One Week In

So, it's been a week now since I've left and boy have I been busy!

     Mom dropped me off at the air port on Monday, June 15, 2015 and I said Good-Bye to her and Ontario as my adventure began. On the plane I made friends with my seat mate; his name was Ciaran and he lives in Edinburgh! But, he hadn't heard about the Highland Show! Ciaran's parents live somewhere in the North of Scotland; from his cover photo on Facebook it is an amazing view! We talked about traveling and Ciaran would like to travel the islands to the west of Scotland, I told Ciaran that maybe the next time I am here we could go together! Other than that there wasn't anything remarkable about the flight. We had a short layover in Halifax then said Good-bye to Canada as we took off for Glasgow.

 Tuesday, June 16, 2015 I arrived in Glasgow air port to find these two waiting for me! On the right is my Great Auntie Patsy (my Dad's Aunt) and her son Gary. It has been three years since I have been here so the drive home was lots of catching up with family. I arrived home to the rest of the family as well as Gary's dogs! The rest of the day was spent resting and visiting with family.
Below is a family picture, it took about half a dozen shots to get a good one!

In the back is myself and Aunt Patsy, in front of us is her sons (from left to right) Scott, Gary, Grant, and John and the dogs Archie and Lexie.

     On Wednesday the weather was a little questionable but we decided to head to St. Andrew's for the day. In St. Andrews there is a beach, cathedral, university, and castle. As well, there is a golf course that will be hosting The Open in a couple weeks. On the beach in St. Andrew's there is a web cam at a certain point so we called my Dad's cousin Craig in Bristol and told him to go on it so we could give him a wave!
     On Friday morning it was off the the Royal Highland Show! Auntie Patsy dropped me off at the bus station in Halbeath to catch a bus that took me right to the show! I spent the next two days at the show where I saw a little bit of everything! From farm machinery, to shops, craft displays, shoeing competitions, pole climbing, show jumping, pipe bands, logging demonstration, heavy horses, sheep, cows, shearing competitions and of course the young farmers building!
Friday night I met up with past delegate Martina Elgin, from the Republic of Ireland, and her friends who I stayed with for the weekend. On Saturday night I spent some time with Victoria and some of the delegates in the German beer tent then we went off to an Irish pub in the old town of Edinburgh. I think my most interesting discovery of the weekend was a beef cow that looks like a Holstein but is huge! As well, some of the cows here in general seemed bigger than ours. 

 

     Sunday I decided to tour the Edinburgh Castle and the down town shops. The castle is much bigger than it looks and has a very strange layout. Over the years various parts of the castle have been destroyed and rebuilt, resulting in its strange layout. From the castle there is a beautiful view of the city!

     Monday Aunt Patsy and I went to the Wallace Monument. The monument sits atop a hill, which after a busy weekend walking around the show and Edinburgh seemed way too steep. Luckily there is a bus that runs from the parking lot up the the monument, so I only had to climb the 246 steps to the top. Again, the top reveals a wonderful view of the town.

     So, to wrap it all up: I have had a wonderful, crazy busy week in Scotland. It has been great to catch up with family and see new things. My legs hurt from all of the hills and steps! But, I am sure I will survive...if I ever take a break long enough to recover!

     Next up: Aunt Patsy and I are going to Blairgowrie tomorrow to explore the shops, this is also where her and my Grandma Steven grew up! Then on Wednesday I am off to Zurich and the exchange really begins! I cannot wait to see what adventure I will find next!      

Two Weeks Out

Two weeks today I will be boarding a big jet plane to begin my adventure. There is so much left to do I don't even know where to begin! I have to pack, I have to plan, and most importantly I need to enjoy the next two weeks and spend some time with the delegates before I leave!
June 15th, wow that's not very far away! My first stop is Glasgow, Scotland where someone very important to me will be picking me up. That very important person is my Great Aunt Patsy! I am very excited for this as I haven't seen her in 3 years! While I am in Scotland I will be attending the Highland Show in Edinburgh where I will get to visit with many of my delegate friends that have been here over the past 2 years! I am so excited to get together with old friends again as well as to see the Highland Show, past delegates as well as previous exchangees have all raved about how amazing it is!
Next big dates are June 24th and June 26th. On June 24th I will be flying from Edinburgh to Zürich, Switzerland and my exchange begins with orientation in Zürich on June 26th. After that its all up in the air! I've been told that I will have 4-6 host families over the 3 months and I can expect to attend young farmer events, be shown around the area that I'm in, attend other local events as well as help out with work around the farm. I haven't figured out what specifically I want to see in Switzerland but I have some ideas. I look forward to seeing the Alps, the farms, old war sites, museums, and anything and everything else! After that my exchange ends on September 23rd.
After that my plans are pretty open. I want to travel the countries around Switzerland; Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, Austria, and Holland working my way back to Glasgow. I'm hoping I also have time to fit in a stop in Whales and Ireland!
So, basically I'm open to suggestions!
Stay tuned for up dates and feel free to make suggestions in where to go and what to pack!

Media Release

 
This past winter through the Junior Farmers Association of Ontario I was given the opportunity to explore my passion for traveling by applying for an international exchange! Every year JFAO accept exchange applications for international and provincial travel opportunities to Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, UK, the Republic of Ireland, Wales, and PEI. I decided to apply for this travel opportunity in the summer of 2013 when I first met the international delegates when Perth County was hosting. I heard about their experience here and their lives back home and I knew that I wanted to do this. In 2013 I made friends from Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland; that fall I made friends from Wales. In 2014 I made more friends from the same countries as well as friends in the Republic of Ireland and Tasmania! Now on June 15th, 2015 I begin the adventure of a lifetime as I make my way to Switzerland for 3 months.

In 2013 I graduated from Lakehead University with a HBa Kinesiology. As I arrived home many of my friends had moved away and I found myself looking for something new. That is when a friend brought me out the the newly re-established Perth County Junior Farmer Club. Not having a farming background I was hesitant about joining but I soon discovered all the great work that Junior Farmers do in their community and I jumped right in. Since then I have made hundreds of friends across the province (and the world) and gotten involved in my community and other local organizations! My adventure of a lifetime began in the fall of 2014 when applications opened for 2015 exchanges; it took a while but by March 1st, 2015 I had finished my application and sent it in to JFAO’s Community and International Exchange Director. The next step was to wait for interviews. March 28th, 2015 in London, ON when JFAO hosted its annual AGM and Conference, this is where the interviews were held. The interview included a test about JFAO, Ontario, and Canada; an interview with a panel of judges; and a short presentation about myself and why I wanted to go on exchange. Then it was back to waiting, but only for 36 hours this time! The following evening at JFAO’s evening banquet myself and 8 other exchange applicants patient awaited the announcement of exchange winners. Finally, after almost 2 years of anticipation the moment was here…”and the exchange to Switzerland goes to: Courtney Steven!” So, the planning began; hearing from the Switzerland Young Farmers, filling out paperwork, writing bio’s, booking my flight, planning my adventure, and figuring out what to bring! During this trip I am looking forward to making many many new friends, expanding my agricultural knowledge, and learning about the different cultures and traditions in Switzerland! Follow along for updates on my adventure!