A Highland Long Weekend
If you only had 3 days in Scotland, what would you do to capture the essence of Scottish life? This was the dilemma faced by my school friend Dzung (pronoung Yoong) and I, as we planned his whirlwind tourist jaunt in the last weekend of October.

Typically, October is the wettest month in one of the wettest countries in the world, yet we still decided to venture north into the rugged and unpredictable Scottish highlands. What defines the beauty and history of Scotland better than the stark munros and stone castles of the north-western highlands? On a wet, windy and miserable Friday, we headed north and made ourselves familiar with the hire car as we weaved our way through narrow, picturesque roads.

We passed by the western shores of Loch Lomond, spent some chilly moments bounded by striking mountains in the stunning Glen Coe and were treated to a very civilised lunch on the shores of Loch Leven. What was meant to be a quick pitstop in Fort William turned into a more substantial visit, as we tried some of the local Scotch Whisky at Ben Nevis Distillery (which didn't agree with Dzung's palate!) and wandered through the ruins of a local castle. Since the eery grey of daylight would soon turn to the pitch black of night, we continued on towards the Isle of Skye, past the photogenic Eilean Donan Castle (left) and over the road bridge to Scotland's most popular highland island.

By dusk we'd reached Portree, the largest town on the island, and settled into an immaculate Bed & Breakfast overlooking the water. We headed into town where the local culinery selection was limited but adequate. We chatted briefly to an Aussie from Darwin and also sampled the local music of a young rock band at the liveliest pub we could find.

The next morning we rose to a beautiful sight: the wind and rain has stopped and the sky cleared enough to reveal an array of natural colours that had been dulled by the clouds of the previous evening. The weather forecasts had all predicted wind and rain, so to see sunshine and blue sky was an unexpected blessing. Dzung and I went into overdrive with our cameras, making the most of our digital cameras.

The rare appearance of the sun inspired us to go for a walk up to the jagged rocks of the Old Man of Storr, north of Portree. Before we began, the blue sky revealed the peaks of the near vertical towers of rock, shown to the left. By the time we began journeying through the pine forest at the base, the wasps of cloud had already began to coalesce at the mountain top. Fortunately for us, the clouds didn't immediately produce any rain, so we were able to enjoy the scramble around unstable rocky slopes without getting drenched.

The coastal scenery further up the northern peninsula made watching the road a bit of a bore - it took us much longer than expected. The folded rock sheets of Kilt Rock and the shafts of sunlight through clouds over Uig were the main highlights. By the afternoon, a steady drizzle had beset Skye, so that Dunvegan Castle on the west coast was barely visible even from a nearby vantage point.

As the day quickly slipped away from us, we decided to head back to the mainland and aim for Aviemore near the Cairngorm Mountains that night. We were waylaid somewhat by colourful sunsets (one of Dzung's photographic duties) and hitchhikers lining the road. One of our backseat vagabonds happened to be an environmental scientist from Australia - she's now a potential employee for the company I work for!

We passed Loch Ness in the dark and made it as far as Inverness before stopping for the night. After checking into a B&B with super-soft beds, we were treated to a delightful Indian meal overlooking the full-flowing River Ness. A trip to Scotland wouldn't be complete without a ceilidh (pronounced 'kaylee'), and we visited a local pub with live music where I participated in an ad hoc rendition of 'Strip the Willow', alongside a fairy and pirate dressed up for Halloween.

An extra hour that night asleep in the comfy beds was definitely needed, knowing that we would head straight down to Edinburgh for our final day. We passed through Aviemore and got a taste for the grandeur of the mountainous surrounds, but didn't have a chance to stop and soak in the atmosphere.

When we reached Edinburgh, we powered up Arthur's Seat and appreciated the panorama (alongside hundreds of others) on an unseasonally bright Autumn day. It was a shame that we could only spend a couple of hours in the nation's capital, but when you've only got three days...

That night, Dzung met some friends from church for 'tea', which had been surreptitiously planned as a surprise belated birthday party. Anna and Rosie designed a generous celebration replete with party hats and all 27 candles on the cake. We had great fun stretching our minds and sharing funny YouTube videos. By the way, what three letters can be put at the start and at the end of the following letters to produce a commonly used word: _ _ _ ergro _ _ _ ?

