I wrote this article in hopes of sharing all the things a first-time traveler outside of the U.S. experienced. So, to say I am excited to share with you the things I experienced is…well…true! What I really hope is for those who have never had the opportunity to travel before is to encourage you to take the chance to do so with USAO’s study abroad trips! I wish I could share stories from everyone’s perspectives that went on the trip and all the other things they may have done while I was doing something else, but of course that is not how this works.  

The Science, Arts and Beer Study Abroad was set to spend four days in Edinburgh, Scotland and four days in Dublin, Ireland with bookend traveling days. The adventure started at the airport with the 17 others going on the trip, we were met with canceled flights and no hope in sight. Three other members of our crew were already on different flights which were still on schedule. So, in superhero like fashion to save our morning hunger, they used their boarding passed to get through TSA, retrieve a huge Starbucks order, walk back out of the terminal, and give us some breakfast in quite a comical fashion.  

The three whose flight was not cancelled had to catch their flight while the rest of us waited in the OKC airport for seven hours before catching a series of three minivans to Dallas to catch a flight the next day. Unfortunately, again the group had to be split into two as there was not one flight to get us to Edinburgh.  

The flights I was on went from Dallas to Atlanta to Boston then to Edinburgh. On the connection in Boston, we were supposed to have a one-hour delay, but after waiting around ten minutes to get off the plane and another 40 minutes to catch the bus to the next terminal, our gating was already opening. When we were walking into the terminal to hear last call for Edinburgh at gate 12, I looked up to see they brought us to gate 1. In a panic I sprinted through Boston airport hoping to let them know there was a big group of people still needing to board. Fortunately, I made it just in time.  

Once we made it to Edinburgh and met with the rest of the group, we went off to enjoy that day getting introduced to the Royal Mile, seeing the Edinburgh Castle and Surgeons Hall Museum. Our hotel was also next to a castle-like building which was supposedly used for the Harry Potter films.  

The Edinburgh Castle was probably my highlight of that day, it felt like what you see in the movies. In fact, two South Korean celebrities were filming some kind of day at the castle making it even more movie like. Throughout our three days in Edinburgh, we also got to visit the National Museum of Scotland (Dolly the Sheep!), hear some Scottish storytelling, see a spectacular botanical gardens and take a food tour.  

As those were the things we did as a group, we also got time to explore on our own, meaning as a big-time coffee guy I found the cool coffee shops. One was Black Medicine Coffee Company, which according to the plaque outside was one of the places J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter, however, upon entering a picture frame read that she did not write Harry Potter here. My favorite though was The Milkman, crafting a delightful cup of espresso and outside their building a pivotal scene in Avengers Infinity war was filmed. 

I also got to golf in Scotland – which as the home of golf – is a lifelong dream for a golfer, like myself. It was a beautiful place to enjoy being outside and provided a gorgeous view of the city.  

My favorite part of Edinburgh had to be the food tour! Our guide, Skye was from California, but his love for education fed his knowledge of the city and of the truly local food spots (as well as recommendations of the food joints to stay away from). Walking around the city he took us to get intriguing dishes that at least I would probably have never ordered but now know I would such as Cullen Skink (a potato soup like dish with smoked haddock) and Haggis (a ground beef dish served with mashed potatoes and mashed turnips). For dessert we had a delicious spin on the traditional cranachan (a whipped cream dish) which was served more frozen along with the top prize ice cream in all of the UK. After a wonderful cup of coffee, we also got to have a traditional scone, which was excellent. The enthusiasm and knowledge of our guide along with the fantastic food made this one of the highpoints of the entire trip for me.   

Getting up at 3 a.m. in the morning we caught our hour flight to Dublin where a culture shift awaited us. Edinburgh was a city that featured almost all old buildings and although bustling felt almost like a small city. Dublin was quite different with newer buildings mixed in with the old and a very packed city full of many different cultures all around, it was much faster paced.  

Our hotel here had quite a delicious breakfast of eggs, beans, and breads. The croissants were other worldly. Dublin has many monuments and signs of the political strife the country has been through which was interesting to walk around and see. We got to go to the fishing town of Howth and explore the sea line and shops throughout the town. One of the days we travelled to the countryside, and along the way stopping at the Barack Obama Plaza, a travel stop dedicated to Obama, which featured a statue of the former president and first lady – which is quite humorous to find in a distant country. Our destination that day were the Cliffs of Moher which were I might say “Inconceivable!!!”  

Other places we visited in Dublin were Archeological Museum, the Irish museum of modern art, and Trinity College. In the old library at Trinity College, the Book of Kells is kept, which is the oldest known illustrated book which illustates the gospels of the Bible. It is pretty neat as it is believed to have been made in 800 A.D. so the detail and craft of the book is spectacular. The library itself also stores many old books which must go through preservation steps often. The national harp of Ireland is also stored in the library so that is pretty awesome as well. George Lucas wanted to film the prequel movies of Star Wars in the library, but the college would not let him so he just used the library as inspiration for the Jedi Archives. So, I couldn’t resist posing for a picture like I was holding a lightsaber. Dublin was also full of music, whether in a restaurant, pub or in the streets, which was always a treat during our stay. 

I am so very glad I got to go on this trip, as I was able to experience a lot of unexpected things. Previously I had always been skeptical of traveling outside of the U.S. so if that is how you feel too, I will definitely tell you to not pass the opportunity to go with your friends and professors who will make any of the skepticism go away. Who knows, maybe the next time I go on a trip you will be there! 

Caleb Smith is a fifth-year Biology major at the Univeristy of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.