There are very few times in my life when I have felt so incredibly at home somewhere. I loved living with my grandpa and grandma Gordon, even if I got yelled at sometimes. That was probably the last place that really felt like home to me, and I moved out before eighth grade. The highland games in NH was home to me for two days, the effect was instant (unlike with the donny dr house which took time). As we drove up and the mountains started appearing, "my hearts in the highlands" by pur started to play. It was enchanting and I found myself tearing up. Whenever I hear that song I picture myself looking at a mirror. I sing the english part, then my reflection sings the gaelic part, then we go back and forth at the end. We are talking in different languages, but we are saying the same thing.
Getting on the bus, and walking across that bridge with the mountains around me was breathtaking. Seeing the first bagpiper walk by, oh I couldn't even contain my excitment. The first thing we did was get food, of course. I tried rumplethumps, which are potatoes and cabbage mixed together. I also had caukoleeki soup, a meat pie (which my granny used to eat alot), and a scotch egg, let me just say that Scotland isnt known for their food. But what do you expect? They live in the highlands with terrible winters, sheep is about all they got. I didnt try haggis, call me unadverturoud but I just couldnt do it. We took our food to the stands where we watched a group of bagpipes play. Then the different clans came out to the song "its all for the tartan." During the ceremony, the announcer talked about a special guest that we were lucky to have. Apparently this guest just recovered from a couple of knee injuries, the announcer asked him how his knee was going. The guest marched a little and started bending his knees. The announcer said he could do better than that, so the man got on his knees, then he pulled out a ring for the woman infront of him. She said yes! I cheered so loud, what a clever way to propose. The first stand I went to I gota shirt with a thistle on it, it says "God man scots a wee bit better." I carried around a scottish flag with me everywhere, ad the woman at the stand said to my mother "Doesnt it make you proud that she is carrying the flag?" my mom said "She always makes me proud. I liked that lady, she talked to me a little about hertitage. There was a book there on the stone of destiny, which I havent done an article on! whoops
You arent allowed to have a stand at the highland games unless you completely scottish and have references, so everything was scottish. I loved that. I get lonely alot, and sometimes I think I am really weird because nobody around me cares about this stuff like me. The highland games were different though, everyone was tapping their foot to the music, wearing kilts, and having a blast celebrating. It was refreshing to see other people lvoe what I do. It was fun to celebrate my culture with people. I watched the highland dancers, which I loved!!! They did the traditional dance to "brocham lom" and the second day I watched the group and solo choreography which was just beautiful. There was a girl there that is third in the world, she is a physical therapist and has red hair. I also think she teaches the dance. You have to be built for this dance, meaning skinny and dainty.
The stands were so fun, there were pins with different crests, and scarfs with different tartans. Pouches for kilts, and kilts for kilts. Shoes for kilts, necklaces, hairpieces, earrings, flags, everything. I got two pins, one with a thistle, another with the duncan crest. I got three necklaces, one with the Gordon crest, one with lucky heather in it, and another that is celtic. I got a hairpiece with four-leaf clovers on it, and a sign thing with quotes from different scottish folk songs. I used up my one-hundred dollars for doing the mri. I also got a Gordon scarf, which I wore with the pins the second day diagonally across my shirt. I was sure proud to wear it. I get some kind of satisfaction knowing that I can wear the tartan and not everyone in the world can with the same meaning. My pride in being scottish rose ten fold when I had some of that good-ole scottish shortbread cookies. SO good!
I took pictures for photography too, I was a little shy asking, but I never got turned down. Every guy was really nice, one called me sweet heart. My step dad (irish) Barney decided to stay behind a while and sit ona bench, he said that people came up to him whenever he fell asleep and woke him up asking if he was alright. Funny. It was like everyone was all one family. when they saw my tartan they either asked me what I was or knew it straight off the bat. I saw a few Gordons, the first day on the bus, and the second day at the resturant, but the clan wasnt officially there. Duncan was there though! I met a man who reminded me of my granny. He gave me a pamphlet about the history of the duncans and a bow with some variation of the tartan (since the real tartan can only be on a kilt or something with that clan). He gave me info about joining the clan. He talked to me for a while, he was nice. I visitied alot of the clan tents, and I got warm-welcomes all around.
Mom got root bear with a leprochon on it. She wanted the cup, so I drank it. I got it from a barrel and it was handmade, so cool! The refills were only a dollar.
There was this guy singing folk songs the whole time by the highland games rock. Every time I passed him he was playing a song I knew. I felt so smart! He sang "roaming in the gloaming" which my great grandma margaret duncan used to sing all the time in the nursing home. It got stuck in my moms head on the way back on the shuttle bus, so she sang it. When my stepdad looked at her she shook her head and pointed to me, saying "She's rubbing off on me." THere were alot of musicians, all of them were great. They made you want to get up and jump around. Albannach was there, and apparently they are really popular because there was a shirt stand and tons of people were there to see them. THe music is important to me, because it was the music that guided me to the highland games in the first place. I got to listen to all of my scottish folk songs on the ride there and back :)
We watched log throwing, which was cool. I couldnt even believe what some of those men could do! The announcer guy for it was really funny. He had a scottish accent. At one point a guy said "get over there!" to the log and the announcer said "no you didnt quite get it over there, but you certainly got it every high." One man there just recovered from a back injury. The first time he got the log he had to go backwards with it and start over. The second time he got it to flip, and the announcer said "I knew he could do it!" I cant even imagine the strenth it must take to do that! Its all becasue the english wouldnt let the scots have weapons, thats why they started tossing trees and everything, oppression is terrible, but it brings out inventive things. That log was soooo long, it was practically a tree. I was amazed. Mom and I sat on the grass eating out shortbread cookies as we watched.
I personally think that men look amazing in kilts, and I'm not the only person. Lots of people at the games admitted they looked better that way. I mean, kilts look great, even if its not a tartan design on it. The men with kilts really looked more manly to me. They also seemed really nicer. Its funny how perspective changes when you start to understand the soul behind something. A kilt looks like a skirt from a shallow point of view, but once you understand it, suddenly its a symbol of pride, manlihood, comfort, and much more. Its the traditional dress of a scottish someone who knows who they are, are proud of who they are, and are completely comfortable with themselves. I admired them, cant you tell? All the hotels in the area were booked with scottish people, so the hotels put up scottish flags. The comunity really got into the spirit, all the policemen had kilts on.
I had fun. I got to live in my scottish fantasy for two days. Its almost like it exists now! I was so happy to be there, I belong there. I cant remmember the last time I've been so thrilled to do something. I've been having a hard time lately with school, work, and a few health problems, so a little happiness goes a long way. I've decided to marry a scottish man. I'm going to get a scottish last name, he is going to wear kilts, and we are going to take our children to the nh highland games every year. The boys and girls are going to wear kilts and sing folk songs with me. When they are older and complain, well, at least they have that base ground of scottish roots. My last name should be Gordon like my moms, like my grandparents who raised me for most of my life. I'm a Gordon. Granted, I am a Duncan too, but there was more kinship on the gordon side.
well, I guess I have to fold my tartans for now.
Oidhche mhath (goodnight) to all my precious kith 'n kin!
"Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it;But we hae meat, and we can eat,And sae let the Lord be thankit."--Selkirk grace
"Oh what do I care for your castle and coaches?
And what do I care for your gay grandeury?
I'd rather be home at my cot, at my spinning
Or herding my flocks on the hills of Glenshee"
--lass of glenshee
--JSparrow
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