Travelling To Inverness

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to visit family in Inverness for a few days while my course had a reading week. I took the train from Edinburgh to Inverness, which was about a three hour journey. The train itself is such a lovely experience; you pass so much beautiful scenery, the journey just flies by!
 

Things To Do In The City

The city itself is relatively small, but very easy to get around! There are so many things to see, and it is very beautiful. Within the city itself, there are all sorts of cafés and pubs to eat at, which are all delightful. There are also many things to experience.

1. The River Ness

The River Ness flows through the centre of the city, and farther down into Loch Ness. It is lovely and picturesque, and a wonderful place to walk down at any time of day.
 

2. Inverness Castle

Near the city centre, Inverness Castle is up on a hill and overlooks the entire city. You can walk up the hill and experience the view, as well as explore the castle and see views from the towers. It is a beautiful place, with beautiful views of the River Ness and beyond.
 

3. Eastgate Shopping Centre

If you’re a shopping fan, there is a great mall in the city centre. Pick up souvenirs for yourself and friends and family!
 

4. Eden Court Theatre

If you’re interested in seeing a movie or a play, check out Eden Court! They have all sorts of shows all year round, and a lovely café to eat at as well!
 

Things To See Outside of Inverness

There are several things to see just outside of the city as well that are absolutely beautiful. Check out these wonderful attractions that are just a quick trip on public transport away!

1. Loch Ness

If you’re in Inverness, you can’t miss your chance to try and find Nessie! Just outside Inverness, travel around the entire Loch and see some of the most beautiful scenes you can imagine. If you’re lucky, you may just see the Loch Ness Monster!      
 

2. Urquhart Castle

If you’re travelling Loch Ness, stop and see Urquhart Castle! Along the edge of the Loch, it’s a beautiful historic building with a lovely view. Experience and learn more about history with a tour of the castle!

 

3. Culloden Battle Field

If you’re a history fan, experience some of Scotland’s history! Culloden Battle Field is just north-west of Inverness, and its museum and memorial are amazing to see. As well, if you’re a  fan of the TV show Outlander, this is a pivotal location of the series. It is humbling to see the location of such history, and something you must see if history interests you.
 

4. Glen Affric

A beautiful scenic location just outside of the city, Glen Affric is wonderful to see, especially in the fall. The changing leaves add so much more magic to the area, which is full of 10 000 year old trees. It is an absolutely stunning location, which I cannot recommend enough!
 

5. Dog Falls

Just a short distance from Glen Affric, Dog Falls is beautiful. A half hour hike along the river, it is great for anyone who loves the outdoors! There are three different trails depending on how long of a hike you want, but make sure you go early in the day! I was not able to hike the trails because we arrived to close to dark, but it was still nice to see the beginning of the trail and read about the area’s history!

If you want to see more of Scotland while studying abroad, definitely visit the capital of the Highlands. It is full of beautiful scenery and historic areas, and is a definite must if you’re studying in the UK

 

A common question I get asked here is: why did you choose Scotland to study education? My answer is maybe a little more complicated than other international students, but it involves the coming together of a great programme and some family roots.

After completing my undergraduate diploma, I headed over to South Korea to teach English. I stayed there for a number of years until moving on to China where I worked for an international teaching consultancy firm in Shanghai. We analysed teachers’ resumes if they were interested in working internationally and helped them find schools that would be a good fit.

I became familiar with education qualifications from many countries and after two years in China, I felt that my real calling was teaching. I was ready to choose a programme to get certified.

While looking at post graduate qualifications around the world, I kept coming back to University of Strathclyde’s PGDE programme. It was appealing to me because it was offered at a masters level, and after completing the course I’d have half the credits necessary for an M.Ed

The course was also heavily focused on the placement learning and experiences. The PGDE stands for Professional Graduate Diploma in Education, and the focus is very much about training new teachers for the professional world of education.

Another thing that interested me was Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence. The program is relatively new and flexible with the adaptability to offer exciting opportunities for teachers. The programme offers vibrant discussions of educational policy in Scotland and invites new teachers to discuss, work in the field, then return and reflect to discuss again. The mixture of theory and practice is an excellent balance for new teachers.

Strathclyde has a sprawling campus which occupies a large chunk of Glasgow’s Merchant City. There are picturesque side streets lined with boutique shopping just a hop away from where students hurry along well-worn steps on their way to class. Lectures take place in old cathedrals, local theatres, and turn of the century buildings as well as the cutting-edge facilities of the downtown campus.

All these buildings are nestled in amongst the vibrant Glasgow restaurant scene, where you can grab a quick bite to eat or stay a while at a coffeeshop nearby. Strathclyde University also recently opened their new Sports Facility, which offers amazing facilities that are included in the accommodation for students living in the halls.

