Aberdeen and Shetland - Ben Doyle

As an added bonus before leaving Inverurie, my host had arranged for me to meet with a network engineering consultant from eFirst Business Solutions, which was located near Aberdeen. This was quite an opportunity. We had an informal meeting to discuss newer methods of server maintenance and upcoming products for potential upgrades. He had a lot of insight that I found quite valuable! We were set to meet for an hour, but by the time we looked down at our watches, almost two had passed. I was extremely appreciative for all of his time.

In Aberdeen, we met with one of the council officials who was kind enough to give us a tour of the new council building, called the Townhouse. Very ornately decorated; it was quite an impressive tour. We then went to see the popular Tolbooth museum, which was used for the trial and imprisoning of criminals in the past. Our tour guide was quite knowledgable and full of interesting stories for every room.

For our last day in Aberdeen, we went to Dunnottar castle (a return trip for some of us, but a very welcome one). The weather couldn't have been more perfect for hiking up and down the hills/steps leading through the castle. Afterwards, we headed to the airport to make our way to Shetland. A short flight later, we were warmly greeted by our new hosts.

Our first morning in Shetland had us meeting different professionals for a vocational visit. I met with the director of the Shetland Islands Council Computer Center. He was very friendly and especially kind to meet with me on a Saturday morning. We toured the entire center and discussed several upcoming projects for Shetland. The morning flew by, and after a final visit to their data and networking center, I headed back to my host family.