Scotland Educational Trip 2018 - Day 2

4/29/2018

sparkling in whispers
a boy sauntered by without
the weight of city

I couldn't help starting this with a haiku poem inspired by the morning sight of a beach near our hotel at Aberdeen. The tranquility, relaxation and purity of air put together a perfect start of an explorative day.

We first visited the Royal Lochnagar Distillery - a small but very famous Scottish Whisky factory in Aberdeen. Instructor Mr Gordon gave us an eye-opening explanation of how this Scottish Whisky was processed and produced and the proper way of tasting it. I am not a fan but was also moved by his enthusiasm and expertise in this area. Mr Gordon was a knowledgeable and humorous guide. He shared that when he was a teenager studying chemistry at school, he had no idea how the seemingly irrelevant knowledge in the subject would become so useful a dozen years later at work when he was involved in the intriguing chemical process of wine distillation. That's very true, we never know when our learning in school will suddenly become so useful and practical!

On the way to the Distillery, tour guide Emma talked about a funny news reported in Scotland some time ago about a hairy coo (cow) blocking a vehicle. It simply reflected the fact that Scotland was such a simplistic and peaceful part of the world where even such an insignificant piece of news could hit the headline!

Second stop of the day was Balmoral Castle, a popular Scottish home to the royal family. On top of the rich history of the place, I was particularly attracted by the many plants in the castle area.

We could easily notice that most of the trees were covered by a layer of fungi - see the green matters attached to the bark? It is not very healthy looking and it should be damaging the tree, yet the tour guide said it was a good thing to see these fungi, can you guess why?

Just before dinner, we had tour director Dr Fildes sharing with all participants of the tour her understanding of the Scottish education system. The brief introduction was a good appetiser to the main courses to come in the next few days when we could interact with school teachers and understand more about teaching and learning in this country.

The fruitful day ended with a fruit party! The question is, whose room was it? And why do you think so?

Answers to all my tour questions will be given once we have enough attempts from readers. So, keep switching on your brains and have fun reading about our trip! Day 3 is up-coming!

Dr H C Lee

36 Comments

Cayden Wong 6C27

4/30/2018 03:36:00 pm

I loved that haiku!!!! Especiallly the "sparkling whispers" part. It gives the whole piece seem much more poetic and deep...beautiful!
Anyway, I again find myself again being jealous of Dr Lee. What a wonderful experience!(This line is already starting to get old, from all the occasions I shall need to use it).
A warning for all readers under eighteen , wine might be interesting, but you should NEVER drink to much of it. I should admit that studying wine does seem interesting, Aand one could learn a lot from studying chemistry , which in this case includes wine. But for now, I going to agree with Dr Lee , I won't be a fan of drinking scottish whisky.
About the hairy coo incident, I think it is quite commonly seen in little villages over at the western side. There is too much -nothing happening and the newspapers run out of things to report. Result? Coos becoming the styars of the newspaper.
A question about the Balmoral Castle: Does the royal family of Britain still treat it as a holiday home, or is it just for exhibition, a historical site? I am sure the castle has a long history, and I am going to look up some information.
About the plants there, I think it would be quite beautiful to have plants intertwining all over an acient estate. To answer Dr. Lee's first question:Well, was the question talking about how it is good to the tree, or how is it good for other things. Because it would certainly be good for the fungi which found a place to grow on, while not very good for the tree.
I am quite interested in the scottish education system. Are theyn in anyway the same with the Hong Kong system? Just being curious here.
Where did the fruits come from? Was there a supermarket nearby, I don't think so... Anyway, that seemed like one fruitful fruit party! To answer Dr Lee's second question, I think it's his and his wife's own room. It is because I see a two-person bed in the background, and I also see a big bag pack at the back. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think neither Mrs Lam nor her husband would be carrying such a big pack, so it must be Dr Lee's.
Thanks to Dr Lee for bringing us this fruitful review of his journey. I certainly would be looking forward to the next one.

Vincent Song 6C 25

4/30/2018 08:38:15 pm

Mmmmmmm... I didn't recall commenting on the "wine" part, as I am truly not interested. Yet if Cayden does comment, than he has paid attention to it! And why does Cayden pay attention to wine? Mmmm... That deserves a thought.

