Love these kids

BuzzFeed article: “29 Kids Who Will Make You Not Hate Kids”

These kids warmed my heart and made my morning.

Here are my personal favourites:

Songs of the Day: Canadian Edition

With Canadian Thanksgiving coming up this Monday, I have been feeling a bit patriotic and thinking a lot about my Canadian identity whilst in Glasgow. This will be the first Thanksgiving that I am not at home with my family and it makes me feel a tad bit uneasy. Luckily, I have lovely friends here who plan to spend the evening with me.

In the meantime, I thought I’d share a handful of my favourite songs by Canadian artists (in no particular order):

“Breathing Underwater” by Metric

“Haven’t Met You Yet” by Michael Bublé

“Perfect” by Hedley

“Ever After” by Marianas Trench

“Rebellion (Lies)” by Arcade Fire

“Guardian” by Alanis Morissette

“What I Wouldn’t Do” by Serena Ryder

“All I Can Do” by Chantal Kreviazuk

“Angel” by Sarah McLachlan

And, I can’t forget:

“Oh… Canada” by Classified

To my friends and family back home, Happy Thanksgiving!

London!

I can’t quite remember when it started or the reason why, but I’ve always dreamed of living in London despite never being there before. I knew when coming to the UK that one of the first trips I’d make would be to the capital city. I was lucky that a friend and colleague from work was visiting for the weekend, and I also found out a high school friend had just recently arrived to London to start his Masters, so it was perfect timing to make a trip there.

Big Ben and the London Eye.

When I first got out of the train station, the first thing I noticed was the police sirens blaring in the air, the frequent number of buses on the roads, and the many pedestrians crossing the streets. I was entering a big city, and I sensed a feeling of familiarity — it felt like being back home in Toronto.

Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square.

At first it felt really nice — I always knew I was more of a city person and being in London confirmed that. Being immersed in the hustle and bustle was not scary or terrifying. I was quite surprised by how easy it is to navigate the city using the Tube, London’s underground subway. But after a while, I started to really miss Toronto. London was still a new place to me, and the familiar feeling made it more prominent that it wasn’t the same as home. I felt more homesick at that moment in London than I ever did in the four weeks I’ve been in Glasgow.

Walk along River Thames, including the London Bridge, Tower Bridge, and The Gherkin.

Despite this, as time went on I learned more and more about the city and what it has to offer, and eventually I started to enjoy being in the city I’ve always dreamed of being in. It is a very touristy city with people visiting from all over the world. There are so many beautiful sights to see, and many green parks to walk through and breathe in fresh air. There are also many special streets and buildings with rich history. I was lucky and caught a great weekend for exploring — it only rained one morning of the four days I was there.

Four of The Royal Parks: Regent’s Park, St. James’s Park, Hyde Park, and Kensington Gardens.

In a previous post about the reasons why I chose to study abroad on student exchange, I had mentioned that I considered applying to study in London, but ultimately decided on Glasgow. Now that I have been in London, I see that my initial thoughts were correct. London is a fantastic city and I still would consider living there one day. But for my student exchange, I was looking for an experience that stretches my boundaries . I was ready for a change, and as much as I love London, I think Glasgow really gives me the change I was hoping for.

I will definitely be back in London again at some point (likely more than once!).

 
Different streets of London, including Oxford Street and Baker Street.

The Sherlock Holmes Museum (eep!) and North Gower Street where they filmed BBC’s Sherlock (double eep!).

Phoenix Theatre — saw “Once” the musical. I wrote in a previous post that I wanted to see it, and I am very happy I did! One of the highlights of my trip.

The British Museum and The National Gallery.

Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace (with Queen Victoria), and the Wellington Arch.

Enjoyed a pint of Moosehead at the Maple Leaf, a Canadian-inspired pub in London, to wrap up my trip. 

A Post of Pictures

I’ll let the pictures do most of talking and will include a wee description to give it context (yes, I am slowly learning the Scottish lingo).

   Different angles of the University of Glasgow’s Main Building.

 

Streets of Glasgow’s West End, including the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Yes, that is also a TARDIS on the street (Doctor?).

 

  
Different parts of the Glasgow City Centre, including the Gallery of Modern Art, The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, and River Clyde.

