Snowmaggedon

Hey there,

So Scotland was hit by some heavy snow on Monday, which was the beginning of a very long day. Once again, school was closed early, but this time all public transit (trains and buses) was suspended. I was on placement about a half hour drive from Glasgow and started to get worried. Even in the unlikely case of someone picking me up, the roads were terrible and gridlocked. I didn't know how to walk home, and didn't actually want to, as that would be quite the trek. My principal teacher (head of science) told me he'd drive me to a nearby town and hopefully the trains would be running from there. However, he couldn't get his car out of the parking lot. People here need to get snow shovels!

Regardless, he made a new plan. We would walk to his house and his wife would drive me to Glasgow (she has a car with 4-wheel drive). Little did I know how long this walk would be. Also, this would be a great time to mention that my wellies (rain boots) have gaping holes in them because they are crap! I've been waiting until my holidays to get my snow boots from my parents. However, I live to regret that decision. Haha don't be cheap people! Anyways, due to the gaping holes in my wellies, my feet were surrounded by an icy pool of water (melted snow) for the entire duration of my walk. We walked with another teacher along the roads of Hamilton (literally on the roads). Traffic was at a standstill, and many cars were stuck in the snow. A few school girls learned a lesson of how to dress in the winter, as they were wearing their skirts with bare legs. We walked for about an hour in heavy snowfall, until stopping for a rest in an Asda. Then we continued our journey, and I was shocked to hear it was going to be at least another 2 hours. That's not really something that motivates you haha. My toes were freezing and hurting a lot. However, if two middle-aged men could walk the same distance without complaining, so could I!

A little over 2 hours later, we ended up at my PT's house. His wife fussed over me as soon as I came in and made us some tea! It was lovely, even got my socks and wellies all dried up. I ended up staying for dinner, while we watched the news on BBC. The weather had affected the whole country, and many were stranded in their cars for the whole day. In the end, lots of people were stuck on the major highways and had to sleep there overnight. The country was actually torn apart by the snow. Mass panic brought people in droves to the grocery stores to stock up food, and they were left virtually empty for a few days. Luckily, the roads in Glasgow were reported to be clear, and they drove me home around 8:30pm.

My school was closed for 3 days due to the adverse weather conditions, and I stayed snug as a bug in my bed. :)

My last day at placement was Friday, and I'm definitely going to miss that school! I had a wonderful time, it was a great learning experience and I had such great support from all of the teachers there.

Update: The snow has melted away and the temperatures are above 6 degrees C.

-Anusha