Glasgow, Stonehaven, and Edinburgh
Hi y'all,
It has been about two weeks since I last updated my blog. I am currently in Aberdeen on a short study abroad to study thermodynamics in Scotland. We are more than halfway through the course! A lot has happened, and I am not in the mood to have a long post about everything, so this is the highlight of the two weeks.
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Where all the time goes?
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Hiking up Arthur's Seat
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Explaining an engine
After we had settled down and unpacked, we went to Glasgow for a day trip. We visited the Hunterian Museum and the Glasgow Riverside Transportation Museum. Our professor was really enthusiastic about heat engines and expanders, so he jumped right into a display to explain it to us. Later in Edinburgh, we also stopped by the Edinburgh National Museum of Scotland, where they have a 1:1 replica of many heat engines. If there weren't barriers around them, I think our professor would hop in as well.
The next day, a group went to Stonehaven to enjoy some fish and chips and see the Dunnotar Castle. We took a different route up to the castle to visit the War Memorial, and the scenery of the route was stunning. It was the first time I've ever been where everything cannot be captured in a frame. Everywhere I look, there is something beautiful, everything is beautiful! I ended up not taking many pictures. I just wanted to put my phone down and just be.
After the brief weekend in Glasgow and Stonehaven, we headed into our coursework for two weeks. Not as eventful, but it was fun. I was in class from 9 am to around 4 to 5 in the evening. I felt like I was drinking from a water hose for real. I don't think I can master thermodynamics in three short weeks in Scotland, or even three months as a normal semester. I don't think any undergraduate class can, actually. But what this course has achieved is that learning thermo is somehow enjoyable, and it sparked the love for engineering. I think that is what matters.
As I am writing this, I have less than a week in Aberdeen, and two more exams before I "khăn gói quả mướp" (packing) to go back to the US. I will miss Scotland so much.