My class and I were going on a 9 th grade trip, so we chose to visit Ballerup’s twin town ”East Kilbride”. We contacted some pupils at Calderglen High School in East Kilbride, to find out if we could stay at their places. In the end, everyone got a Scot to stay with. Before we went to Scotland, we all wrote a letter to the Scots about ourselves. In that way they could choose, who they thought, they had most in common with, and who they would like to have staying at their place. I was actually contacted quite quickly by a Scottish girl called Meg. She wrote a mail to me, and we talked a lot on msn afterwards. She seemed like a really sweet girl, and it was also nice to know who you where staying with. Meg

Thursday morning my class and I met at Måløv station about 11 a.m. We took the train and metro to the airport, where our plane to Scotland was waiting for us. In the airport we checked in, and everything went just fine. After two hours we landed in Scotland. From the airport in Scotland there was a bus, which drove us to the school in East Kilbride. I was a little nervous but more excited to see all the Scots. When we went, I recognized Meg. We should have been at Meg’s place, but her mother was in England, so we had to stay at her grandmother’s place that night. That was no problem at all, and Meg’s grandmother was so nice to us. I got shown around in the house, and then we ate dinner and just talked a lot. I also showed them a Danish film called “Fighter”. It was a really nice evening, and it was also great fun to speak so much English.

The next morning I went up, got ready, ate breakfast and went to school with Meg - also to meet the others from my class. I met some of her friends, and they were really friendly. It was a little weird to be one of the only ones who did not wear school uniforms. Many people also asked if I was a Dane. Still, it was surprising to see so many pupils at one place. My class and I went to Glasgow to go shopping, while Meg and the other Scots were at school. Glasgow was so much nicer, than I had expected! Nice shops, nice weather, nice people – just really cozy. After the shopping trip, we went back to the school in East Kilbride again. I went home to Meg’s place and met her mother Ruth. She was also very friendly and kind to me. We watched some TV, hade dinner and just relaxed. In the evening Meg, some of her friends and I went to a place called “The Key”. I was a place for young people to “hang out”. Signe and her Scot were also there, so it was okay – but there was actually not that much to do. Afterward, Meg, one of her friends and I went home to Meg’s place again. I tried to teach them Danish, but it did not go that well – it was great fun though and we laughed a lot!

I stayed in bed a little longer, because Meg had to go to school to practice music. About half one, Sasha, Line, their Scots, Meg and I went to East Kilbride Center to go shopping. After we had shopped for some time, we agreed to meet at Sasha’s place to dress up. When we were ready, we took a taxi and went to the East Kilbride station. Some of us missed the train, so Meg’s mother was so sweet to drive us to Glasgow. In Glasgow we met the other girls at “Minus”. It is a disco for young people at the age Faton, Damian, their Scot and some of his friends were also there, and we all had great fun dancing together. But it was very hot in the rooms, and the music was a little too loud. The disco closed at 9 p.m., so we went to KFC to get something to eat. After having finished eating we took the train home to East Kilbride again. We should have been at one of the Scot’s friends, but that had changed, so we could not stay at his place after all. Instead we walked around in East Kilbride and just talked. It was very cold but also very nice. After some time the boys (Damian, Faton and the Scottish boys), got picked up by at Taxi, and Meg and I decided also to go home. We were home about midnight – very tired.

Meg, Ruth and I went to Ayrshire Coast to see the sea. After that, we went to “Electrick Brae”. The Electric Brae is a hill in Ayrshire, where it seems like it is going downhill, but cars appear to be drawn uphill by some mysterious attraction. We tried to stop the car on the road, and slowly it began to go upwards instead of down the hill. We were also at a museum, which was about a poem Robert Burn had written. The poem was about a man called Tam o’ Shanter, who got chased by a witch through the woods and over a bridge. We saw a film about the poem, the monument and the bridge he went over in the poem. We also saw The Island of Arran which is a Scottish Island at long distance. Ruth (Meg’s mother) was very good to show and explain me things about Scotland. It was all very interesting! Meg’s mother took us to a big shopping center called “Silver Burn”. It is much bigger, than the ones we have at home in Denmark. We did not really go shopping, but we did see some of the shops, and it was just cool to see the center inside. Then we went home to get dinner. After dinner we went to a theatre in Glasgow and saw “A kind of Queen”. It was a band who played all the music from Queen. It was amazing. After a long day we went home and went to bed.

Both the Scots and the Danes went to Edinburgh that Monday. We went up to see Edinburgh Castle the from outside. Afterwards some of my friends and I went to Edinburgh Princes Street Gardens, and ate our breakfast. It was a very beautiful place. Then of course there were the shops. So we were seven girls who went shopping together. It was super. In the evening after the trip to Edinburgh, we went bowling. It was great fun, even though I was not that good at it. We also got some hamburgers, colas and nuggets for dinner. After bowling some of the Danes and Scots went home to Sean’s place (Damian and Faton’s Scot). We played play station and just had fun. When I came home, I was just really tired and went to bed.

I went to school with Meg again, and this time I was actually in the class for the two first hours. First I had math in Meg’s class, and afterward I had biology in another class. It was okay, I just did not really do anything, but it was interesting to see, how it was in the classes. After two hours in school my class and I went to East Kilbride Center. Maja and I agreed, that we did not want to go shopping again. Instead we went to the cinema and saw “Mamma Mia”. It was a nice film. We went back to the school where Maria, Meg and I got picked up by Meg’s mother. Maria was going to stay together with me at Meg’s place. Meg’s mother took us to the West end of Glasgow. We saw Glasgow Art Gallery, Glasgow University and then went to Byres road, where we went to an Italian restaurant and got delicious food. I really enjoyed it. After the restaurant we went to Great Western Road to the cinema and watched “How to lose friends and alienate people”. It was so funny, and we all laughed almost all the time. After another great day, we went to “Asda”, a 24-hours open mal. They had the most awesome Halloween stuff. Maria bought much cool stuff for her coming Halloween party. We came home, tired again, and went to bed.

The Scots and Danes went with a bus to Bannockburn, where we first were at a museum. We saw a film, the weapons and the battlefield nearby where King Robert the Bruce routed the forces of King Edward II to win freedom for the Scots from English domination. We went also to Stirling Castle, which was very big and interesting. I loved the nature the castle was in. With the mountains and so. What is a day without shopping? – In Stirling town and we went shopping in a little center. Then we continued to “The Time Capsule”, where we bathed a lot and some of us went ice skating. I tried one of the crazy water slides and just went swimming. I also tried ice skating, which I had not done for about two years. I was really bad at it, but with my friends around me, it did not matter – we still had much fun. We all went home, and got ready for the Farwell party in the evening. At the Farwell party we had rented a little room above a pub. We ate together, and then we danced all night to some music, chosen by a super DJ and some music-wishes from us. It is definitely a memory I will not forget. When we came home to Meg’s place again, Meg and her mother had some presents for us. We got a calendar of Scotland, a nice tea towel, some Scottish candy, a poetry book, postcards and other nice things. It was really kind of them to give Maria and I the presents.

Thursday morning was the last morning in Scotland this time. We exchanged addresses, so we could send each other Christmas cards. Her address was: Meg McFadden 46 Glen Carron St Leonards East Kilbride G74 2AJ We went to the school where the bus was waiting for us. It was hard to say goodbye, and I was really glad that Meg, her family and I got along so well. The flight to Denmark went just fine, and I already missed Scotland when I came home. The trip was very memorable. I will never forget Meg and her sweet family and all the experiences I had in Scotland, and I hope we will keep in touch.