga? It's exactly what it sounds like- you laugh and use yogic breathing! I've never seen anything quite like it. Everyone laughs the whole time and I have yet to be in a room with a happier group of people.

Now, you see the wonderful little lady in the bright red sweater? She is 90 years old, laughs harder than anyone else, and can maneuver better than I can! Talk about an inspiration.



Another part of my job has been to take photos of the courses and post them on Facebook. I don't end up in a lot of the photos, hence why I don't have a ton on here. If you would like to see the photos I have posted, you can search for the Ca(I)re Programme on Facebook!

Throughout these 3 months I have truly had the most amazing experiences! Saying good bye to the carers and my colleagues has been harder than imagined. Working in such a positive environment and being able to make a difference in carers lives will leave me with some of my favorite memories in the world.

But this is not the end of my blog!

With the rest of my time here, which happens to fall perfectly on spring break, I will be exploring the highlands! This includes Loch Lomond (home of Nessie, the Lochness Monster), Ilse of Skye (remember my post about the nature reserve? Apparently I have seen nothing yet), and around other parts of the country. I can't wait.

Stay tuned!