Kenneth
With a deep guttural laugh, kilt, and laid-back sense of humor, Kenny welcomed the UK Abroad in Scotland and took us to see Sterling Castle, 100meter tall Kelpies, and his hometown of Culross. The whole day he told stories about great Scottish leaders in their fight for independence from England, weaving in the beliefs and folktales of the time, as well as fun facts about all things kilts, unicorns, and clouds. It was evident that he loved his job and country as he was always willing to humor us by joining our pictures, answering our questions, and letting us bother him while wandering the sites he showed us. More than anything, Kenny was an embodiment of the beautiful rolling countryside—just happy to be there, even in the rain. It was a pleasure to be in his presence for a day.
Submitted by: Jonathan, Matthew, Nathan
Quinn
Four men’s lives were changed forever when a thick Scottish voice shouted across the busy morning street of Edinburgh Scotland. The voice said “You al’ight?” We looked across the street and saw a middle aged man with a nice white button up shirt and an apron around his neck. He beckoned us forth and we did as we were told, we entered Quinn’s and were offered some seats. Turns out the Scottish gentleman was THE Quinn himself and we sat down and ate some delicious fluffy eggs as well as some other fine breakfast items. He told us that he had opened up his restaurant in April of 2020, which meant he started his business in the Coronavirus lockdown. He had been in the food industry for a number of years but finally had his own place to run however he saw fit. Jaxen, Tom, Sebastian and Josh continued to enjoy his breakfast every morning after discovering this hidden gem of fine breakfast food. It was always worth a trip to Quinn’s!
Submitted by: Josh and Sebastian
Our first couple of days in Scotland were slightly overwhelming, but by the third day, my roommates and I were able to find an anchor point to ground us each morning. We discovered Quinn’s Cafe– by meeting Michael Quinn himself, outside of his shop. And before he had even opened up his doors for the morning, he invited us inside to take our order. This was the beginning of our morning ritual eating breakfast at Quinn’s.
Not only was the food there great, but Quinn was always greeting us joyfully, ready to take our order and asking us in his Scottish accent, “Y’alrigh?” I don’t think my dad and I missed a morning breakfast there since the day we discovered his cafe. An excellent display of hospitality and great food, Michael Quinn is an all-around great guy.
Submitted by: Jaxen
Nathan
We met Nathan after seeing the closing night of his one-man show called Read for Filth at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The show was performed in a venue called The Space, and it casually yet thoughtfully discussed complex issues and struggles of mental health. The show was a combination of his poetry and prose written over a number of years when his mental health struggle was at an all-time high. After the show, Nathan kindly stopped to talk with us, even though his friends were waiting to shower him with praise and flowers. Nathan comes off as an honest and sincere person who seems to have a deep love for art. During this conversation, Nathan spoke so openly and honestly about art. He looked at all of us, a group of random American college students, and called us his peers. It was one of the first moments we’ve been labeled as actual, professional artists outside of our immediate community. He shared that his craft was not something that happened overnight, but rather over many years and many drafts.
Nathan recommends a one-man show called Rock Bottom, David Shield’s Reality Hunger, and W.G Sevalid’s Austerlitz.
Submitted by: Kaitlyn, Gloria, and Victoria