www.StrathclydeTelegraph.com Features 13Issue 6 - April 2014

For the uninformed inhabitant,Scotland is quite a terrifying place to beright now. People in slogan-embellishedshirts run after you in the streetswith evangelical enthusiasm. Pleasantconversations with friends turn, in aninstant, to tense and heated discussions.Badges are back in fashion. Yes folks,I’m talking about the IndependentScotland debate.

This is the year to change history,to consolidate Scotland’s fate. Thisis the year Scotland will become anexample, influencing global independentmovements, and it is because of theactive passion of the Scots who havecampaigned so vigorously and fought sohard for their voices to be heard. This isthe year that the people decide.

Unfortunately, I have remainedpolitically inactive, as I am stillundecided. Last year, I vowed to finallybecome informed and take a stance.

However, since then I have routinelystruggled with each proposed reform andevery conflicting argument. When theSNP and the ‘Yes’ campaign put forwarda potential ‘deal breaker’, worrying flawsare exposed and the validity of theproposal becomes questionable.

I admit - I am English. Worse still,I am from London, the metropolitanabyss that drains Scottish economy anddictates control over this small Northernnation. However, over the past fiveyears I have made Scotland my homeand honestly and earnestly want thebest for it. The first thing that worriesme about some of the ‘Yes Scotland’mentality is that it promotes the ideathat we (the English) all love Cameronand that Southerners all live richly offthe virtues of Tory policy. While thisimage may ring true for an amount ofcity highflyers and southern dwellers, itcannot be forgotten that the capital cityis home to over 8million people, and theLondon I know is very different. What Isee are people that work the hardest,travel the longest and pay the most for,quite frankly, a poor quality of life. Asfor Tory politics; the majority of Londonvoted labour. With cuts to legal aid,crippling rises of tuition fees, and lack offunding to public health, the Tories seemto be doing their best to help only thewealthy and leave the poor in a muchworse position, widening the social gapbetween classes and failing to reachthose most in need. Many of us aredisillusioned with British politics.

Defence of my city out the way, thisis about Scotland. But politics is oftenextremely divisive and anti-London, oranti-England rhetoric does not serve aspolitical justification. Moving on.

 ‘Yes Scotland’ propose brill iant ideasthat provide wealth and employment,resolving the harrowing social issuesof poverty and inequality in the nation.Independence would inject vibrantenergy into a population so dissatisfiedwith Westminster politics - able tofinally, after centuries, decide on theirown policies, build their own economies,and invest in their own people. Scotlandwould veer away from the divided andscarred United Kingdom, to become morelike the wealthy Scandinavian countriesthat proudly demonstrate egalitarianism,education and high standards of living.This is what Scotland’s future should beand I fully understand the motivation tofinally separate.

BUT.I am still on the fence becauseI cannot help thinking that a lotof independence arguments seemidealistic. There are major unresolvedissues in regards to currency and the EU.What ‘s more, an economy of 5 millionpeople becoming detached from one ofover 53 million people will have a majorimpact on current Scottish benefits – such as free education, free heal thcare and free prescriptions. AlthoughSalmond assures us that an independentScotland will not have an effect on thesebenefits, I am worried. I cannot help butconsider the ‘Better Together’ counter

arguments. What if Scotland strugglesto kick-start an economy based on 5million people? What if it is unable tokeep these services free? What if theamount of oil in the North Sea is gravelyunderestimated? There is too muchScotland ‘could’ be rich, Scotland ‘may’have trillions of pounds worth of oil. Thequestion is, are we willing to jeopardizethe current privileges we enjoy – whichso many other countries could onlydream of obtaining – for a ‘could’?

I suppose we will never know unlessthe risk is taken and Scotland achievesindependence. The problem is, this maycome with great irreversible change –which may not be executed as smoothlyas promised.

