Small Expression of Thanks

Being a thousand miles away from family and friends on Thanksgiving is a new thing for me. During this holiday it is great to come together with joyful thanksgiving over what the Lord has given to us, or not given to us…mainly the gift of family and companionship. So what is it like being separated from all of this? While I am not there physically, I can honestly say that my thankfulness and appreciation of the relationships that I have, as well as all other blessings from God have increased immensely. The saying holds true that you never know what you have until its gone. So while I am away, my love for my family and friends has grown so much deeper. In saying this, I am thankful to my God for allowing me this time away to see this more clearly. I rejoice, not that I am absent from my loved ones, but that the Lord has given me eyes to see clearly the true blessing that they are. The selflessness. The unconditional love. The sacrifice. I may not be able to see the smiles of my aunts and uncles, the hugs from my grandparents, and affection from my parents, but I feel it stronger than ever. And that is something to be thankful for. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

No Regrets

To those at Anderson University and anyone considering studying abroad

First off, it is a big decision, so due diligence is a must.

I am just going to tell you my story on how I ended up studying at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland which I think you will find to be informative and helpful, and then advice to any others contemplating this option of studying abroad while a university student.

Ever since high school I knew I wanted to study abroad, no specific destination in mind. Many people I asked (especially my Aunt Vicki) encouraged me to do it since high school and said that was there only regret while in college. Also, those that did make the leap (at least those I have spoken with) do not regret it for one second. Here was my dilemma though coming into college as a freshman…I played football (which I love). The fall semester is the season of course, and the spring semester is the crucial off-season training. Knowing this, I shoved the thought of studying abroad to the back of my brain, behind a few dusty couches never really to be thought of again. That is, until I couldn’t play football anymore because of an injury. The thought surged back to the foreground as a primetime option.

Another problem that holds people back from studying abroad are the course requirements for their major in order to graduate. This was one of my problems. I stopped playing football my junior year, so that fall, I started planning ahead, which is key for those considering studying abroad. I looked at everything that I needed to graduate, mapped out a detailed plan on how I was going to fit all my courses in, and talked to several professors, advisors, and counselors to see if this plan was even possible and got their approval. I ended up taking three senior courses my junior year, as well as six hours over the summer, all the while still not positive I was going to be studying abroad, but leaving that possibility open (something I recommend). I was able to work it out to where I had a free fall semester to take whatever classes I wanted. I will be returning my final semester in the spring to finish up my marketing degree.

Another hesitation one may have is the notion that they will be missing out on what is happening back home. I credit Ty Benbow, who also studied abroad, for helping me reject this thought. Just know, that when you are studying abroad, your friends and University will be awaiting for you when you return, and they will still be there in one piece. Moreover, your friends will more than likely (if they heard you don’t want to go because of not being with them) encourage you to go. On top of that, this is my senior year of college. Many people rule out studying abroad then, but I beg to differ. I would venture to say that the fall semester of your senior year (besides junior year) is one of the best semesters to do it. Why? Because you are a veteran college student, you know how school works, and you don’t have to worry about adjusting to the college life as much a younger student. It is also easier to go a longer distance away after several years at school. One may not want to miss out on their senior year at their school, which is how I felt. Let me encourage you once more. It’s worth it and your friends will still be there when you get back, not to mention the new friends you will make from wherever you are studying, new culture which you are invited into, and many new things that you can do or see. With all this new, it makes it easier to not feel like you are missing out. You would be truly missing out if you didn’t go. Also, you will notice how much more you appreciate and cherish the relationships that you do have back home, and will give you the desire to cultivate them even more when you return. Once again, they will be awaiting you in one piece when you return, glad that you were able to go.