In other news, I will be back in Australia between December 23 and January 15. For you Aussies out there, I'm looking forward to sharing a sunny Christmas and New Year with you!

A soccer career was never part of the long-term plans, but according to some (possibly deluded!) souls in my company, it's something that should now be thrown into the mix. "Why?", you might ask...

It all started when I heard about the annual Carl Bro (my company's) soccer competition, which was in Dublin this year. It sounded like a great way to visit Ireland and get to know other people from work, both from the Glasgow office and from other offices throughout the UK, Ireland, Sweden and Denmark. I also thought I could pick up some of the soccer skills developed in the highly competitive arena at church youth group!

I went along to one of the practice games, and proceeded to watch most of the game from the sideline, thinking arrogantly to myself that I could do better than half the guys on the field. When I finally did get my chance, with 15 minutes to go, I was an embarrassment to myself and to my country (who'd done so admirably in the World Cup). What looked so easy from the sideline, I made to look quite tricky. At that point, my Dublin experience seemed destined to be as a travelling supporter, rather than a player.
That was until I was approached by the captain to ask if I wanted to play in goals. The previous goalie had to pull out because of a wedding, and I was undoubtably the most useless player on the park. I agreed to give it a go.

In the 1.5 practice games, I let through 8 goals (two of them were particularly embarrassing). Not an impressive record... However, my place in the side was assured when our other goalie let through 6 goals in one half! My position had been confirmed by default.

Many of our touring party of about 30 soon got into the more 'social' aspects of the tour before even boarding the plane. Our Glasgow players and supporters would most often be found at the bar, and certainly lived up to their reputation as the biggest drinkers going around (although there was quite a bit of competition for the title).

After getting to know the 'opposition' at one of the old, traditional pubs in Dublin on the Friday night, the soccer began the following morning with a game against the favourites for the title from Leeds. We surprised ourselves at our competitiveness, and were narrowly beaten 1-0 from a goal that resulted from an unfortunate defensive error.

We then played the hosts from Ireland, who had a previous 'player of the tournament' in their ranks. Our first half was horrendous (maybe we were distracted by having to play in skins), and it was only a few fortuitous saves that kept the score at 0-0. The second half was an improvement, although the deadlock was broken from a corner that sailed straight over my outstretched arm and into the top back corner of the net untouched! Apparently this 'player' knew we had an Aussie in goals who didn't have much of a clue... To our delight however, we managed a return goal with 5 minutes left, and the scores finished at 1-1.

Our final group game was against a second-string Swedish team, who we knew we had to beat convincingly if we had any chance of going through. With the score 10-0 at half time, we knew we'd given ourselves a chance (I even came inside the opposition's box for the corners), but even the 12-0 victory wasn't enough, and we were content to play off in the 'losers' shield.

Tired legs and ill-disciplined passing let us down against Denmark, and we lost 2-0 late on Saturday evening (most of the guys were probably hoping to already be at the pub - in fact, some of them had already gone, and had to come back for the game). A free buffet meal and open bar that night meant that many of our team were rather out-of-sorts for our final game against Ireland (again) the next day.

We were struggling to field a team, as were our Irish counterparts, so we agreed on a gentlemanly penalty shoot-out. Since I was one of the few hangover-less people in our side, the guys had confidence in 'The Cat', which I had affectionately become known. We were down 1-2 early on in the shoot-out, but the decisive moment came when I got my revenge on the 'player' and saved his left-footed shot to my right. Maybe he would have had more success from the corner spot... One other confident save, and we managed to sneak through 4-3.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable tournament, and apart from the soccer, I particularly relished the chance to meet people from throughout Europe. It's also amazing what sport can do for gaining respect amongst my (particularly male) colleagues from the office.

So... I have been asked to contact 'football' clubs in Glasgow having let through a more respectable 4 goals in 4 games. A few moments of consideration later, and I couldn't bring myself to do it. What could be worse than choosing to stand outside in a freezing Scottish winter, with glory or shame held on such a knife edge. I'd prefer to be bashed up on a rugby field!

