Hello, everyone! My name is Kylie Ehlers and I am Bumpers College of Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences graduate student. I am studying agricultural and extension education, with a focus in agricultural communications. For the summer of 2018, I am abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland, working with Scotland’s Rural College in the Communications Department for 10 weeks.
Honestly, this experience was amazing! I was able to get settled into some University of Edinburgh dorms right away and started working the following Monday after my arrival. My work experience has been writing a lot of press releases, proof reading documents, and assisting with social media plans. The full-time employees in the office are very welcoming and warm; they immediately made me feel like I was part of the team.
Edinburgh is a wonderful city! Being a huge history nerd, I was in heaven. There are so many museums, galleries, castles, and historical tours to take. If history isn’t your thing, there are still plenty of attractions! There are a lot of nice restaurants, pubs, and cafes to eat and hang out. There are plenty of shops and lots of nice gardens to walk around. One of the best parts of Edinburgh is that there are so many different things to do, all within an hour. One of my favorite walks was when I went to Arthur’s Seat, but I also really enjoyed the Water of Leith walkway.
This opportunity to have an internship abroad really opened my eyes to not only professional goals that I wanted to attain, but also personal development. I was able to learn a lot about myself and what I wanted whenever I got back home from being in Scotland.
If you have the opportunity, please travel to Scotland! It is a beautiful country with attractions for any and all who can travel.
P.S.- The picture I am featuring is of me at the Royal Highland Show petting a Scottish Highland calf. Her name was Rue and she was the sweetest thing ever! The reason for the funny face is that she was much softer than I had expected and my friend happened to catch the picture at just the right time.