After I made the decision to pursue studying abroad, I searched my options. I encourage you to do this even before you have made the decision. First, you should check to see what your school offers, if there are any exchange programs or study abroad options. In my case, there was, but nothing that interested me. What now? Can I not go just because the University doesn’t offer a program? I am living proof that there are other ways, it just takes more digging. Next, figure out where you would like to go. Europe? Australia? China? South Africa? A specific region with a specific language? I looked at business schools all over Europe and South Africa. Most of these were in Prague, some in Tuscany, several in Ireland, and also the United Kingdom. I finally narrowed it down to Oxford in England, Aberdeen in Scotland, and the School of Economics of Prague in the Czech Republic, and in the end decided to go to Scotland, which has been a dream of mine. Now, if you can only speak English, please make sure you are checking into schools that have English-speaking classes.

Seeing that I am not going through an organized program, I needed to research all of this, make contacts with the schools, and figure out as much details and information as I can about anything and everything about studying at their school for a semester. On the other side of things, you need to work with your home university way in advance to get approval and correct documentation for everything that you are trying to do, whether it is advisors, registrar, study abroad department, or any other department (you need to figure this out). It is very important if you are studying abroad independently to be very thorough in your research and planning to make sure you cover all of your bases, it can be a long process, but doable. If at all possible, see if you can attend a University that your home school will accept their classes to count towards your major or required courses. Luckily, I have worked ahead so all I need are electives, so I can take whatever classes that I want and they only come back as pass/fail with the hours.

Lastly, AFTER everything is approved, check to see if you are required to get a Tier 4 VISA and apply for it immediately (also your Passport if you don’t have one already). This will also take due diligence on your part to find exactly what you need, all of which can be done via Internet. AFTER you obtain your Visa (and Passport), THEN buy your airline tickets, not the other way around just for precautionary reasons.

I hope this is helpful to all who are interested, and I absolutely HIGHLY recommend to anyone and everyone to take up this opportunity. This will make your college experience much richer, and at the same time, make your home University much richer with your experience.

If you have any questions about studying abroad, contact me at jwduke@anderson.edu. I would love to help you out.

Much love.

Travelin' Man

I have had the wonderful opportunity while being here at the University of Aberdeen to do quite a bit of traveling on the weekends. Some of the places in Scotland I have been are Glasgow (twice), Stonehaven (twice), Dundee, Edinburgh, Gullane, and of course, Aberdeen. On top of that, this past weekend I was able to go to Northern Ireland. My flat mate (roommate) lives in Larne, which is a small town right outside of the capital city of Belfast. Edinburgh and Northern Ireland have definitely been my favorite places so far.

Edinburgh was by far one of the coolest cities I have been to. It has a wonderful mixture of natural beauty combined with historic buildings, architecture, and a well-kept medieval castle. In the historic section of the city “Old Town” as they call it, they have a strip called the Royal Mile. On one end of the Royal Mile is the Edinburgh castle, overlooking the whole city, and at the bottom of the Mile is Hollyrood House, or palace. This is where the queen stays when she comes to Edinburgh. Between these to historic destinations is a mile of historic, yet still in business, buildings, shops, churches, all made out of stone. We were there for a day and a half, and in the morning we rose up around 5:45 and climbed to the top of Arthur’s Seat, which is a massive hill, some may even call it a mountain. We wanted to make it in time for the sunrise, which we barely accomplished (the previous night we went to the top of Calton Hill for the sunset). It overlooks all of Edinburgh, seated right behind Hollyrood.

That same day, the three friends (all Americans) and myself went to a very small village outside of Edinburgh called Gullane. This place was amazing as well. It was a small town on the shore and has paths connecting town to town meant for horse only that lies behind the links course on the other side of the stone wall. We were able to explore this countryside, and even found an old abandon castle that dated to the 14^th century. No one was there, so we just gave ourselves a grand tour.