Having said that, I just played my first rugby game (at fullback, surprisingly enough) and we had our only victory of the season so far, 8-0. I'm very stiff and sore at the moment. Nevertheless, it was the right decision... The Cat won't be let out of the bag again til next year.

I can't say mountaineering has traditionally been a common past-time of mine.... but when the Scottish highlands are as beautiful as they are, and two of my most visited friends are mountaineering tragics, it's difficult to avoid. It wasn't ice climbing this time, but the longest rock climb up the tallest mountain in the United Kingdom - Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis.

The touring party included good friend Peter "you can always sleep when you die" MacKenzie, his brother John "just give me a mountain and I'll climb it" MacKenzie, and John's friend Nicky "I'd prefer a rope thanks".

We had to get up early and were running on about 4 hours sleep following one of Peter's infamous parties the previous night. The anticipation of such a challenge overwhelmed any thoughts of tiredness. My level of preparation was typified by the fact that I forgot to bring a shirt... and shorts. Fortunately, the MacKenzie boys were far more prepared, and I now know the versatility of a white business shirt!

The journey itself was mostly a scramble up loose rock, squeezing between a steep crevasse or two, tip-toing along ledges, with the occasional steep and exposed climb to really test us novices. Mum, you'll be pleased to know that we used ropes in the two most dangerous bits, so I was never at serious risk of falling (at least not in the really tough spots)...

We began in fairly clear skies, but about halfway through the climb the clouds closed in on the mountain, and light rain made the rocks slippery and climbing became a little more tricky. There was one particular spot where there was a sheer drop on either side of a ridge about one metre wide, known as Tower Gap. Spectacular if you like that sort of thing, but I was fairly anxious, particularly since the rain had started to settle in by this stage. You can see Tower Gap in the photo alongside.

At one spot, we stopped for lunch, surrounded by thick cloud. As we started eating, the outline of the cliff faces slowly emerged out of the mist, like a faintly forming silhouette. Two minutes later, the clouds had lifted to the extent that we could see the entire valley stretched out below us. It was a beautiful, albeit brief, moment of clarity. For the rest of the climb we was shrouded in a thickly damp haze.

In the end, following a tricky little climb after Tower Gap, the summit arrived more quickly than expected. We were greeted by masses of tourists who had walked up the far more leisurely tourist route. There were people of almost all ages, some had taken their dogs, one girl was wearing beach sandels... We however, felt far more satisfied, having conquered the peak on our hands and knees up a "difficult" (the official classification of this particular ridge) mountain climb. I was both proud and relieved, thankful that I was accompanied by Nicky who was humble enough to ask for ropes in those nerve-wracking spots. A great first encounter with Ben Nevis.

This adventure certainly didn't dim my enthusiasm for more wild trips, so on a Tuesday night, five of us (including our fearless church minister DM) camped the night on a tiny island in Loch Lomond. Tarbet Island is only 100m off the western shore and is essentially a rocky outcrop the size of two tennis courts. We drove up after work, inflated our two boats, and paddled out just before sunset. DM had conjured up a fire by the time the rest of us arrived, and the two rainbow trout we'd been offered by a couple of guys on shore were soon cooking over the fire.

For Peter and Richard, it didn't take long before they were scaling trees and drumming up support for a late night swim in the still, murky waters. Charlie and I were eventually persuaded, but none of lasted too long in the chilly waters when we knew that a fire awaited our return. After a damp night, we were up at 6am and back at work by 9:00, which was a mildly disorienting experience. About mid morning, Peter and I began to feel the effects of the slightly uncooked fish of the previous night, although I didn't regret one mouthful. Freshly cooked fish, even if it is a bit raw, is a rare delight.

On one final note, The Edinburgh (International/Fringe/Book/Politics) Festival of the last few weeks has also been a highlight. I managed to get to a couple of comedies and "The Screwtape Letters" by CS Lewis performed as a play. Each of them was high class, and the number of other cultural events and social activities was immense. I'm amazed they can fit so much into such a compact city, but I guess it's why the place is totally transformed during August.

