What's In a Dance?

     When people think Scotland, they typically think of just a few things right away - bagpipes, kilts, and castles. I have experienced all these things and more of Scotland so far and hope to experience plenty more as I go. Tonight I participated in what has possibly been my favorite Scottish experience so far. It's called a "ceilidh" and is essentially a Scottish version of a hoedown but way more fun. Never in my life have I gotten that into a dance. My trick was do my best to have a Scottish girl as a partner who could teach me the dances and after a wee bit I started to get the hang of it. Then it was an incredible time.

     Something I saw a lot of tonight and was really happy I did was Scottish pride. I love when people are proud of where they come from and what the heritage is of the place they grew up. Not too long ago, the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001, arrived and American patriotism was alive and well, but the day passes and we all move on and forget what a great country we call home. My time here in Glasgow has been amazing and it is certainly far from over and more unbelievable experiences will be heading my way with each new day. But I want to take a moment and say that it's September 17 here, and I am still proud to be an American. But I won't be obnoxious about it while I am here.

     With that said, I have loved my time here so far not because I have had crazy adventures or seen amazing things, which I have, but because I have met great people who are proud of where they come from and are ready to invite me into their lives and get to know me because even though we share different backgrounds there is so much more that binds us together. I am proud to be an American, but I am proud to be in Scotland right now, and as the time goes on I may begin to feel some Scottish creeping in and I will be proud of that as well. So I hope that as I spend time here I will be influenced by all the variations and will soak up every opportunity I can.

     For those fans of UP: In the words of Charles Muntz - "Adventure is out there!" I'm here to find it.