Johnson enjoys semester of study in 18th-century estate
TOP OF THE WORLD — Hailey Johnson stands with arms stretched wide atop Arthur’s Seat overlooking Edinburgh during her semester-long stay in Scotland. Johnson lived and studied in an 18th-century castle. (Submittted photo)
By TROY THOMPSON
Contributing Writer
When 2012 NRHEG graduate Hailey Johnson decided to go to college in Wisconsin, she didn’t anticipate attending classes in a Scottish castle while wearing her pajamas.
“You wake up, walk down to class in your pajamas, and learn in a castle,” said Johnson. “It was pretty cool.”
From August to November of 2014, Johnson, who’s attending the University of Wisconsin-River Falls while studying Animal Science with a Veterinary Tech emphasis, decided to expand her horizons for a semester abroad. Scotland seemed like another world away, but her decision to pursue her general studies in that country proved to hit closer to home than she could have realized.
“It was a physical journey, but an emotional one, too,” said Johnson. “I thought it would be difficult being away from home at college, but I never anticipated being 4,000 miles away.”
Almost on a whim, Johnson signed up to study abroad. Her intuition told her to choose Scotland where she wound up in Dalkeith, an historic village outside of the country’s capital of Edinburgh. There, she lived with 33 other students, in addition to professors and faculty, at the Dalkeith Palace, an 18th-century estate rebuilt on the remains of the original 12th-century Dalkeith Castle.
There, she roomed with four other students and attended classes with two Scottish professors, as well as faculty from UWRF.
“It was pretty nice,” said Johnson. “The program was unique and very affordable compared to other study abroad programs. It even came with its own dungeon for Halloween.”
The palace came complete with parklands, trails, horses and a private chef. Students, however, were expected to take turns working in shifts to cook lunch and dinner while also having other cleaning responsibilities to help earn their keep.
“I got the fun job of sweeping and mopping the stairs,” said Johnson. “There were three flights of stairs.”
From an educational standpoint, Johnson said the experience gave her an easier opportunity to learn.
“It was a lot more personal,” she said. “You got to get close to the professors and, living with them, see that they’re human, too. It was easier for me to ask questions and interesting to view them as people, not just professors.”
While the students lived and studied at the palace, they were also afforded ample opportunity to explore the country on their own and via a number of arranged guided tours.
Highlights included visiting many historic Scottish castles in the area and a guided tour of the Scottish highlands.
Johnson viewed the universe via a large observatory during her studies for an astronomy class and also got to wade in the waters of the famous Loch Ness.
“We didn’t see Nessie, though,” she said.
During her trip to the highlands, Johnson experienced the famed Fairy Pools and waterfalls of the region.
“The legend is that if you bathe in the waters, you’ll have eternal beauty,” she said. “That was pretty fun.”
A confessed Harry Potter fan, Johnson got to experience a number of filming locations for the blockbuster book and movie series which was an unexpected perk.
“There was a lot of interesting places related to Harry Potter,” she said. “I didn’t think about it at the time I signed up for the trip, but when I realized what I was getting into, it was pretty cool.”
Johnson got to take flying lessons on a broom at Alnwick Castle, one of the filming locations for the movies, as well as visit the Elephant Cafe where author J.K. Rowling liked to frequent when she wrote.
A free-travel period brought Johnson to Ireland and London where she was visited by familiar faces from home in the form of her boyfriend, brother and friends. She also got to reunite with fellow NRHEG graduate and classmate Lexi Wayne, who also happened to be studying abroad during the same time.
“We spent a lot of time in the pubs, which is a big part of the culture over there,” she said. “It was fun and a great way to make memories.”
While there, Johnson found herself as a witness to history as Scotland was in the middle of debating whether to secede from the United Kingdom.
“It was a historic time in Scotland,” she said. “There were rallies for both sides and people were very passionate about their positions. The vote failed, but everyone was very patriotic about the issue, on both sides. I was happy to be there during such a historic time.”
Overall, Johnson said she came away from the experience with a newfound view of the world.
“I’m a lot more open-minded now after seeing other cultures,” she said. “They’re socialists there, and everyone here hears that word and thinks one thing, but seeing it work there, and seeing it in action...it doesn’t mean I would want it here, but I see why people want it there. It takes on a different meaning.”
She’s glad she took the jump across the Atlantic “without really thinking about it”.
“It hopefully looks good on a resume and it helped to put me out of my comfort zone,” she said.
Her only regret was missing Kate Middleton, Prince William and the members of One Direction in London.
“They were one block away and we didn’t know it,” she said.