4/30/2018 08:38:37 pm

Anyway, just kidding.

5/1/2018 04:01:40 pm

Remember, Vincent, This comment you left can be acessed by the whole world! This is a public website!

4/30/2018 08:42:12 pm

What????? Dr.Lee and his wife's room? The big backpack seems stylish, definitely not something DR.LEE WOULD WEAR! Plus, the pack is thrown carelessly onto the table. Is that something DR.LEE WOULD DO TO HIS OWN ROOM? On the contrary, that maybe something the guests did...Mmmmmmmmmm...

Andrew Ho 6A 06

5/2/2018 07:53:53 pm

Vincent, I think the bag you mentioned appeared in the Singapore Study Tour(Dr. lee wore it). So, I don't agree with your points.

5/2/2018 08:44:46 pm

Exactly! Thanks Andrew! If that bag is Dr.Lee's, then why would he dump it in his own room like that? Most likely, he's visiting someone's room, so it is definitely not Dr,Lee's room!

Chu Tin Hang

4/30/2018 03:38:37 pm

This day was very exciting! To answer Dr Lee’s first question, I think the fungi gives nutrients to the tree.The tree might also provide some benefits to the fungi as well.
To answer his second one, I think it’s either Mr and Mrs Lam’s room or Dr Lee and Dr Fong’s room, since their are two backpacks in the background.
I wonder what exciting places you’ll visit tomorrow? I guess I’ll have to wait!

4/30/2018 08:43:14 pm

Why is everyone suggesting it is Dr,Lee's room? Is it something to do with Dr.Lee holding the camera?

Ethan Chan

4/30/2018 05:52:14 pm

Wow. Just wow. It looks amazing in the first photo, and the distillery looks pretty historic and cool. The fungi are actually a sign that the tree is healthy, thus they grow on it. The food looks delicious, and you are getting better at pun-making. Overall, nice.

Colman Wong 6B 30

4/30/2018 08:31:15 pm

The first line gives the haiku a poetic feeling...
I like it.
As for the fungi question maybe the fungi and tree helps each other survive.
And the "Whose room was it?" question?
I think it is Dr Lee and Dr Fong's room
... just for the pun ;)
And the distillery looks ancient.
Nice one.

It gives me the wow.
(It's a meme xD)

4/30/2018 08:35:16 pm

I kind of wish Dr.Lee could stop sending us these posts. There're making me more jealous than ever, you know. It's like letting you peek at a beautiful world all around you, yet not letting you out and keeping you in a world of direct contrary of the scenes beside you. That feeling is bad... But I still want to peek, so... Yeah! Dr.Lee, please do keep sending us these as "mental snacks"!
Anyway, I disagree about Dr.Lee's comment on the part that Scotland is a simplistic corner of the world, just because even a funny news about a hairy coo blocking a vehicle could make the headline. I think this actually shows that Scotland is very peaceful (just as Dr.Lee mentioned), with everyone living in harmony with nature so that the animals are free to roam around. This also shows that the “Scotlanders" are very good at finding interesting, humorous and fun things during their daily life, and they are very positive toward unexpected things. Like, imagine you see a hairy cow blocking your way while going to school. What is your first reaction? Maybe frustration, or just feeling scared or uncomfortable, definitely not "interested". But the "Scotlanders" titled this piece of news as "funny"!
As for Dr.Lee's first "fungi" question, I think it's good to see them as that shows the castle grounds are very natural-friendly and has reached a point where this SPECIAL type of fungi (just guessing) which demands a high environmental quality can grow.
Now, the second question. Well, I think it is Mrs and Mr Lam's room. That is because Mrs and Mr Lam are sitting on a chair next to the table, while the others are just sitting on the sofa (I hope I'm right for the "sofa" part)! This shows that, as they are separated from each other, the owners of the room are either Mrs.Lam and her husband, or all the others. The second option is obviously illogical, and so the room must be Mrs.Lam and her husband's.
Alright, see you all in my coming comments!

