The first thing Tuesday morning we did was head out for cultural visits. The class had a choice of going to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum or the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA). I chose to go to the GoMA. We were fortunate again that it was a gorgeous day out. The walk to the GoMA was short and when we arrived we were free to wander about the museum. I'm not much a modern art person per say, but the GoMA was a fun place to visit. It wasn't anything unlike the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. It was mostly contemporary art by local artists (with some national and international mixed in). A lot of the artwork had to do with social issues, such as the civil rights movement or oppression. It was interesting, but I wish I'd gone to the Kelvingrove. From what I heard about it and the pictures I saw, it would have been much more intriguing to me. I also think the Kelvingrove would have been more cultural (modern art seems to be the same across the board, no matter which country you go to... and sometimes I don't get the point of it). Anyway, if I ever venture to Glasgow again, I'll make sure to check out the Kelvingrove.After our cultural visit we went to our academic visit. We all crammed into an office building to listen to a presentation based on the mental health and well-being of Scotland from an NGO perspective (whatever that means). The presentation was by a company called SAMH which is a mental health charity in Scotland. There they incorporate positive psychology to help citizens of Scotland better their mental health. One thing I liked about the positive psychology approach that SAMH was implementing was that they addressed it as everyone has mental health (whereas a lot of time it's only seen as mental illness). This meant that no matter who you are, you should take care of your mental health (whether you have a sickness or not). I had no idea about this but apparently Scotland is riddled with mental health problems as well as low esteem. From what I experienced in Scotland it seemed that everyone was helpful, kind, and optimistic. Which is different from Denmark, which is supposed to be one of the happiest places in the world. Yet while I've been in Denmark I haven't really seen much of a difference. The people aren't outwardly friendly (but they are for the most part in Scotland). But I don't do the judging, so I can't really state the facts.
That night we gathered as a class to have dinner at the City Merchant. There we had traditional fish and chips. The restaurant was nice and I enjoyed the meal. It wasn't anything spectacular but it was nice way to end the evening. Afterward a few of us got together at the hotel and hung out for the night. I was exhausted from the long night before and the busy day.
On Wednesday we had another cultural visit to Provand's Lordship. This is the oldest house in Glasgow and was built in 1471. I can't say that it was the most interesting place
we went to, but we had to having something to fill the time. We then checked out of the hotel, loaded onto the bus and headed for the Scottish countryside.We were on our way to Fife for another academic visit to the Playfield Institute. While on the bus we passed green pastures with sheep and cows. The sky was so blue and the clouds were big puff balls. I wish I could describe how beautiful it was, but it's hard to explain without it sounding cliche. When I think what Scotland looks like, the bus ride to Fife is the clear picture of what I imagine. Playfield Institute is another place implementing positive psychology in the work place (they train teachers and other professionals). We did a meditation session and had an amazing buffet lunch with sandwiches and Scottish food.
We gathered again for another bus ride, this time heading towards Edinburgh. It was getting dark as we arrived but luckily it wasn't pitch black. We stayed at the Jury's Inn and had a magnificent view of the Edinburgh skyline. The most amazing thing about Edinburgh is the preservation of the old buildings. The city, although containing many office buildings, still has a traditional and old look to it. A lot of the buildings are stone and the streets are all windy (with many hills).
That night I ate at one of the crappiest restaurants I've ever been to. A few people and I went there because the prices looked reasonable and they had an array of selections. But it was awful. I guess that's all part of the experience though. Again we went out that night. We checked out a bar called the "Three Sisters." The atmosphere was wild and the music was great. We had a few drinks and danced for awhile. I had a good time staying out late with new friends and then wandering the streets back home to our hotel (Edinburgh is extremely easy to navigate actually, so it wasn't really wandering).
