Loch Ness, our last stop!

-Dr. Ann Herd

Near the Loch Ness: Dr. Herd, John; Melissa, Stephanie K., Stephanie P., Caroline;
Cicely, and Shelley.  Great picture of a great group having a great experience

The Royal Mile

     One of our first stops when we arrived in Edinburgh was the Royal Mile.  The Royal Mile is located in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland.  The streets that make up the Royal Mile are Castlehill, Lawnmarket, High Street, Cannongate, and Abbey Strand.  These streets are filled with shops, pubs, restaurants, and historical landmarks.  It was an excellent place to find souvenirs and gifts.  In fact, I bought so much stuff that I had to buy more luggage to bring it all back home in!  Although I spent a few hundred pounds in currency shopping along the Royal Mile, I certainly did not lose any pounds in weight because the food was so great.  Any weight that I may have lost by walking, I found it a few feet away at yet another great restaurant. 

     The length of the Royal Mile is actually a “Scots Mile”, which is a little bit longer than an English mile …. A mile and a meter to be exact.  The roads are made of cobble stone, and the area was filled with people.  There were many tourists from all over the world, and local residents as well, crowding the streets.  There were a few people performing their unique talents in the street.  One man was preparing to do a juggling act with fire!  Another man played the most beautiful music with a metal saw, as if it were a violin!  I was in awe by the skill and precision it took to make such beautiful music with such a dangerous tool.  The Royal Mile certainly embodies the rich culture of Scotland. 

     In addition to the many fabulous places to shop and eat along the Royal Mile, there are two very significant historic locations, Holyrood Palace, and Edinburgh Castle.  The Palace of Holyrood House, also known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British Monarch in Scotland.  At the opposite end of the Royal Mile is Edinburgh Castle.  Edinburgh Castle sits bold and magnificently atop of a volcanic rock.  When we reached this beautiful structure at the end of the road, it made all of the walking and spending well worth it.  If you ever visit Scotland, you must take a trip to the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

-Cicely Douglas

Cicely at the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

The Royal Mile.

St. Giles.

Taking a break after a walk at the Royal Mile: Back: Shelley, Dr. Herd, Tracey, Stephanie P., Meghan, and John. Front: Cicely, Stephanie K., Dr. Stone, Melissa, and Caroline.

St. Giles.

Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh Castle.

Hard work at the UFHRD 2104 Conference

-Ann Herd

Tracey and Caroline working together with participants at the UFHRD 2014 Conference.

Hard work: Melissa, Stephanie K., Megan, and Dr. Herd.  Dr. Stone peeking.

Shelley making a presentation at UFHRD 2014, with the support of Melissa in the background.

The U of L-CEHD scholars at the UFHRD 2014 Conference: Melissa, Cicely, Dr. Herd, Stephanie P., Tracey, John, Shelley, Caroline, and Megan.

Leadership Development Across Cultures is alive and well in New Lanark

       Prior to arriving in Scotland with the BSOLL Program, I personally had never heard of a quaint little village known as New Lanark.  Once I learned we would be visiting I simply concluded it would likely be a lovely scenic tour of a Scottish town with some historically significant purpose.  Everywhere you turn in Scotland you are steeped not only in beauty and stunning architecture, but every building, every street and every person seems to have an amazing story to tell.

      The drive to New Lanark, located in South Lanarkshire was incredible.  The lay of the land is like that out of a movie scene.  The rolling hills and steep crags are blanketed in rich green covering, sprinkled with fields of brightly colored flowers, towering trees and populated with a variety of sheep, cattle and horses with their newly born spring babies in tow.  It is truly a constant visual delight.  

       New Lanark is a village strategically tucked into the hillside next to the River Clyde. Founded in 1786 by David Dale, a Scottish businessman, the cotton-spinning mills of New Lanark were built in the late 18th to early 19th century.  However, a young Welshman by the name of Robert Owen, met, fell in love with and married the daughter of David Dale (Caroline) and ultimately purchased the mills and became the manager.  Approximately 2,500 people worked and lived in New Lanark, including over 500 orphans.  The working conditions were less than desirable however not unusual for this time period.  Robert Owen had a strong desire to improve New Lanark by focusing on higher principals, including, education, establishing the first daycare for infants and nursery school for toddlers of the working families; improving the lives of the workers by offering a form of healthcare, abolishing child labor, implementing a humane work & community environment, training and development the workers, initiating and promoting social responsibility.  Robert Owen was a pioneer of human resources and paved the way for several of the principles still utilized today.

      New Lanark was stunning both visually and historically and a trip I would recommend anyone interested in the development of leadership across cultures and human resources development make a point to visit when in Scotland. 

-Tracey Pender

At New Lanark with UFHRD 2014 participants.

Robert Owen.

New Lanark.

At New Lanark: Caroline, Tracey, Megan, Stephanie P, and John.

New Lanark.

The Annie McLeod Experience at New Lanark: Shelley, John, Dr. Herd.

An amazing opportunity, an amazing cultural experience!

      Attending the UFHRD 2014 conference has been both an amazing opportunity and cultural experience. This year's conference aims to meld leadership and culture by bringing together some of the most intelligent minds within the field of HRD. With keynote speakers like Jonathon Passmore, Hazel Makenzie, Eugene Sadler-Smith and Wendy Ruona, conference attendees will gain a wealth of knowledge that is sure to spark questions within the field of HRD. 

