When My Journey Began

Iona and the Isle of Mull have been in my heart and my dreams since I first journeyed there in May of 1995. I was back in college after the end of a twenty-four year marriage and ready for an adventure. I couldn't really afford the six week writing class in Galway, Ireland that my school, Indiana University, offered. But the Work Abroad Program looked interesting. I took the literature home and as I was looking over the possibities for working in Ireland, I heard a little voice in my heart whisper "Scotland" and my heart answered yes. I started collecting every bit of information I could find on Scotland. This was before the Internet was so prevalent which made the search quite different than it would be today.

I found Iona and the Isle of Mull in one of the brochures I had collected. So I planned to travel to the west coast of Scotland after my orientation in London. The Work Abroad program I made use of is called BUNAC, British Universities North America Club, for a fee they provide work permits and employers who have hired through them before. They do not get you a job, that is entirely your own responsibility. They do give you lots of support and the tools you need to find a job in your chosen country. As a "mature" student I was not looking for a job in a big city with exciting night life. I wanted to live in a small village preferably close to water. And that is exactly where I ended up. After a nearly two week search, I landed a job at the Isle of Mull Hotel in Craignure. My next posting will reveal how that all came to be.

Rebekah Spivey

Return to Iona

This blog will be musings or bemusings as I prepare to return to Scotland and Iona after an eight year separation from the home of my gypsy soul.

Rebekah