For any sports fans out there, it's an exciting time right at the moment... the soccer world cup is coming to a climax, Wimbledon has begun, and the world tug-of-war championships will soon be on in the Netherlands (a few sleepless nights there, I'm sure). I was fortunate enough to taste some of the world cup action in Germany over the last couple of weeks, and hopefully after this blog I will have left many of you diehard fans who couldn't make it to Germany drooling. (I apologise to those who have no interest in the Australian team, because this is rather one-eyed).
When Australia played Japan on June 12, I was still in Scotland at work, in a meeting, knowing that the Aussies were down 1-0. At this stage, I was contemplating how fruitless my trip to Germany would be if Australia lost, given that Brazil and Croatia were likely to be even more difficult opposition. For me and the lucky Aussies who had tickets, the first World Cup finals appearance in 32 years, starting with the come-from-behind 3-1 victory over Japan, was to be a particularly memorable experience.

Filled with optimism after the opening game, I arrived in Munich a few days before Australia were due to play Brazil, and I was amazed at the patriotism and excitement in the city (particularly from the noisy Brazilian fans). So I went out a bought the biggest Aussie flag I could find. I had heard about the heat in Germany, and I soon realised that my thick, long-sleeved Aussie jersey was not conducive to the conditions (although it'll be great for the rugby match between Australia and Scotland in November).

I stayed with Lok Man, a generous high school friend who has been living in Munich for about 6 months. We drove down to Lake Walchensee, south of Munich in the Alps, and climbed a picturesque mountain overlooking the lake. We managed to catch up with some of the other North Sydney Boys from the class of 1997 over a 1L stein (or a 'mass'), although it would take until the final group game (Australia vs Croatia) for us to realise that there were probably about 15 of us taking a similar route, following the Aussie team around Germany.

Some of the NSB group had tickets to all the group games, but for those of us, like me, who weren't so organised (or lucky), we could go to the official 'fan fest' areas where they would show the games on a large screen or three. In Munich, for Australia vs Brazil, the fan fest area was hardly capable of holding the masses of supporters in yellow and gold. Lok Man and I managed to find our way into the main area during the Japan vs Croatia match, although the heat and the crowds made it almost unbearable. A thoughtful attendant started spraying us with water before the match, although he was probably a bit too enthusiastic and most of us ended up absolutely soaked and frantically trying to protect our cameras and mobile phones. Some people tried an alternative method and started jumping into the nearby lake.

I thought Australia were brave in their 2-0 loss, even with Brazil not performing at their peak. The highlight for me though was the samba moves and rhythmic beats of the Brazilian fans, who seemed to use any excuse to party. Before heading to Stuttgart, I travelling down south again to the Neuschwanstein Castle, made famous by Disney. Although it was 6 hours of travel by train and bus, it was worth it to experience the magical castle amidst towering moutains and cascading waterfalls.

The expectation in Stuttgart was probably more evident than the previous game, given that this would decide who would progress to the next round. Although there were tens of thousands of Aussies travelling with the team, we were severely outnumbered by the Croatians, many of whom live permanently in Stuttgart. At the Fan Fest, which was significantly larger than in Munich, we would have been outnumbered by at least 5-to-1. There was one particularly vocal section of Aussie fans, which we promptly joined, and it was a game where both sets of fans had the opportunity to take turns in seeing who could cheer the loudest. It was such a see-sawing contest, with high levels of drama and excitement, that I was starting to wonder if our small contingent of Aussies could cope with the hoards of angry Croatian fans if we got through... However, we were pleasantly surprised at their gracious response, and other than being showered by some beer, we were left unscathed, and very jubilant (both at the result and at our safety)!

The word was that 1500 tickets were due to be released for the round of 16 match against Italy by Football Federation Australia, at a soon-to-be designated location in Stuttgart. By 9:00am on Saturday morning, Australian fans would be told of the ticket sales outlet via the FFA website, and would be allocated on a first come-first served basis. Our group tried to second-guess the FFA, and lined up near the stadium, only be tipped off at 8:55am that 300 people plus media were already congregated at a hotel in the city! Having piled eight people into the one car, we raced into the city, only to be greeted with massive queues, and some other equally panicked Aussies. We needn't have worried, because 4 hours later we had passes in our hands, and there will still plenty of other joyous fans behind us with tickets as well.