Luke Cheung 6B 05

4/30/2018 10:25:59 pm

Okay. So a great start with a haiku. It is extremely amazing and wonderful to describe the beautiful beach. The whisky factory, well... is a bit too small, and the wine... we can't drink wine until we're 18. So disappointingly, I have no comments for this one.
The castle is way big than I expected a castle would be. It is really big. There must be many plants there ! For the fungi question, I think those kind of fungi can get rid of some kinds of insects, but unfortunately damaging the tree.
Wow! So many fruits! Cool ! I think that is Mr. and Mrs. Lam's room. Well, Look at Mr. Lam ! He looks like he is relaxing in his chair ! Who would do that in someone's room, if he is in his own room! So I think that is Mr and Mrs Lam's room.
This, by far, is a amazing and exciting trip. I will leave comments every day !

5/1/2018 02:02:40 pm

Thanks for agreeing with me that it is Mrs.Lam's room. Here's a Haiku for you.

finally
after years of waiting
you agree

Bernard Ng

4/30/2018 11:05:26 pm

Very agree Vincent’s comment. This makes us really jealous,man. And I’ve never been to places except Asia. And the haiku was really awesome. I really wanted to do something like that in the future too.

I’m not really keen on biology, so sorry I don’t know the answer of question one. But I think I can try to figure out the reason. First, (by staring at the picture for minutes) you can notice in the photo of the brief presentation of Scottish education system, there is a black bag besides the very outside seat of the second row at the right hand side. Guess what I’m thinking, there was a similar one on the neat table in the room. And by looking at the look of mr Lam sitting on the sofa leisurely, in my opinion, I think the room is our snoopy headmistress ,mrs Lam and her husband’s room.

5/1/2018 02:03:22 pm

finally
after years of waiting
two agree

4/30/2018 11:10:15 pm

Ps I would really LIIKEE to try the Scottish whisky when I’m old enough(just a bit).

5/1/2018 02:03:53 pm

You wanna try wine????

5/7/2018 01:05:53 pm

Wait-
Did I follow it?

5/7/2018 01:06:57 pm

Sorry, wrong reply.

Timothy lam

5/1/2018 12:02:46 pm

Well, thank you to Tin Hang's answer, but my opinion is that if the trees aren't healthy enough, the fungi cannot survive there, so it's the trees that give the fungi their " food", not the other way around.

Amos Tsai

5/1/2018 04:11:08 pm

Mmmhmmm.... I do think it is Mrs Lam's room, not that she is a messy person, but I do think she's kind of that carefree person. Also I actually recall that black bag in her office, I think( it's not my fault if I remembered wrong). Q.1 the fungi absorbs the waste from the tree and the tree's waste is actually nutritious to the fungi, so it from a sort of a circulatory system that keeps both healthy. I don't know if it is true but most life-forms work like this.
Last I also have a haiku for Vincent, it goes like this:

please never ever
post haikus online again
thanks so much goodbye

It follows the 5-7-5 format while yours didn't(this isn't part of the haiku.)

5/2/2018 08:47:21 pm

i do not agree
we should be free to just post
anything we want

Ha! Mine follows the 5-7-5 format and while yours did too. Fair!(this isn't part of the haiku.)

5/7/2018 01:06:30 pm

Lucas Lam 6C 09

5/1/2018 04:17:30 pm

Personally, I think the haiku is very poetic and deep, especially the "sparkling in whispers" and the"without the weight of city" part.It makes me relax to prepare for reading the experience of Dr Lee in Scotland of Day 2.The posts about Dr Lee in Scotland are making me even more envy than the last day(technically, I mean Day 1) in Scotland (can you just stop making me too jealous now?).Oops.Did I use this line too many times?Sorry.
A warning to myself and all people under 18:After reading this sharing of Dr Lee,please DO NOT drink wine.Actually, I think that wine is used for studying chemicals of(er, maybe) chemistry?I don't know how Scottish whisky tastes like, but I am not a fan of whisky too(A secret for you all:I have drunk a little bit of wine, but the drink only has 7 percent of alcohol).I vowed not to drink wine again.
Talking about the hilarious hairy coo incident,I think that it must be put in the headlines.This would be a comedy of the newspaper,and the incident would be the laughingstock of Scotland.Then the newspaper would be a hit.This made me think of a sentence,"It is virtually unlikely if you haven't seen people chatting about coos."Wait-is it a real incident?
As for Balmoral Castle, I think that it is a historical sight for the visitors.However, is it a home for the royal family now?For the first weird"fungi"question,I think that the green patches of fungi means that the tree was good enough for the puke-green organisms to live in.Or maybe the tour guide had a brain problem...
About the second question,I think that the room was Dr Lee's room.According to the picture(again), I saw a humongous backpack at the back.Mr Lam or Mrs Lam (maybe) couldn't lift the backpack up, so it is Dr Lee's room(If I said that wrongly,I would give Mrs Lam my sincerest apologizes).
Thank for sharing again, Dr Lee! See you in the next comment!