      
Day trip to Edinburgh: Carlton Hill, Acropolis (unfinished monument), Edinburgh Castle, Princes Street Garden, Rose Street, and University of Edinburgh Main Building.

  
The Kelpies, the world’s largest equine sculptures. 

Begin Again / Song of the Day: Lost Stars

“Lost Stars” by Adam Levine, from Begin Again (2013)

Take my hand, let’s see where we wake up tomorrow
Best laid plans sometimes are just a one night stand
I’ll be damned, Cupid’s demanding back his arrow
So let’s get drunk on our tears

I recently watched a film called Begin Again (2013). Not only was it written and directed by John Carney (director of Once), but it also stars Keira Knightly, Mark Ruffalo, James Corden, and Adam Levine (eep!). Given this and the fact that it’s a musical film, naturally I was excited to see it.

Taking place in New York, Greta (a singer-songwriter and ex-rock star’s girlfriend) and Dan (struggling producer) meet coincidentally at an open mic, and together they work on producing an album together and recording all around New York. Like Once, it is the music that brings people together and drives the story. And I love it.

Lost Stars was really the theme song of this film — we’re all trying to find ourselves in this universe. But like a song, it’s important to not lose sight of who we really are in our search — our core values and beliefs give us the lens to see the world in a raw and real way. We shouldn’t be writing and playing songs for others, we should be doing it for ourselves.

Lyric video of Lost Stars can be found here, but I favour the acoustic version with Adam Levine and James Valentine. There is also a version of the song by Keira Knightley if you wish to check it out:

Are we all lost stars trying to light up the dark?

Fresher’s Week

Last week, I participated in Fresher’s Week (the the equivalent of Orientation Week/Frosh Week back at home) which was an opportunity for new students (i.e. “Freshers”) to meet other new students, get to know the campus, and have fun before the academic year begins. There were a number of events and activities offered throughout the week like karaoke nights, open mics, comedy shows, pub quizzes, clubs fairs, paint parties, dance parties… a lot happened all within a week!

I met a lot of new students, both international and local, who are studying a wide variety of disciplines. Hoping to stay in touch with them all throughout the year. It felt odd being one of the oldest in the crowd, especially coming from a work/academic environment at home where I was one of the youngest. But, everyone I met have all been really lovely and I am learning a lot from them. I have also been picking up as much Glaswegian/Scottish jargon as I can (I’ve created a running vocabulary list on my phone).

I really enjoyed observing/experiencing Freshers Week and making mental comparisons to my Orientation experiences from U of T. There was a lot more alcohol involved (since the legal drinking age is 18 here), and there is quite a rivalry between the student unions that each hosted their own events — this is a familiar feeling with U of T’s College/Faculty system!

On the last day of Fresher’s Week, I happened to be where the Freshers Helpers (like Orientation Leaders) were together celebrating the end of the week. It was really interesting to observe the rowdiness and energy — after such a long week, I think they all totally deserved to have some fun. But after some time, I started feeling nostalgic and remembered the days when I was involved in Orientation Week. That was my first time feeling homesick since being here.

Freshers Helpers celebrating the end of Freshers Week

Victoria College’s Orientation Week (2009) — Leaders & Exec celebrating at the Vic Quad. I am somewhere in that group hug! Ahh… 

I think overall, it’s great to see that regardless of the university, Orientation still remains to be the most wonderful time of the year for me.

Post-Referendum

I am super lucky to have pick one of the most exciting times to be in Scotland for the Scottish Independence Referendum. When I arrived to Glasgow, there was less than two weeks before the scheduled vote on September 18. During that time, I did my best to get informed about the referendum — I participated in the debates and talks offered on campus and spoke to locals about their thoughts. I also witnessed a number of protests on the streets and found it really exciting to see everyone so politically engaged in this decision for their country.

One of the lecture talks offered at the University of Glasgow titled, “The Decline (and possibly imminent fall?) of the Anglo-Scottish Union, 1950-2014”

The Yes Campaign marching through the City Centre of Glasgow.

The No campaign marching through the streets of Edinburgh. 

