Heading home

Christa starting to pack up. (I can't write what she was muttering before I took out the camera)

I find myself having a difficult time trying to sum up this past year. We arrived last August full of excitement and apprehension about what lay in front of us, and now were on the other side trying to process it all. We're often asked "how was your year?", or "are you excited to go home?", and we mostly find ourselves stumbling over our words in an attempt to crystalize our thoughts. I guess the simple answer is that our year in Scotland has been a wonderful experience, filled with challenges and triumphs.

The kids began life at a new school, far from their friends and familiar activities, and grew in so many profound ways. Christa and I are proud of their courage throughout this exchange as they adapted to a foreign country and navigated their way through "brilliantly". The family has pushed togetherness to new extremes this year in a smaller house (the kids shared a room all year), and a lot of car time. In spite of the inevitable sibling squabbles here and there, we're leaving with a wealth of shared experiences and special memories.

Making the walk towards school for some last pictures

A little tree trekking

Catching Olympic Fever in Edinburgh

Christa held the family together (literally, you should see/feel the wind over here) more than anyone will ever know. She took responsibility for so much of our daily life during the school year, including the important job of personal therapist when I got home from school each day. All of this when she really just wanted to visit Hawaii for a couple weeks of sunny beaches and warm weather. (I did manage to get her to an island at least)

Teaching abroad was a unique opportunity which I will always cherish. The unfortunate part of the process is that once you get your feet underneath you and start to figure out how everything works, it's time to go home. It was fascinating to study a different educational system and I certainly learned a great deal about teaching, as well as Scottish kings of the Middle Ages. Overall I'm thankful for the many friendships that were made throughout the year, and I have some wonderful memories of my time at St. Columba's.

One of my white boards on the last day of school

This poster summarizes the school's Scholastic Olympics competition between the three houses at St. Columba's. I organized the History part.

A large part of pursuing this exchange was the opportunity to be immersed in another culture. Our day to day life in Scotland has enabled us to experience life in a way we never could on a traditional vacation. One of the Fulbright motto's is "say yes to everything", and we have. Throughout the year we have all thrown ourselves into new situations, often times stepping out of our comfort zone. This exchange allowed us to take part in so many new opportunities, and travel to wonderful locations that we feel very fortunate to have been selected for the Fulbright program. It truly was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Enjoying the view before leaving Edinburgh for the last time

It's time to close the book (blog?) on this amazing year.  A big thank you for all the well-wishes and support from friends and family back home. Your messages of encouragement meant a lot. We hope you've enjoyed keeping track of our experiences and feel that in some way you've been along for the ride. Heartfelt appreciation to our friends here in Scotland who have welcomed us into your lives during our stay- you will be missed. Finally, a special thanks to Christa and the kids who were daring enough to join dad on this amazing adventure, I hope that this experience empowers all of us in the future. We've had a fantastic year, but it's time to go home now.

The End