t seems like lately I have been doing a lot of moaning, so I thought I would make this entry a bit more upbeat by telling you some of the things I love about Scotland. When I use the word love to describe anything to do with Scotland I am not using over dramatic language to express myself or giving the word love the generic meaning that so many people use to mean that they just like it. I am completely in love. I love the rain, the wind, cream yum yums, and macaroni cheese pie. I love haggis, peat, and gale force winds. The separation from my beloved Aberdeenshire hurts just as much as the loss of a lover. She is a true beauty who dances and glimmers in the purist of golden and amber sunsets that streak the skies in the light and surrender to the pale purples, pinks, and greens of the aurora borealis by night.
She breaks your heart day after day with her rain drenched melancholy all the while ravishing your soul with a bitter gale. Aberdeenshire is like experiencing how I feel on the inside manifested in an irresistible landscape and culture. How could any place ever compare after experiencing all that? When I close my eyes I can still briefly go back to the observation deck of the NorthLink overnight passage to Orkney and Shetland. I can feel the full force of the North Sea wind embracing me in a timeless expression of existence where I am fully myself. I cannot bear to think that these fleeting moments of internal teleportation could perhaps one day fade from my memory and out of reach forever.
You may be wondering how on earth does a person become so enamoured by a place on a map. For me, Scotland is no mere geographic location. It is as close as a living being can come to experiencing the divine while travelling through this phase of fleshy existence. However, not everyone who ends up in Aberdeen feels the same rapturous emotions I do when it comes to the city. Quite a few residents see the historic granite architectural structures that create the urban panorama as grey, monotonous eyesores. The winter’s bring outrageously short days with long, bitter cold nights. The wind howls. The rain beats against the rooftops and pours down upon head tops as well, leaving a constant flow of refreshing Scottish rainwater that playfully drips off the tips of noses. In summer there is no darkness. Blackout curtain become a necessary feature of any well-appointed bedroom, but even then the light someone sneaks into view behind closed eyelids. When my plane made its approach into Aberdeen International Airport for the very first time I thought I was imagining that I could still see sunlight above the cloud cover at ten o’clock at night. It was not the jet lag. For all of these reason, and many more, some people simply cannot stand the place. They call it depressing.
When I look at those same granite buildings in Aberdeen I see a tangible reflection of Aberdeen’s rich history. The stone sparkles in the sunlight. On rain soaked days those same buildings reflect shades from pale pinks to deep blues as they mirror the pastel sky. I have a theory that people who migrate to Scotland from countries with a more vibrant colour palette might have a harder time appreciating the muted tones that paint the Scottish landscape. But, I doubt that there is anyone alive who would not marvel at the otherworldly magnificence of the sunlight finally breaking through cloud cover and illuminating the sea on a chilly Scottish morning.
My Top Five Best Scottish Memories
Meeting Elisabeth Niklasson
The first day I stepped onto the University of Aberdeen campus was a very special day for me. At the time, I had no idea how much I would be transformed by the experiences to come. In September, 2023 I arrive in Aberdeen to complete a MSc in Cultural Heritage in the archaeology and cultural heritage department. Elisabeth had arranged a meeting before classes were to begin. I ascended the stone staircase in the St. Mary’s building that led to her office. I felt electrified and terrified all at once. I was fearful that I would not meet her expectations. I worried that a horrible mistake had been made and I was not the Kelly that they were looking for, but some other Kelly Jin. Most of all, I was not sure if I was smart enough for the challenges before me. It turns out that I am not nearly as stupid as I thought I might be and I actually thrived on pushing my analytical reasoning to the limits. My brain was like an old classic Mustang that just needed a good tune up and Elisabeth was the master mechanic. She wasn’t an easy advisor. She has a way of looking right through to your soul when your argument doesn’t work, but she is also funny, warm, and easy to connect with on a deeper level than most. The work we did together and the knowledge I gained will forever be my most cherished possession. I miss her and the other two beautiful ladies that completed the program with me. Thanks for the memories Katie and Lacy.