Before heading to Kaiserslauten for the game, three of us travelled an hour south of Stuttgart to a music festival that evening, and saw brilliant performances from 'Live', 'Ben Harper' and 'Muse'. We camped the night in rather crowded and noisy conditions, but got on-side with the Germans alongside us, once they'd had a few beers...

The small town of Kaiserslauten (partly made up of American troops based there) was bursting with people on the day of the game. The town centre was like a human carpark, and the walk up the hill to the stadium took far longer than it should have. We were fortunate enough to be part of a huge group of Aussie fans, almost exclusive dressed in green and gold, and willing to fully participate in the singing and cheering. We happened to be sitting nearby Ken Sutcliffe - it's encouraging to know that average punters like us have access to similar seats to sports commentator legends like old sexy eyes himself!

The stadium itself is fairly well enclosed, so the noise we generated was amplified even more than in some of the larger arenas. We were generating plenty of sound thoughout the entire game, which I think Australia controlled for the most part - the Italian fans seemed to have far less to cheer about. We were looking forward to an extra half an hour of extra-time, where it seemed almost guaranteed that Australia's fitness would see them score a decisive goal, when the unthinkable happened... a dodgy penalty in the box with 10 seconds to go. It even looked a little dubious from our vantage point on the other side of the stadium. The Australian contingent stood silent for the first time in the match. There was still a glimmer of hope that goal keeper Mark Schwarzer could pull off a save like in the Uruguay qualifier, but the shot was far too good. It was very disappointing that such a great World Cup campaign by the Aussies was brought to an end so suddenly and controversally. Nevertheless, the team had exceeded most people's expectations, and they responded to the defeat in a gracious way.

I flew out of Munich the following day, and was back at work in Glasgow the day after that, so my German rendeszvous was over just as quickly as the soccer team's exit. The whole experience was quite surreal, but I was particularly impressed that there was such passionate support for the teams, yet there was no major violence or bitterness. This will probably be the last major trip I'll be able to make between now and the end of the year, where I'll be taking three weeks off for my brother Steve's wedding in Sydney in January. From now on, it'll be short weekend trips in and around Glasgow, so future blogs may not be so 'exotic'. Some of my Scottish friends may object to the assertion that Scotland isn't exotic, particularly during summer, but if I stumble upon exotic locations in Scotland, I will keep you posted!!

Blog number 2, and I've finally got some photos to share of the wedding for which I was best man on April 8.. so this'll be the main focus of this blog (all the girls will be particularly pleased!)

Harry is a great friend of mine and we spent a lot of time together at Edinburgh University in 2000-2001, and stayed in touch ever since. He's an enthusiastic, positive and Godly guy, who met his (now wife) Sarah on the plains of Tanzania while Scottish dancing!

They got married in a beautiful service in Sarah's home town between Durham and Newcastle. The weather was amazing - it was literally four seasons in one day, and when the bridal party arrived, massive snow flakes were falling! Sarah had always wanted to have a white wedding... The Bible reading was also particularly appropriate - part way through the Bible reading, the congregation started laughing, because Psalm 148:8 was so appropriate (you'll have to check it out yourself).

Being the best man, I had charge of the rings, and as a surprise I covered the box in bright green fur and showed it to the whole congregation, some who were amused, while the rest were undoubtably bemused. Harry is a bit of a clown (he does juggling and rides a unicycle for kids parties) and he has a box also covered in brightly coloured fur with all his juggling gear in it. He thought the ring stunt was brilliant.

I was quite nervous in the lead-up to the best man speech, particularly since there were 176 guests, I was the 3rd and final speaker, and it was in a huge hall with no microphones and I had a sore throat and had been recovering from a cold that week. It ended up going really well, got plenty of laughs, and a lot of positive feedback. I presented Sarah with a massive wooden spoon to use on Harry if he's naughty - Harry used to get hit on the bum with a wooden spoon if he was naughty, but his mum kept on breaking them on his backside!