This past weekend in Northern Ireland proved to be one of the coolest weekends of my life. We (Brandon and Zac Sansom) stayed with my flat mate James’ family. The first day we went to Castlewellan and to the Mournes. I think I can honestly say that this was the most beautiful place I have even been to. At Castlewellan we were able to walk around a lake that is surrounded by forest, with a castle sitting on a hill in the distance, trees bursting in color all around it, dwarfing it in their magnitude. We then went through the so-called World’s Largest Peace Maze. This was amazing, even though we raced to the finish, and I didn’t win. I was only bitter for two seconds. After this we went to the Mourne Mountians. We climbed up through the forest that reminded me of Sherwood Forest from Robin Hood, or something out of Lord of the Rings, following a raging stream that violently stormed down the hill. Once we reached the end of the tree line, the mountains opened up in all of God’s intended glory for them all. It was a masterpiece of greenery, heighth, depth, streams, rocks, boulders…and sheep! We didn’t have much time to climb to the top because it gets dark around 4:30, so instead of going the normal touristy way, we took the road less traveled, nearly straight up, destined to the peak of the tallest mountain. I fell several times, stepped in several holes, and was a muddy mess. I did have tennis shoes on, so that didn’t help with the typical soaking grass and slippery slopes. As we neared the top, this sheep dog went flying past us, climbing the mountain in two minutes, unbelievable, minutes later, we saw a small dot at the bottom of the hill, a shepherd, calling for his dog and the sheep. Moments later, we see sheep running down from the top of the mountain, being musically driven by this dog. We couldn’t believe that a dog could be trained to do what we were seeing. It was a cool sight, and they nearly went right by us. As we neared the top, we could see all of New Castle, several golf courses, the Sea, and a view that many would die to see. God is beautiful.

The next day we drove up the North Shore with our driver and new friend Jonny from "Norn Iron" We went to a rope bridge that straddled the sea about 100 meters high. The cliffs were massive and picturesque, and stretched as far as I can see. It was pretty scary going across that flimsy bridge, while James was jumping up and down on it, dirty man. We went straightaway after that to Giant's Causeway, which some consider the other natural wonder of the world. This was a volcanic rock formation that hardened in hexagonal shapes and stacks, that extend from the cliffs facing the Scottish shore. Pictures and videos to come soon.

I am doing great and thoroughly enjoying my time. I have been meeting unbelievable people from nearly all over the world. More to come on the happenings and my experience as a student here in Aberdeen, for those who are considering studying abroad...stay tuned, I have some encouraging words for you. Love you all.

Hidden Gems

The ordinary things of life can become the most beautiful.

Two days ago, I decided that it would be a good idea to finally go to the grocery store. I was in dire need of some type of food source (ended up getting nine different soups) and also a duvet for my bed. Little did I know that what seems like such an ordinary errand could be such a breath-taking moment. It is nearly half an hour walk to get to ASDA, which I believe is their version of “Wal-Mart”, which is a short walk in comparison to others we have made. About ten minutes into the trip we arrived at the coastline where the city of Aberdeen meets the cautiously inviting beachfront and frigid waters of the North Sea. As my friend, James, and I neared we took a right, which took us alongside Aberdeen’s club football (soccer) team’s stadium. Much to our surprise, the gate was just standing there wide open like this we were expected to be there for an appointment. We went in of course and had the whole stadium to ourselves for several minutes, taking in the vastness the stadium, the well-groomed grass field, and the atmosphere that lives there. We continued our journey towards ASDA making our way up a beautiful grassy knoll that rose high above all of its surroundings (a road less-traveled short cut if you will). What a sight it was! It had to be the highest point in the whole city. To our right we could see the whole city of Aberdeen, with its towering Gothic structures and historic buildings that stretched nearly as far as the eye could see. To our left we had the Boardwalk and the North Sea that one could just stare at and admire for days. On top of that, we were standing on a vast grassy knoll that Scotland and Ireland are notorious for. James, who is from Northern Ireland, was wondering why I was so joyful. After I told him, he took notice of it to, but he said he was just so used to this type of scenery that he has became somewhat numb to the beauty. As soon as I shared my thoughts and feelings, he too saw the beauty that was around him.

