Mattie was one of 17 Wingate students who participated in the Fall
2006 Wingate-In-London program. The group of juniors and seniors
lived together in flats and studied art, history, theatre and
English literature with one Wingate faculty member and British
adjuncts. Mattie grew up in a small town in North Carolina not too
far from Wingate. She enjoys reading, watching movies, hanging out
with friends and family, and art (especially photography).
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| Haggis, Ghosts & Castles in
Edinburgh |
 |
Posted by:
Mattie on 10/12/06 |
Hello again everyone! This past
weekend the whole class went to Edinburgh, Scotland. It took us
about eight hours on a bus to get there but it was a good time
to get things done for class, and I was able to read half of a
book that was due for English class plus get a few hours sleep.
About halfway there we had to stop to refuel the bus and we all
got out and got a bite to eat. It was amazing because it was the
biggest best rest stop I have ever seen! It was like a service
station with and coffee shop, mini grocery, and two fast food
restaurants. I was so happy because I was starving! I got my
first taste of KFC in Europe and let's just say that it was
interestingly different. After that experience we headed to our
hotel. Some had dinner and just went to bed because you all know
how a bus ride will take all the energy that you have, others
went on a Ghost Walk in the center of town. They said that it
was the sixth scariest place in the world! I'm not big on scary
things so I watched a movie with my wonderful roomie, (Newsies
was the movie).
In the morning we all had a traditional Scottish breakfast, and
it was great because we just don't eat like that here in or
flats. There were eggs, ham, mini mushrooms, croissants, hash
browns and lots of juice and hot tea. We all then hopped on the
bus and took a tour all over Edinburg and learned all about the
history of the Castle, the old city, and then the new addition
as it grew. At the Castle there were the Scottish Crown jewels
and the medieval birthing chair that was used by queens. The
tour was great but after a while the guide seemed to say the
same thing over and over so I fell asleep on the bus. We stopped
when the tour was over and I just about fell out of the seat but
thanks to my book bag I was saved. For dinner we went to this
pub in the old hanging square called the Last Drop Pub. We were so happy because there was a discount for students. All meals
less than six pounds were three pounds fifty for us, so that
meant that we could get big, filling, and good meals for cheap.
There were a few of us that decided to try a traditional
Scottish meal called Haggis. For most people this would be a
great feat but for us Wingate students it was just another thing
that we didn't know what it was. As it turned out Haggis is
sheep's vital organs that are cooked with spices inside the
stomach of the sheep. It was very funny because the waiter told
everyone that it was great but didn't tell them what it was till
after they all had a few bites. Well some didn't care but others
thought that it was really gross and couldn't finish their meal.
The next day we went to the Lake District and saw the most
beautiful place that I have ever been!! I will try to put some
pictures on the site for you all. All weekend we had a blast but
we were all so tired that when Monday came we were happy that we
only had two classes. I now have two midterms and two books to
read for class next week so I better get back to the grind of
things after such a great weekend. Hope everyone is doing great
and I will keep you posted on things going on here!