I am no closer to deciding, although Iam desperate to be convinced. My mindremains open. I invite any readers togive me their two cents, and finally pushme off the fence.

my viewTelegraph Columnists say it how it is: the never-ending highs and lows

of Uni life

 ‘A Skoosh of Espanya’has thus far depicted theunusual, uncomfortablea n d d o w n - r i g h tmortifying. Howeverit is without theseexperiences that Iwouldn’t have been able

to advise those next in line and of course gain such fond,entertaining memories.

They say you don’t learn how to drive a car until afterpassing your test. Without doubt this concept can beapplied to a year abroad. On technicalities Strathclydewere informative, but in reality I didn’t learn a thing untilI got here and I am still learning now.

To prospective English Language Assistants (E.L.As)headed to the south of Spain or indeed all studentsdue to live in any foreign country, I have providedsuggestions, guidance and some fore-warnings based onmy stint in Murcia and will be happy if even one personfeels a little more reassured and savvy to somethinginitially so daunting.

Nevertheless I must begin with a slight contradiction;that as much as any advice is good advice, it must benoted that no two experiences a re the same, and definingthe best way to make the most of your year abroad inmy opinion is completely and utterly subjective.

Many people have jumped at the chance to work inprimary education, live solely with Spaniards and chooseto keep native English friends to a minimum, all in an

effort to speak Spanish almost constantly. Others stickto their close-knit British social circle, fly home at leastonce a month and avoid exploring much beyond the localshopping centre that has an H&M and a three -storeyPrimark, just to feel a little more at home, and in myopinion neither can be criticised.

Getting to know ELAs from all walks of life, each takingdifferent stances with regards to how they intend to spendtheir time out here has certainly taught me that if it’s tohelp prevent homesickness, ensure that you enjoy yourselfand in short stick it out, who are we to judge?

 Yet at the same time I must admit that in trying tostrike the right balance between siesta-ing on cliff topswith strangers and spending eight euros on a slab ofchocolate, just because you’ve nally managed to sniffout an indiscernible Cadburys supplier, I believe that Ihave gained the most out of Murcia both on my termsand, to an extent, generally speaking.

My decision to live with two English girls to go toorientations, banks, foreign ofces and many a nightclubwith, and one Spaniard to practice speaking and ght thefastidious landlord with, for me, has been the perfect mix.

 Addi tional ly, teaching in a bi- lingual high schoolavoided working with adults who may be keen to learnbut difficult to please, and also young children withlittle English, testing my then woefully poor espanolto the limit. This was something, before receiving theconfirmation email of my exact placement, of which Iwas quite fearful.

In relation to the locals, I have found Spanish people,

on the whole, to have been friendly, welcoming andextremely hospitable, the latter refers specifically toMurcians as advised! While on one hand I have kickedmyself for neither having the appropriate level norconfidence to join many a staff room conversation, onthe other I have reaped the rewards of smiling and saying ‘Hola ’ to anyone and everyone working in my school . Forin return I have been invited to lunches, welcomed intofamily homes and I presented with countless amounts offreshly picked oranges and the rest! It pains me to soundso patronising, but when it comes to making ‘amigos’,the more you put into something the more you get outof it as with all aspects of your time away, only addingto the cultural experiences gained and fun had by all!

In short, I have become one of those people who willclaim that my year abroad has been one of the best. Ihave cruelly realised that, despite having technologicalmeans to keep in contact with those I will be so sad toleave behind, pupils grow up, friends move on and a newlanguage assistant will take my place in I.E. S Alfonso XEl Sabio, just like that.

Sucking up the difficult times and grabbing thegood ones with both hands, whilst stalking up on muchmissed home supplies when visitors have come to stayhas resulted in a period of nine months so unique,worthwhile and unforgettable, that I wholly encourageany anxious, ‘pre-year abroaders’ to not be embarrassedabout worrying, but to realise that worrying, should youdo what’s best for you, in the end will surely prove tobe all in vain.

A skoosh of Espanya

Magnied: My two cents? ... I’m on the fence

Kathleen Speirs

Charis McGowan