There have been many instances like this since I have been here, literally every day. Going to school here makes me smile on a daily basis as I walk out of my halls and onto this historical campus. Immediately as I walked outside today I heard bagpipes playing in the distance. Across my courtyard I could see that a Scottish wedding was just underway. You know its cool when you see tourists of all ages coming to your university as one of their stops while they are in Scotland. It is a blessing, that is for sure. I rode on a train for the first time last week down to Dundee and Glasgow and I guarantee everyone near me thought there was something wrong with me because I was just smiling the whole time, thoroughly enjoying myself. The train followed along the eastern coast of Scotland paralleling the North Sea to our left with grassy pastures filled with cattle and sheep, with hundred year old stone walls separating them from the others, round bales of hay scattered all throughout the horizon, and several small towns along the way. I was peering over everyone’s shoulder the whole time. I know I had to have been a nuisance to the regulars. Both the cities, Dundee and Glasgow were nice, very big with lots of incredible architecture and historic buildings, but I am not as fond of the cities as I am of rural areas and small towns. I had a great time though, going to a Christian Union conference in Dundee, and NEEDTOBREATHE concert in Glasgow.

Yesterday I decided to go to the Hill Head Flats, which are where several of my friends live. It is about a 15-minute walk from where I live, and in order to get there (without going a round-a-bout way, is to cut right through Seaton Park. I have heard stories about Seaton Park from my friend Ty Benbow, and nearly every one here about how it is extremely dangerous to walk through it at night, especially for girls, but during the day everyone travels through this park. I went through the narrow and nearly hidden entrance gate just north of campus, by a 500 year old massive church with its graveyard lurking all around, and started heading down the winding tree covered trail of the park. When I got to the bottom, it opened up to the most beautiful garden I have ever seen. I was amazed. The flowers had to have been of every color of the spectrum beautifully arrayed and tended. There were designs in the shrubbery, flowers within and alongside. The garden was large, and stretched for several hundred yards, and to the left through the trees was a river that ran right through the middle of the park. Maybe I haven’t been to too many gardens, but this was definitely the most beautiful park I have ever seen. For those of you who have read “The Shack”, it reminded me of that garden. To think that this was a dangerous place at night was hard for me to grasp with this immense beauty. I ended up walking through it that night with a buddy of mine anyway in the pitch dark with no flashlight. It was pretty interesting. Sorry mom.

This has been more than a dream come true so far. Ever since I was young I have wanted to come to this area. Now I am here, experiencing my dreams, not being let down for a moment. It’s as if I was led here, like I was meant to be here for a time since my youth, a desire that was planted in me when I was young for some appointment in the future. Since I have been here my relationship with the LORD has grown so much. It has been a season of much pruning, encompassed by His assuring love and His joy. I haven’t felt His love in a long time. I haven’t experienced His joy in a long time. I believe He has brought me here for multiple reasons. But one personal reason by far was just to show me that He is truly good. That He wants you to do the desires of your heart if you are His children and love Him, for they are His own. He wants us to do them, so we can have His joy. He is stripping from me my preconceived thoughts and attachments to legalism, religious and Pharisee mindsets, selfish desires and motives, and is showering me with His freedom and grace. He wants you to have that too! “But when one turns to the LORD, the veil is removed. Now the LORD is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is freedom. II Corinthians 3:16-17

May He give you eyes to see and ears to hear today! Love you guys!

Wee Bit o Fun

University of Aberdeen

I have been here less than a week now, and quite a bit has happened in that short amount of time. To name a few:

- Finally went to my first lectures on Friday, all four of them!

