“Cieran returned from Scotland early this morning and has gone to school for the last couple of lessons this afternoon. The trip was a wonderful experience for Cieran. He stayed with a lovely family and enjoyed family and school life very much. He really enjoyed playing rugby for the Lathallan U16s, although his old footy boots only just survived the last match. Cieran sent an email to say he’d suffered no major injuries, which is what every rugby Mum wants to hear. It was also interesting for him to attend classes in Biology, which he doesn’t study at CCPS, and History (learning about Scottish migration from the Scottish viewpoint). News stories about African migrants trying to reach Europe have given him a different perspective on the asylum seeker ‘issue’.

Stephen and I were able to catch up with Cieran and the Foster family one evening while we were in the UK for a conference. Karen and Anderson gave us an interesting guided tour of Aberdeen (including the 500 year old university) and we enjoyed a family dinner with them. Meeting Cieran’s host family and seeing Aberdeen and Johnshaven, where Lathallan is located, will be helpful when we come to plan some different experiences for Janet Foster when she visits us in return next year.
Thank you for making this exchange possible, and for encouraging students to make the most of this opportunity.”