Lam Nok Hei

5/4/2018 08:19:20 pm

It was such a great journey!To answer Q.1,that place was clean and the air quality was good,so that there were fungi over the tree.To answer Q.2 , I think it’s either Mr and Mrs Lam’s room or Dr Lee and Dr Fong’s room, since their are two backpacks in the background.Good day!

Ian wing 6E 27

5/4/2018 10:06:01 pm

I believe you had another great day.Ti answer Q1, I think fungi is good for the trees(Somehow protecting the trees?) and I think the room where they had a fruit party is Mrs Lam's and her husband's room because Mrs Lam would love to share fruit with others

Jacob 6A(29)

5/4/2018 10:25:59 pm

I am really interested in the Scotland whisky factory. When I grow up, I will try one of those too ! So, for Q.1 I think seeing fungi is good because it means the tree is evolving ; and for Q.2, I thought it was Mrs. Lam's room because I think only she will held a fruitful party.

Owen au 6A 01

5/6/2018 08:06:48 pm

What a great day for all of you.You made me wanted to go with you.Just put me in your luggage.Also is anyone of you going to drive？Don't drink if you are going to drive.Is the wine delicious,still,don't drink too much ,it destroys your life.Q1：Is it because there's more oxygen？So it makes more oxygen for us.Q2：In my opinion I think it is Mrs.Lam ”s room. It is because usually teachers have conversation in the principal”s room.Also Mrs lam”s bag is on the table.But I have a question.Am I correct？？？🙃🙃🙃

Okumura Hiroaki

5/7/2018 09:27:43 pm

Oh hi Dr . Lee again ! Like yesterday your this article is very interesting, i loved the part that the when you introduced the
castle . I think i know the answer why the fungi grows on the tree is a good sign. That means it can prove that the castle is really old, as fungi can survive for a long time. The more there are the old the tree is!

6b 12

5/8/2018 05:53:10 pm

To reply your first question , fungi helps the roots extend and is a sign on a healthy tree.The fruit party ithink ,is in Dr Fildes's bedroom

ZACH LI

5/8/2018 05:57:50 pm

Another amazing day! For question 1,I think the fungi can protect the trees in some way(?) I have no idea for the second question

Joseph Lu

5/8/2018 07:11:56 pm

Hi, I think that the instructor is right, you could never know when your learning of boring knowledge could be useful somehow.
About the news of the funny cow incident, We usually see the people killing animals on the road with their cars instead of the animals blocking the road, was it necessary to put it on the news? Nothing was destroyed or hurt!
For the first question I think that fungi on the trees means that it is healthy and not invaded by insects. As for the second question, I have no idea.

Matthew Yu

5/8/2018 08:15:45 pm

A wonderful day for Dr.Lee. A great start with a haiku. I think the beach should be beautiful, isn't it?For the factories, is it interesting visiting them? But I thought Dr. Lee enjoyed much.
For the questions, no.1: I think fungi on the trees means the tree is healthy.
no.2: I think it is Mr and Mrs Lam's room because Mr Lam is relaxing on the chair and there are two backpacks on the floor.

Jerry Tsang

5/8/2018 08:34:38 pm

I agree that it was a perfect start of a day in haiku.The part where the tour, Emma talked about the cow blocking a vehicle, is kind of funny. By the way i think her English pronunciation is kind of weird. I think the room is Dr Lee's as you are the one who asked it, He was also the one who took the picture too. Hope you had a nice day!

DFK Michigan link

3/10/2021 11:49:33 am

Hi great reaading your post

Scotland Educational Trip 2018 - Day 2

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