- Met some amazing people that I know I will be spending a lot of time here with, who are all pretty much Northern Irish

- Made the first out of four teams for basketball here at the university

- Went to the seaside/fishing town of Stonehaven with one of the best kept/scenic castles in all of Scotland

- Had my first encounter with UK’s famous fish and chips in Stonehaven

- Defied death while climbing steep cliffs near the castle

- On numerous occasions been looked at like an idiot because I couldn’t understand people (which I thoroughly enjoy and is good entertainment for my friends around me)

-Switched classes three times currently (I think my schedule is finally set in stone)

- Attended CU which is the Christian Union on campus

- Made an old lady on the bus sitting next to me reminisce about her old American acquaintance just by hearing my voice

- Thought my room was getting broke into at four am but found out it was just some kids climbing on my window (When I opened the curtains they ran away)

-Have been challenged spiritually and am resting in God’s mercy, love, and grace

-and there are many more, but too numerous to write.

I guess you can say I am still in the honeymoon stage of just being in this completely new place. Many of the friends I have met are Northern Irish, like I have stated, but nearly all are Christians (which was a big surprise to me how many Christians there are). What a blessing! My flat mate (called roommate in the States) James, is also Northern Irish and a Christian. We get along great and I know God had this ordained from the beginning for us to be next to each other. It is a beautiful sunny day out today and as you walk down the street, the sunlight sparkles off the granite building causing a wondrous radiant display of beauty. I have learned a lot about the culture. Whether it be new words or terms, foods, social behavior, and way of life. I like it here. I walk everywhere I go for the most part, even up to an hour’s walk. It is great. You are able just to slow down, think clearly, observe. You are able to take notice of small things that you would bypass on an everyday basis, and appreciate them. The Father’s love for us is so great. Take time to notice it today, even the sunshine on your face is the Father’s tangible love for you. Embrace it. Stay in prayer for me, and I for you.

*Check out my latest adventure to Stonehaven on my Facebook videos! Enjoy!

The Start of a Journey

September 28, 2010

University of Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom

I had the fortunate opportunity to sit in the window seat of KLM’s 737 jet as I was continuing my journey from Amsterdam to Aberdeen, Scotland. It was a dreary day, fog so thick I couldn’t even see the wing of our plane. Even when the landing gear came out,there was still no sight of land. Ever since I was young I have had a strong urge to visit either Ireland or Scotland. I was drawn by the images and videos of rolling hills with sheep spotted along the horizon, cobble stone houses and fences, rough English accents, and a culture so rich it could make Bill Gates envious (ok, maybe not that rich). Finally, several hundred feet before we are about to touch down the clouds broke loose and there it was, not disappointing for a second. The very first thing that I saw was a rolling hill, greener than anything I have ever seen, with sheep scattered throughout, backing up to a old house made out of stone with a stone fence around it. I smiled.

Of course nothing is perfect, especially with my luck while traveling. I packed three bags for the three months I would be here, and wouldn’t you know it not one of them made it on my flight. For some reason it really didn’t bother me, I think I was still in the land of Euphoria and I don’t think I will be leaving anytime soon. I am still waiting on those bags.

I am a senior studying Marketing at Anderson University, but in one of my final semesters I decided to study abroad here at the University of Aberdeen. I looked into several schools in the United Kingdom, the second option being Oxford, but thanks to a good friend of mine, Ty Benbow, I chose Aberdeen. Ty studied here while he was attending Wabash College several years back. Every chance he got he would share about his amazing experience at Aberdeen. I was sold, and now I see why.

The campus itself has totally blown my expectations out of the water. Minus the cars and laptops, you literally feel like you have went back in time hundreds of years as you walk down the stone paved streets and narrow sidewalks. As your walking down the main strip of campus, High Street, you literally feel like you are in some old English film heading into the bustling town, with the historic Scottish culture embracing you the whole way. I could say it feels like I am going to Hogwarts, which is true, but I am not a fan of Harry Potter, so I am sorry for even referencing it. As I walk back to my dorm room which is right on campus, I have to pass through my entrance which is two identical castle towers that are 40 feet high with an old hinged gate connecting the two. Yeah, that’s pretty cool. I already know I’m not going to want to leave.