The whole event, with the family dinner on the night before and the bucks night before that, made it a very tiring affair, but it was all worthwhile. The happy couple were in Paris for one night before travelling to Tunisia for 10 days. They're happily settled down in Exeter, but still haven't used the BBQ I got them as a wedding present...

In other news, I have been working as part of the river engineering team at the consulting engineering company 'Carl Bro' on a flood prevention scheme. I finished the draft report at 4:55pm on Friday, which was a big relief! From next week, I will be working on secondment for Scottish Water for 2-3 months near Edinburgh, which will mean an extra 2.5 hours travel each day (at the moment, I live right next door to work). I'll be working in a team of six, determining what implications a new European Union water directive has for the use of water in Scotland. It sounds like very interesting work.

The photo above shows a group of friends that I had over for dinner. It includes my flatmate Mike, my friend Peter (who a knew from Edinburgh Uni 5 years ago), two of Peter's flatmates and another friend. By the way, all of them (apart from Mike) tried my cooking, and they're all still alive to tell the tale. Peter has been sick for the last week or so, but I'm sure it's unrelated...!

My flatmate Mike and I have been getting along well. We're meeting a lot of each other's friends and introducing each other to new things (he now knows a bit more about cricket, and I've been able to see some of the more scenic parts of Glasgow with him). He's an Aberdonian, but he's breaking the mould of their traditionally cold receptions...

I don't think I'll buy a car while I'm here, so I've been getting around by bicycle most of the time. I bought this bicycle new for £140 and it has been a well-used investment. I've already cycled to Edinburgh from Glasgow (all 60 miles) along the canal, which was amazing. Since then, I have invested in some bike pants, because the last couple of hours were agony!! I have explored quite a bit of Glasgow, and I'm planning to cycle north to Loch Lomond on Thursday night after work. It should take about 3 hours, but since the sun doesn't set until about 10pm, I should still have plenty of time to see the scenery in daylight.

Today I went with Mike and his friend Jo just north of Glasgow, to Mugdock Country Park and we had a beautiful day exploring the historic ruins of two castles - Craigend Castle used to be a zoo that suffered from 4 years of poor weather, forcing it to shut and go into disrepair! Mugdock Castle was the second most important castle in Scotland in the 17th Century behind Stirling Castle, but it is now just a shell of its former self. On the way, I managed to get friendly with some highland cows, and clamber alongside some of the kids on the obstacle course. True to the Aussie reputation, I showed no shame... or fear!

...Into my fourth week in Glasgow, and I've got myself a job, a flat, a flatmate, a church, a laptop, a (borrowed) mobile, a bike, a cricket team and a slowly growing list of social engagements. It's been a tough journey to get to this stage:

The authorities in the UK have tightened their criteria for overseas arrivals. I even had to apply to the cricket authorities to allow me to play since I haven't lived in an EU country for at least 8 months. After all the other complications I'd experienced from banks, flat hunting, mobile phone companies, computer companies, airlines, a national insurance application and setting up things at work, all I could do was laugh!

It's been two months since I left Australia, and the first month was probably the most interesting - I travelled through Hawaii, Santiago (in the Dominican Republic), Boston, New York and Paris, before arriving in Edinburgh. I spent one week in Edinburgh catching up with old friends, four days in Glasgow finding a flat (and being disappointed by banks!), one week in Exeter with Harry and Sarah in pre-wedding organisation, a few days as best man in wedding festivities, and then a settled life in Glasgow in a new job.

Here are a few photos that summarise my trip to date:
When I was in Hawaii, I spent time with my friend (Ben's girlfriend) Ruth. She graciously allowed me to use her car, so I had the opportunity to cruise around Oahu in a convertible. The picture to the left was taken on the North Shore, near Pipeline. As you can see, the surf wasn't particularly big, and the weather wasn't particularly sunny (it rained virtually every day), but it was still an amazing experience. The island has a vast amount of natural beauty given it's small size.

