After taking the train back from Edinburgh on Tuesday night, I went to stay at my friend Eliza’s house for the rest of half term. After getting settled at the Forsyth’s house on Wednesday morning, Eliza and I took her dogs on a walk and then rode bikes to Hopeman, one of the nearby villages. We met up with Lizzy and got ice creams (I know, kind of crazy to eat ice cream in 0 degree weather). The Forsyths live in between Hopeman and Duffus, on a farmhouse in the country. They have 2 donkeys, 8 chickens, a rooster, 2 dogs, and 2 rabbits. Eliza also has 2 brothers, Billy (16) and George (13) who also go to Gordonstoun
On Thursday, we went skiing on Cairngorm Mountain, the same spot where I did the winter skills weekend. Skiing in Scotland is a bit different than California because it is colder and windier, with shorter and narrower runs. I was a bit rusty, but it was clear skies in the morning and pretty fun. Trees don’t really grow on the Cairngorms because of the wind and poor soil, and in the afternoon when the wind picked up, I couldn’t really tell the difference between the snow I was skiing on and the sky. It was a bit disorienting, and we finished around 3 in the afternoon.
The next day we went into Inverness and just hung out until term began again.
The Athenian School Exchange Blog 