So with an exciting programme in mind, the thing that sealed the deal to come study in Scotland was the Ancestry Visa I applied for. Since my grandmother was born in the UK, and I was from a Commonwealth country (Canada) I could qualify for a 5 year UK Ancestry Visa.

This visa means I can study and work in the UK for the next 5 years so, after gaining my teacher qualification, I’m looking forward to completing my probationary year in Scotland. After studying and working in Scotland for a couple of years, I’ll have an internationally recognised education degree which I can take with me where ever I head to next.

Dreaming about this one stage in my life for the past few years and having it come to fruition as I arrived in London, this was a new beginning and chapter of my life. I know, it sounds pretty climatic and it was (I’d like to think so). While saying goodbyes to my family and friends was difficult, the biggest challenge in moving countries was surprisingly not obtaining the visa or the first few days at university – it was about my outlook on this new move. Personally, moving to London was more than just an educational decision, I wanted to study abroad for the memories and new experiences that it would entail. As such, I learned that you have to be genuinely excited and open for this new change! 

As a Canadian, obtaining my visa was a fairly simple process. From applying through the government website and paying the fees (less than 30 minutes) to attending my interview appointment (appointment lasted around 30-40 minutes), the last thing left to do was to wait for the notification that my passport was being mailed back to me. As I received a late acceptance, I had to apply for my visa later than I had originally planned. The extended timeline in applying for my visa led to me having to pay an additional fee for faster processing time of the visa itself. I highly recommend that students (unlike me) apply for their visa the moment they are able (ask your advisor!). 

Upon arrival, the commute from the airport to the hotel was seamless since I had booked a taxi to secure a method of transportation – I had two large suitcases and two carry-on luggage. Given the amount of luggage I had and the fact that my flight was delayed twice, taking a bus or train would not have been an option.

 At last, I made it to Hogwarts to study in a 3 year LLB program!  Jokes aside, Royal Holloway has been known to be to one of the most beautiful campuses in the UK and there is no contesting that. The first few days consisted of setting up my bank account and going back and forth to potential private accommodations around the university campus area. Once I secured a room, I gave myself a few days to do touristy things (eat lots of food at local markets) and buy the essentials for my bedroom and the kitchen. I do recommend that students arriving the next Autumn to frequently check Spare Room and or Rightmove to have an idea of what rent would look like and whether or not it would make more sense to live in the school provided accommodations

 

. Although this is the beginning to my experience in the UK, I am grateful for the continuing support that I received from my advisors at Across The Pond. As a result of their guidance and resources, I did not once feel worried, nervous, or anxious about the application process. The entire process was as seamless as it could have been. My parting message of this blog to future students –  no matter how many checklists you may create, you will not 100% prepared for moving to another country but that is OK! 

Updated 18 July 2024 by Advisor Brittany. 

 

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in Canada is the first Monday in October, and one of my favourite holidays. I love being with my family and eating a wonderful meal, so when I decided to study abroad I knew I would be sad to miss it. On top of that, Thanksgiving is not celebrated in the UK, which I wasn’t expecting! Some other Canadian friends and I decided to throw our own Thanksgiving meal, since we couldn’t be with our own families at home. It was a wonderful experience, with a few hiccups along the way. Read on to find out more about celebrating holidays from home in the UK!

 

Planning the Meal

We had a group of eight people to celebrate with; half of us were Canadian, and the other half either had connections to Canada or simply wanted to experience one of our holidays. We wanted to make sure that we had all of our favourite dishes. This included: turkey (of course), mashed potatoes, butternut squash soup, cranberries, cheesy potato casserole, and stuffing. We even included vegetarian options for some of our friends! For dessert, we made brownies, apple crisp, and pumpkin pie!
 

Road Blocks

Because the UK does not celebrate Thanksgiving, we had a few challenges while preparing our meal. First of all, Monday was not a holiday here, so we had to attend class and squeeze our dinner preparations in around it. Second of all, the foods we wanted were not all available. If you decide to do something like this while studying in the UK, I would suggest planning a few weeks in advance! Here in Edinburgh, turkeys aren’t on sale in grocery stores until close to Christmas time, because they do not have an earlier holiday that requires one. Because of that, we had to order our turkey online from a butcher, and we got two small roasts, instead of a small bird. This was fine, and the turkey was delicious! Second, pumpkin pie is not something that is eaten in the UK. Finding the ingredients in local grocery stores was almost impossible, and because the pie was my responsibility, I had a difficult time preparing it! In the end, I ordered the pumpkin puree (the only ingredient I couldn’t find) online. In the London, there is an American Food Store that ships to all of the UK, and they had exactly what I needed! This store will be linked down below, and is also useful if you’re craving any foods from home that you can’t find here!