One day, Ruth and I decided to climb up Koko Crater, in the south-east of the island. We'd driven past it previously, and I decided we should climb it. It took us a while to find our way up, and it was pretty tiring trekking up hundreds of stairs, but the view was worth it! It had been raining that morning, and there was a rainbow out to sea that you can see in the picture below. The crater itself was quite steeply sided, and when we stood near the edge, the wind was almost strong enough to blow you over.

During most days, Ruth had to work, so I discovered some of the island's sights on my own, like the Bishop Museum of Hawaiian culture, Pearl Harbour, and Diamond Head crater. Fortunately she had a couple of days off, where she acted as tour guide. We got lost in one of the largest mazes in the world, saw a free movie on the sands of Waikiki Beach 'March of the Penguins' (quite ironic, given the location), and drank cocktails on the beachfront (see photo below).

While the Hawaiian experience was not quite as sunny as expected, it was much more cosmopolitan and urbanised than anticipated. It was valuable having a car, and sensational to have a great companion like Ruth.

I then flew to the Dominican Republic to visit my sponsor child, also called Michael. Knowing very little Spanish, it was quite difficult to communicate with the locals, but I was fortunate to have a 'Compassion' representative who acted as a chaperone and translator when I visited the school project and my sponsor child's family.

I visited the school that has been set-up entirely through donations and a whole lot of volunteer labour. The local church is supportive of the project, although there is still only half the resources required to keep each student there for a full day. Instead, they go for a half-day and spend the rest of the day at home helping the family. There are constraints mainly on the size of the school, but also in the number of teachers. When I visited the family, I was struck by the joy and appreciation shown by Michael's parents. They had hoped that I would come and visit, and were so glad to speak with me in person.

They rent a very small house near the school, mainly funded by the father's job in construction. He had recently become a Christian, largely as a result of working with Christians on the building of the school. Michael's two younger brothers were very cute and loved getting attention, while Michael himself is quite shy but a good kid. He wants to be a professional baseballer, but if he doesn't make it, he'd love to be a civil engineer! Given his size (for a 12-year-old), he must do OK on the baseball field. It was a privilege to share this time with the family and to see the project first-hand. It has motivated me even more to support, write to them and pray for them.

My next stop was Boston, where I spent time with my school friend Liang, who is studying at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was very hospitable, and we explored some of the more cultured aspects of American society - Harvard, MIT, trendy eateries, a classical string quartet performance, the JFK museum and a student comedy revue. Boston seems like a very liveable city and Liang seems to have a great set-up. He also introduced me to blogging and skype. If it wasn't for him, you might not be reading this blog! While I was in the area, I decided to pop into New York for a couple of days.

New York is certainly a happening place. I felt as though if I wasn't in New York, then I was missing something. I did an ultra-quick tour, visiting the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Centre, Central Park, the American Natural History Museum, the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, the UN building, the Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), the Rockefeller Centre, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Obviously, in two days, I hardly did any of them justice!

From New York to Paris, and I spent 5 days with Nat who is nannying there. I really enjoyed hanging out with her, and she certainly appreciated a familiar face. Her apartment is in an incredible location - alongside the Champs Elysees and in view of the Eiffel Tower. I visited both the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay, two of the places I missed out on during my previous visit to Paris five years earlier. We attended a Saturday evening church service at Sacre Coeur, spent a day at the Palace of Versailles, visited the Lukins family (pictured), ate snails, crepes, croissants & baguettes, and went to her local English-speaking church service. It was great to spend time with Nat, and I can understand how difficult it must be for her, with far more language and cultural difficulties than I have in Scotland.

The day after I arrived in Scotland, I went ice-climbing with my Edinburgh uni friend Tom and his flatmate Laura. There was amazing snow up in the Cairngorm mountains, and we actually experienced a whiteout at the top, and were forced to navigate by map and compass. I struggled with the cold, but it was a satisfying journey.

I might finish my blog here, because my camera broke while ice-climbing, and I haven't taken any photos since. Hopefully I'll have another camera at some stage in the near future, and I will post some photos of the wedding (and a more detailed description) shortly.