Dr Pilar Somacarrera Iñigo (Spain) Classes of 2012-13

Pilar Somacarrera Iñigo (Spain) Classes of 2012-13

Pilar Somacarrera Iñigo (Spain) Classes of 2012-13

I LOVE SCOTLAND, I LOVE SUISS

(A wee poem in an undomesticated translation from Spanish dedicated to the SUISS team and friends)

I love meals at Pollock Halls
crowds are hungry there,
they want to eat it all!

I love the lectures
and the Directors
they are more than I could ask for!

The Administrator is such a blessing
she’s even there
when you need a tooth dressing!

The tutors and Dr Irvine dance with such skill,
and they are also dressed to kill:
there’s nothing like a man in kilt!

And what can I say about the student hosts?
No doubt about it,
they are the most!

SUISS is good learning,
SUISS is fun.
Do it next summer
It’s a must!

Dr Henry and Mrs Marilyn Williams (USA) – Class of 1970

Henry and Marilyn Williams, SUISS alumni from the class of 1970

Henry and Marilyn Williams – Class of 1970

Henry “Phil” Williams from Michigan came to SUISS to study the Industrial Revolution, while Miss Marilyn Davis from Alabama arrived at SUISS to study the philosophy of David Hume.

They took their meals at Darroch Halls, and played croquet in the quadrangle in the evenings. They were married one year later.

In May, they returned to Edinburgh for the first time since their courtship, and stopped by the SUISS office to tell us a bit about themselves…

Dr. Williams, “Phil” received degrees and diplomas from Culver Military Academy, the University of Virginia, the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, the University of Florence, Italy, and two Masters and a Doctorate in International Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, a joint Tufts and Harvard Program.

He has lived in four foreign countries and has studied and worked professionally in four foreign languages: French, Greek, Italian and Turkish.

Formerly a Wall St. and International Investment Banker, he is currently a licensed Realtor, operates a small consulting business, and lectures on a variety of topics, including American History, Turkey and the Middle East.  He has been on NPR a number of times related to a number of his interests, has written newspaper articles, and published scholarly articles on Ottoman and Turkish Law.

Phil is on the National Board of the English-Speaking Union. He is also a member of a number of lineage societies, the youngest being the Sons of the American Revolution, the Virginia State Society of which he is the current President, and the oldest, the Order of the Crown of Charlemagne.

He is an avid sportsman with keen interests in equestrian pursuits, racquet sports and swimming.  He also inherited a love of Antique and Classic cars and has been active in his local car club for many years.

Marilyn Williams is his wife and they have two grown children, Margaret (29) and Phillip (27).

 

Neesha Ghosh (India) – Class of 2013

Neesha Ghosh (India) - SUISS Class of 2013

Neesha Ghosh (India) – Class of 2013

As a recipient of the 2013 David Daiches Scholarship, I was most grateful for the opportunity to experience what the Scottish Universities’ International Summer School had to offer.

For a young woman with limited past experiences, this was an eye-opener and an immense opportunity to relate myself as a person and as an Indian with people from other and varied parts of the world. It is an experience worth cherishing for years to come, since I am terribly pleased that Edinburgh is the first major city I have visited other than Kolkata. The SUISS experience was wonderful and I wish I could be a part of it for one more time.

The SUISS team managed to deal with the text it selected for study with as much intensity as possible in the short time allotted. I study in a University (Jadavpur University), which provides equal opportunities for self-expression; however, the SUISS team was extremely special since it allowed me to interact with it not only in the tutorials but on other social occasions without any division between the lecturers, tutors, etc. It gave everybody the opportunity to speak their minds and accepted our perspectives with an open mindedness that was astonishing for me, since I come from a part of the world that is very different from Europe.

It has re-enforced the belief that there are people in the world who are more privileged than I, and yet are willing to understand and engage with me regarding problems that are not theirs. In short, I felt befriended, and I think that that friendship enhanced my academic as well as travel experience. I would like to thank SUISS with all my heart for this great experience.