The Event

We held our Thanksgiving on the Monday. I had baked my pie the day before in preparation, and I arrived at my friend’s flat early to help with preparations. We set out some cheese, crackers and meats for an appetizer, and opened a bottle of wine. Next, we had the main course, starting with some soup! Following that, we had the turkey and all of our other main dishes. We overate, so we decided to take a break before dessert. We played some games and chatted until we felt able to eat again. Dessert is always my favourite part of a meal, and it did not disappoint! Though I missed being at home with my family this year, I absolutely loved the make-shift Thanksgiving that my friends and I threw together!
 

Quick Tips

These can  be applied to any holiday you’re missing at home while studying in the UK, not just Thanksgiving!

1. If you are missing your family on a holiday, video chat with them while they celebrate! This allows you to be a part of the festivities, even though you are far away.
2. If you’re planning a meal with North American foods (like pumpkin pie) or celebrating a holiday that is not celebrated in the UK (like Thanksgiving), plan early! You may need to order some things online.
3. Make friends with other people studying abroad, so you have people to spend time with when you’re missing home on these holidays!

Sources https://www.usafoodstore.co.uk

This blog entry is going to give you the basic guidelines of what to bring and expect when immigrating to the United Kingdom for your studies! Most importantly, I'm going to tell you about my experience the first few weeks of being in the UK.
 

Arriving at the Airport in the UK and What to Bring

When arriving as an international student, ensure you have packed wisely to have easy-access to all your important paperwork and items when going through customs.  From there, gather all your luggage and make your way into the great unknown (the doors into the area for arrivals). Once I went through the doors, I immediately saw a school representative at a podium who was kind enough to book a taxi for me free of charge and take me to my accommodation 10 minutes from campus. I highly recommend taking a taxi to your accommodation because carrying two-three suitcases isn’t an easy thing to do and it’s a great way to ask the driver questions.

Once I arrived to my new flat (British form of saying apartment), I immediately called all my family members and took them on a tour of my place. I felt an overwhelming sense of excitement being in a new place, I was also tired and thought to myself, what on earth am I doing here, should I just go home now? Ignore that voice, that is called jet-lag and you need to fight through it and grab yourself some food.
 

Settling in and Enjoying the Night Life as a Fresher...

Welcome week for Freshers is an exciting way to meet new people in your program and explore the city night life. There are tons of nights and events dedicated to pub quizzes, clubs and postings of great societies to apply for and join. My advice is to force yourself to stay awake and get out to all these events. I met my first friend in Glasgow the second night I was here by walking outside straight into a pub called The Howlin’ Wolf with live music. What better way to learn about a new place, then to meet and ask the people who have lived in the UK their entire life. Do not stress about meeting friends, your circle of friends will enter your life in the UK when and how you least expect it.
 

An Apple a Day DOES Keep the Doctor Away...

This is my most important advice in the entire blog, as I am currently sick while writing it. A key thing we tend to forget when moving to a new country, is that our bodies need to adjust to the weather and time difference. I would recommend investing in a kettle, cold medicine and melatonin right when you get here. A kettle to make yourself a nice cup of tea, cold medicine because you will get sick from the weather and melatonin to fix your sleep schedule instead of being a night owl for the first three weeks of classes.
 

Harry Potter and Tim Hortons...

My favourite part about moving to the UK thus far is being able to travel to Edinburgh which is an hour train ride away and costs only 8.56 pounds for a round trip! I was able to experience the Harry Potter Tour which I imagine is a big piece of a lot of people's childhoods. You get to see The Elephant House where J.K. Rowling wrote the first novel of the series. You get to walk a few minutes and see the tombstones that are believed to have given her inspiration for the characters names especially the famous Tom Riddell. If you are a big Harry Potter fan, I would highly recommend this and taking a stroll down Victoria street which was the inspiration for Diagon Alley.

Also, “It’s Time for Tims,” is an understatement for anyone from Canada. They opened the first two Tim Hortons in Glasgow a few months ago, and I was extremely over joyed to get a nice hot chocolate and toasted bagel before my tutorial. It is nice to find a familiar coffee and donut chain anywhere you travel. Grab yourself a planner to write your class and tutorial schedule out and sit down with a nice cup of coffee from Tims.
 

Home is Where Your Story Begins

Ultimately, do not be afraid to make the UK your home for the next few years, be scared, be excited, be open and ready for change because it is coming! Walk around every chance you get and explore the museums, parks, schools, restaurants and culture that makes your new home. If you have any questions about what to bring or expect in the UK, do not hesitate to contact one of our advisors, we would be more than happy to answer any questions.