Insch, Aberdeenshire Scotland: UK Host Visit

Ever since we arrived in England, I have been super excited about going on a Host Visit! I finally got my assigned location a few weeks ago saying I was going to be with a family in Insch, Aberbdeen Scotland. It was a visit to see a woman and husband in their late 50’s for the weekend of November 21st. I started my long travel journey to Scotland at 7:20 Friday the 21st of November morning. I walked to the University of Birmingham’s train station to catch an 8:03 train to Edinburgh, Haymarket. Once there I found out that my train actually left from New Street Station! Ahh! Luckily there was a train leaving at 7:47 going through New Street Station that would get me there at 8:01. I jumped of the train and ran to my next train jumping on as the doors where closing….phew! Now I had 3 ½ hours till I’d arrive in Haymarket. I walked up and down the aisle to find that the only seat left was a seat with no window, facing the opposite direction we were heading….great! Now my motion sickness is going to kick in. Luckily to my advantage, no on sat by me giving me room to breathe and since it was so early I slept the ENTIRE time! Waking up to find that the next train stop was my stop…again…. PHEW! I glanced at my cell to see the time only to find that yet again I had less than three minutes to catch my next train to Aberdeenshire, although this time I was lucky because when I got off the train the platform I needed to be on was just across the way. PERFECT! After another 3 hour train ride I was in Aberdeenshire. This time I had 40 minutes to wait till my next train. The train to Insch was only 35 minutes and when we arrived to the station it was SNOWING! A LOT!

I was starting to get really excited by this point not only that I was finally done with trains for the day, but to meet the people I would be staying with! It was absolutely beautiful in Insch with the snow and hills everywhere. It looked like a cute little fairy tale snowy town! After about 5 minutes waiting in the snow, Bron showed up. Bron was the wife and her husband wasn’t there because he was working in South Africa, so it was just going to be and her. Which I didn’t think was a big deal. After stopping at the store to pick up a few groceries we headed off to her house in the country which was another 10 minutes out of town. It was snowing pretty heavily at this time and I was starting to get a bit nervous. Bron kept making short comments on ‘how unwise it was for me to come to Insch in November’ or ‘It’s a shame I’m here.’ Even before we arrived at her home I already felt unwelcome and not wanted. We got to her home and when we walked in her house a friend of hers was there fixing her internet connection so as I stood in the entry way with my things not knowing what to do, she continued to chit chat with her friend for a long while. Then she turned and was like “oops, I forgot. I’ll show you to your room.” Once in my little tiny room, I tried texting Ashley to not only inform her that I was here safe but also to tell her I wanted to LEAVE! But, I had zero reception. Great. I walked down stairs and sat at the kitchen table while she was on the phone and just watched to tube for a bit. She told me that there was internet if I needed it so I first emailed my director to inform him on my safe travels but also to let him know how I was feeling about being here. Once I was done online, Bron left. Um…okay? After about an hour the phone started ringing. I didn’t answer cause I don’t live here. It rang again. Again no answer. It rang again and this time Bron came in and said “it’s for you! You were supposed to answer it!” Well of course! What was I thinking? When you meet someone for the first time you always answer their home telephone. When I answered it was Katie seeing how I was and telling me that Greg, my program director, had contacted her. Once Bron returned from her studio where she was doing work, she made another phone call to a friend to talk about how mad she was that she had to cook and mess up her kitchen. Keep in mind I’m sitting at the kitchen table listening to everything that she is saying. I felt not only unwelcome even more at this point but I also felt that this woman who volunteered to have someone visit her home for a host visit was feeling obligated to cook for me…..um….Finally she got off the phone and started cooking. Dinner was probably the most delicious meal I’ve ever had! I yummy chicken stew, different cheeses on crackers, and a glass of really nice red Scottish wine. Dinner conversation was okay, but we mainly watched “X Factor “on the tube. After dinner we went into the living room to watch a film that I offered as an option to do and she couldn’t figure out how to use it.

After she grumbled about not getting the TV to work I just was just like “Don’t worry about it, I’m kind of tired so I’ll just go to bed. What time would you like me to be ready in the morning?” she responded “9. Then we can see if there is anything we can do.” Alrightythan. The next morning I was down in the kitchen a little after 9 to find a yummy full English breakfast almost ready! YAY! She looked at me and said “if you don’t leave today, you’ll get snowed in.” Oh um, okay that’s fine with me. She did make me a lunch to take with me on the train which was nice but then we took a few pictures around her house in about 3 minutes, jumped in the car and took off into town so I could catch a train to Aberdeenshire. The trains were going pretty well cause I’d have about 10 minutes between each train to get to my next one. But, knock on wood, with my luck something happened when we were pulling into the station at Oxenholm. A woman jumped in front of the train I was on as we were pulling into the station. We all had to stay in our seats for little less than an hour while the police were asking questions and the ambulance where doing their thing. This was not fun. Then they finally had everyone get off the train and move to another. By the time I got to Manchester I missed my train to Birmingham and had to wait an hour till another train would come by. Once I was in Birmingham, Katie met me at the Station and my British roommate Emily picked me up so I didn’t have to take a taxi or bus home. Phew, I’m home. That experience is over. Never again.

If you ever want to take a trip to Insch, Aberdeenshire. Don’t

Cheers!

Kirsten