gorgeous!!

The Abbey

yay for Margaret!!

The hike to Arthur’s seat was really great! I had a wonderful time although the incline proved to be pretty tough. I thought that the group leading did a great job and I know Sunny really tried to work around everyone’s needs and wishes. In Edinburgh I have seen so many diverse groups of people, especially at Pollock Halls. I think we have been traveling at the peak of tourist season, nevertheless I have been surprised at the international community that seems to constantly surround us. I really love the scottish heritage that the locals seem to be so proud of. It occurred to me on our walk up Arthur’s seat that the natural structure that we were climbing has a rich history of its own. People for generations and generations have been climbing up the small peak. The hike opened my eyes to the beauty of the surrounding area as well. I have been walking along the Royal mile for the last day but I hadn’t made it to the castle yet. I had no perspective for the relationship between locations, such as Pollock hall compared to the castle, or the ruins. Similar to the Wordsworth hike, I really felt a connection to Edinburgh and the scottish culture as well as a sense of timelessness when we were sitting near the Abbey ruins. I enjoyed hearing everyone’s reflections about the trip and the hikes and landscapes that I have seen through hiking over the past four weeks have been a big part of what has made this trip so special. I think that Arthur’s seat was a great hike to end the trip with and I would recommend it to anyone who visits Edinburgh. I really loved seeing how planning hikes and working as a team in general really plays on everyone’s strengths. While Sunny was very logistically inclined, I appreciated Telia’s historic insights and research on Arthurs seat. In addition I thought that it was fun that they chose to emphasize different aspects of the area such as the flora and fauna that Margaret had researched. I really do think that learning about a place before or while you are visiting makes the vacation more special and more memorable. I think part of the reason that school work was fascinating for me on this trip was because it was connected to things we could see around us. I loved how the literature we read had historical significance to the physical places that we visited. The breath taking view at the top of Arthur’s seat was more than a sufficient reward for the trek up. When I reach the top of the mountain like that I think of the significance of God meeting prophets on mountaintops. A mountain top seems so appropriate as a place for God to relay a message and display his glory. I also think of people like Emerson who loved nature and was infatuated with it and fought for land reserves and parks to be set aside in the U.S. , or Beatrix Potter who set bought land and set it aside for others to enjoy. This has been a wonderful trip and I will never forget these hiking experiences or the wonderful people who helped make them possible!!

google earth!! preparing for the trip.

I enjoyed learning about Abingdon and helping to plan the hike. I am so proud of our group and everyone on the hike for their good attitudes. It is awesome to finally do a group project where everyone in the group cares, and actively participates and helps. Leading a hike really opened my eyes to what it is like to have a large group depending on you, even if it is in such a small way. I enjoyed doing research on Abingdon beforehand and it helped me to appreciate the city for it’s unique, rich history.

Hold your breath!

I read a book in high school called Do Hard Things. The authors, who are twin boys, wrote the book when they were seventeen. Throughout the book they discuss leadership roles among young adults. They state that the word “teenager” is relatively new, as is the concept that accompanies it. Currently the lifestyle (as portrayed in the media and through pop culture) of the average teenager is this : living off their parent’s salary, generally complaining and being full of angst, getting into trouble and not being able to assume “real adult” responsibilities. The co-authors mention that previously there was no awkward middle (purgatory, if you will) of the a human’s life. A person was either considered a child or an adult. Most of our current teenage girls would be married off very young, to assume household and family duties. Men would begin working, if they hadn’t already been working as a child. What I am getting at is that teenagers and young adults should be given more responsibility. I have heard adults complain about kids as if they are super lazy or incapable of small tasks. Every time that I am put in a position of leadership or more responsibility than usual I feel the pressure but there is also a sense of ambition to finish the job and further satisfaction once the job has been done and hopefully done well. I think that when hard things come up and challenges are faced, that is when we learn the most about ourselves. Problem solving and learning about personal talents and limitations is essential to healthy intellectual and emotional growth.

Introspective

Memorize the map! Turn this way and that. Look back, look back. Each footstep and turn makes a deeper impression than before, after one step of mine there are twenty-four more.

If everyday I awoke with the intention in mind to lead others with sincerity and meaning, how much more would my day hold? To serve others is a greater and nobler challenge than to serve oneself, I haven’t quite learned how, but I do know that to lead is to be a servant. Most times I believe there is no glory and little recognition for those who serve, but the job becomes a reward in itself, whether it be through discipline and a learned skill, humbleness, or a new appreciation for ways in which others have served you in the past without being acknowledged or thanked.

Let the one who first loved us, teach of humbleness, and of joy in the little things. Grant a grace filled heart for challenges that cannot be overcome without his loving spirit within us.

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