Honors Abroad: Adventures in Scotland
Honors Abroad: Adventures in Scotland
By Erin Tabler | Nov 22, 2024
I am an Honors College student, so it is required for me to study abroad鈥� but even if it wasn鈥檛 required, I always knew I wanted that experience. I am grateful for the opportunity to share about this experience not just in this story, in which I will introduce myself and describe my upcoming plans, but also in upcoming stories that I will write while actually in Scotland. So if you鈥檙e interested in hearing more about my upcoming experience, I will share photos and experiences in future pieces of this multi-part feature story.
Meet Me鈥� The Author!
My name is Erin Tabler, and I am in my third year as a student at Murray State University.
I am also a presidential fellow, a scholarship for which I have been doing research
in the broad area of queer theory in literature. This research has recently culminated
in a paper that examines the connection between queer motherhood and queer happenings
in the natural world within Shakespeare鈥檚 plays. I am a Creative Writing Major, and
though I鈥檝e never doubted that this is the right area of study for me, this semester
has certainly been the one to prove that confidence correct: my favorite class I have
ever taken is a Novel Writing Workshop, in which I have developed a novel idea and
written nearly a third of a draft of that novel. In addition to academics, here at
Murray State I am involved with the English Student Organization, our chapter of the
National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE), Board Game Club, and Intramural Sports.
When I鈥檓 not working on homework, I am usually reading or watching movies with my
friends. My ultimate goal is to be a published author, but as I work towards that
goal I am also excited to teach English and instill in future students the same love
of reading and writing that I hold.
The Location鈥� Like Living in a Castle
Because I always knew I wanted to study abroad, the question was just one of which
trip to choose. After researching a number of different trips, I applied to the Experience
Scotland trip鈥� a full semester abroad filled with studying diverse subjects at a college
and plenty of opportunities to travel to surrounding areas. We will be staying at
Newbattle Abbey College, which was built in 1140 and became a college in 1937. The
Abbey鈥� which is absolutely beautiful鈥� is located in Dalkeith, a town just about seven
miles from the more well known city of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. I highly
recommend visiting the official website (newbattleabbey.com) to see pictures of the
striking architecture and to learn more about the Abbey鈥檚 rich history.
While on the trip, I also hope to see the beautiful Highlands, explore Glasgow, and
maybe even take a few long-weekend trips to other parts of Europe. Of course, I will
also be taking a full load of classes. As an Honors student, a Creative Writing major,
and a double minor in Psychology and Spanish, my studies are already fairly diverse.
But I am excited to expand my studies even further, as I will be taking five classes
that are each in a different subject area, including film, theater, and religions.
As a person who is continuously in pursuit of knowledge, I am incredibly excited to
have found a program with such diverse classes. Besides, as an enthusiastic creative
writer, I know that this new setting full of unique experiences will inspire many
stories. And some of those stories I will be sharing in the next part of this feature
story, so don鈥檛 miss out on that! I鈥檒l see you in Scotland!