      As a doctoral student, I have been given the opportunity to witness wonderfully inteligent individuals present their research and conceptual theories. Each presentation that I have listened to has been both a cultural and academic experience.  I have met individuals from various countires that are just as vested in the field as I am. This conference has also presented me with an opportunity to connect with other students and new colleagues with who I am so excited to hear of how their research has progressed. 

      Overall,  this experience has been one steeped in a wealth of research and of course, leadership. To say I am grateful to be here would be an understatement. I think I can also speak for my fellow colleagues when I say,  "wish you were here!"

-Stephanie Pepera

Part of the CEHD-U of L delegation to UFHRD 2014: Caroline, Tracey, Stephanie P., and Shelley.

The CEHD group at the Edinburgh Napier University, site of the UFHRD 2014. Cicely, Shelly, Dr. Herd, Tracey, Caroline, Stephanie K., Megan, John, Stephanie P., Melissa, and Dr. Stone. Go Cards!

The food blogger

     I was not sure what I was going to write about during our trip.  I wracked my brain and thought about what the best topic would be, then last night at dinner it dawned on me, people may be as interested in the food as I am, so the decision was made that I would be the Food Blogger.  I am very excited to blog about the food, because I have been on a "Food Adventure" since we flew out of Louisville, so it makes sense that I would be the one to blog about our experience in this adventure. 

      Since arriving in Scotland, I have been on a mission to try everything that is native to this land.  So far, we have been to MANY eateries and I have tried as many dishes as I can.  Luckily I have been fortunate enough to find a group that share my adventurous and we decided early on we would all try different things so we could taste it all. 

      The first thing I wanted to try was Haggis!  I have heard so many horrible stories about haggis and how awful it was and how I would hate it, that I was so afraid to try it I had made it horrible in my head.  I decided our first night here I would find an eatery and get it out of the way.  We stopped that night at a pub off the Royal Mile called the Whiskey and Haggis House with the thoughts that with a name like that we were going to find haggis.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the haggis looked eatable.  It was very nicely stacked in layers on top of mashed potatoes and cheese and looked very appetizing.  I am happy to say, "I like HAGGIS!" It was not awful, there were no entrails involved and the smell is actually very good.  Every morning in the cafeteria at the University of Edinburgh, we have haggis served like our fried sausage and I have eaten some every day. 

      Even though haggis was the main attraction of the food adventure, there are so many other foods that we have experienced.  Inn Linlithgow, we had dinner at a Lovely pub called the 4 Mary's and we were served roasted beef and lamb that was cooked to perfection.  That was also my first experience with Yorkshire pudding, which is not a pudding the way we think of it at all.  It was more like upside-down puffed bread with the most succulent gravy I have ever experienced.  We also were served a "Skink" soup, which consisted of potatoes and haddock.  It was also very tasty.  Haddock is the main fish served here, so when I had the fish and chips (fried potatoes), it was not that much different from what we have in the states. 

      The food we found that need a spotlight and marquee are the desserts!  We have ALL decided that we are addicted to the sticky pudding.  Even though we have had this several times and from several places, it is the best dessert EVER!  The most common pudding is the sticky toffee pudding and it is amazing.  It was unanimously decided that we would find a recipe for this when we got home.  Sticky pudding is most often a very moist, heavy dark cake, probably chocolate, with very thick layer of toffee or caramel slathered over the top.  Oh yes, it is as good as it sounds!  I have also had the privilege to try a piece of Victoria Cake, Fudge Cake, several types of cheese cake (which is a lot like our mousse) and a spice cake like dessert that is called Clootie Dumpling and was served with a warm custard sauce. 

      I have been extremely happy with what we have eaten and all the places we have gone.  The restaurants here all have a very homey feel to them as though you are eating in a personal dining room.  The food experience here has been wonderful and I hope I can take some of the recipes home with me and share them with my family.

-Stephanie Kittle

A haggis that goes beyond its fame.

Lamb, a regional tradition.

This looks yummy.

Another one.

Chocolate fudge cake, topped with ice cream. Wow!

Fish and chips, a regional classic.

Edinburgh Waverley Station.

Greetings from Edinburgh, Scotland!

    Our group had the amazing experience of touring the Royal Bank of Scotland.  This fit perfectly within the curriculum of our International Learning Experience through the College of Education and Human Development.

The content focus of this trip encompasses Leadership Development Across Cultures.  We began the trip with a bus ride down to the headquarters of RBS in which we were led on a walking tour in while our hosts discussed the various measures in regards to Human Resource Development they have taken within their business to improve customer service while creating, recruiting, and maintaining first rate employees in the field. 

    As we walked through the various offices and shared spaces, we were immersed in their vision and culture as the building was a flurry of activity and it was literally written on the walls.  As we ended the walking tour we were guided through lush grounds to the RBS Business Campus.  Our class had the opportunity to view a presentation on RSB’s vision of the future as it relates to Human Resource Development and their internal leadership recruitment and training programs.

    As I look through the various photographs from our journey, I’m extremely thankful to have been chosen to go on this trip to place myself outside of the norm and see how HRD practices are both similar and different than those in the US.

-Caroline Stephens

At Royal Bank of Scotland.

Royal Bank of Scotland, headquarters.