Driving in the Scottish countryside
The very first time I drove outside of Aberdeen I punctured my tire and almost had a panic attack on the roadside, but it remains one of my favourite memories of my time there. I drove out to Crathes Public Hall to hear a lecture hosted by Mesolithic Deeside and featuring University of Aberdeen’s own Kate Britton. On the way back to Aberdeen my tire slammed into a water filled pothole on the side of the road because I was driving too far to the left. The onboard system in my new Mini Clubman reacted instantly and it tried to call emergency services all on its own. I didn’t know what to do because cars continued to fly past me with great speed on the narrow country road, and the alarm sounding inside my car was making my anxiety so much worse. I got out of the car and stood in a sheep field while I tried to reach emergency services on my phone. Like some sort of guardian angel, Kate Britton pulled up with one of the lecture organisers and rescued me. Kate got on the phone with the emergency operator and said, “It’s alright. She’s American.” I still laugh about that to myself. We sat together in the car until a lovely man showed up to deal with my tire. By the time he arrived, the battery had died in their car from running the heat to stay warm, so he gave them a jumpstart and had me follow him back to Aberdeen. I hope Kate knows how funny and brilliant I think she is, and how much joy she gave me every time we interacted. I miss her too.
Guy Fawkes Night, 2023
We decided to drive out to Balmoral Castle that afternoon and go to the bonfire that evening. Because of what happened on the way back from Crathes, I was nervous driving the country roads. We stopped at Kincardine O’Neil and ended up staying, partly because I was too nervous to drive any further and also because it is a charming little village. In the antique store we met a woman who told us that there would be a bonfire at Kincardine Castle on the hill above the village and that the public was welcome, so we explored the village surviving only on whisky infused tablet until nightfall. We made our way up the long winding drive to the castle stopping once in while to admire the local squirrel population and the stunning view. To our shock and embarrassment no one else outside of the lord and his immediate family was in attendance. They didn’t seem to mind much. I had a lovely conversation with a very well-mannered primary school child who came down the lawn from the house to greet us. We explored a bit but departed shortly after the bonfire was lite. Kincardine O’Neil is a special village with a fascinating history. I am so glad we had that experience.
Burns Night, Inverness
As I sit here preparing to write this story down for the first time, I cannot help quietly laughing to myself. What started as a mission to experience this iconic Scottish holiday somehow led to me becoming a member of the Scottish National Party. It all started with me searching for Burns Night tickets on Eventbrite. There were so many choices for the full dinner at different venues around Scotland, but I settled on the event in Inverness solely because we had never visited the city. I did not know exactly what to expect but I assumed that there would be ceilidh dancing and haggis. After we sat down at a table near the back, little by little it became clear that this was probably not a typical Burns Night dinner. There were speeches delivered by local politicians advocating for Scottish independence from the UK. There was a rousing rendition of This Land is Your Land with lyrics altered to feature Scottish place names, and other folk songs that I did not know. It was hard to not get caught up in the excitement of the SNP’s vision of an independent Scotland. I don’t know if it was my American revolutionary DNA or what but before the night was over I was a card carrying member. When I told our taxi driver at the end of the night what had transpired he said, “Better you than me.” The next day, we stopped at Burghead on the the way back to Aberdeen and watched a group of happy bathers in the icy cold North Sea. They asked us to join in but we declined. My travelling companion was already cursed by the Cailleach and laughing hysterically from the Scottish wind so that was probably the right choice.
My Farewell Dinner
This last entry is hard to write. Tears are welling up in my eyes right now at the memory of it. Before I left Aberdeen I invited all the lecturers that had had such an impact on me to a restaurant for dinner. They told me that no other student had ever done that before, so maybe it meant something to them as well.
I hope so.
During the meal it was so hard for me to eat anything because I knew that I might never see them again. I wanted to thank them for what they had given me because I felt it was important for them to know how good they are at their jobs. I wanted to tell them how much I valued not only what they had taught but the way they taught all of us to think differently. I wanted them to know that they are a fabulous group of humans. I don’t remember if I was able to communicate any of that effectively because I am not skilled at verbal communication.
There is so much to love about Scotland.
Custard creams
All the glowing sunrises and sunsets
Puffins
The Picts
But most of all, it is the people.
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