The day of the vote felt really exciting but there was also a hint of nervousness in the air. While I did my best to get informed about the referendum, I remained neutral and undecided on which side I was on. This was mainly because I didn’t feel I had a place to have an opinion — not because I wasn’t able to vote, but because I felt it was right to give Scotland the opportunity to decide for themselves. Though, it was really neat seeing the news of this referendum reach home and having friends and family ask about it and share their opinions.

It was expected that the official results would be announced early Friday morning, and naturally I tried my best to follow through the night… and ended up drifting to sleep and decided to set an alarm to wake up early to catch the results (before falling back asleep again :P).

In the end, Scotland voted against becoming an independent country by 55% to 45%:

Glasgow was one of the cities that voted in favour of independence, and I sensed a bit of a grim atmosphere in the air as I walked through the city the Friday after the vote.

To be honest, I think I was most excited hearing about the voter turnout (just under 85% — amazing!):

I knew regardless of the decision, I would be curious to see what happens next. Now that Scotland has decided to remain part of the UK, I am interested to see how the needs of Scotland will be met and how the UK will work together moving forward.

Greetings from Glasgow!

I have finally made it to Glasgow! It’s day 4 but it’s still feeling surreal that I am finally here. The city is stunning and the weather has been really great to us so far (just a bit chillier than expected). Here’s hoping the beautiful weather lasts just a bit longer.

University of Glasgow’s main building — gorgeous, isn’t it?

The journey to Glasgow was quite a ride. It was pouring rain Friday night which delayed my flight from Toronto to London for about 2 hours. Despite this, I had a wonderful plane ride because I happen to run into a friend from undergrad who was stopping in London on her way to Istanbul, AND also happened to be sitting in the same row as me, AND there was an empty seat between us giving us more room on the plane to catch up. What are the chances?!

My layover in London was supposed to be about 3 hours, but because of the delay I had about an hour to find my terminal, clear security, and find my gate before my flight to Glasgow left. Luckily I made it with about half an hour to spare!

The Glaswegians have all been very kind and friendly right from the start. On my first day in Glasgow, the student volunteers who met international students at the airport were lovely. I also got to meet the senior student marshals (like residence dons) who gathered the students in my building who have arrived so far together for a mini social. I’ve also met a couple of my flatmates who are also exchange students so it’s nice to be able to bond with that commonality.

I’m slowly finding my way around my neighbourhood, the campus, and the city (I will not mention how many times I’ve gotten lost and had to rely on Google Maps on my phone). I know how to get to the closest grocery store and how to get to campus which I count as successes! I am sure there are many shortcuts through smaller streets, which I hope to learn eventually. I also took the subway for the first time today to get to the City Centre which was really easy to learn. The next thing to learn is the bus system!

A river in my backyard, just behind my residence. This river eventually leads to Kelvin River, the second main river that flows through the west end of Glasgow.

This first week is for international students to arrive and participate in the International Welcome Programme. I’ve met many students from different parts of the world, as well as a couple of Canadians from Vancouver. We participated in campus tours, socials which included Scottish dancing, and also transitional sessions to help us get oriented to the campus life and expectations. I also went to a bar on Ashton Lane, a little backstreet filled with restaurants and bars. They had live music and I had my first pint of Tennant’s, a Scottish beer brewed in Glasgow. It was lovely!

Ashton Lane at night.

The one thing I’ve been finding challenging and disorienting (besides my horrible sense of direction) is the direction of traffic which is different here than in North America (they drive on the left side here while Canadians drive on the right). I already knew about this difference before arriving, but this was definitely something that I had to experience first hand before fully understanding it, and I definitely have not grasped it yet. While back at home the safest side to walk on is the left side to see the oncoming traffic, it’s now on the right side here which I forget sometimes and feel a bit anxious as I feel a car passing by me. It has also affected how I look at oncoming traffic before safely crossing. I’ve also noticed that streetlights work a bit differently in some intersections and it’s at times hard to tell if I can cross the road or not. Hopefully with time that gets easier.

Despite this, one of the things I really want to do while I am here is to drive and experience what it’s like driving on the left side of the road. Just once, even if it’s just around the block, to get . On my second day in Glasgow, I sat on a park bench facing an intersection and watched the traffic go by, trying to imagine what it would be like making left and right turns. Again, probably not something I can fully grasp until it actually happens.

Jet lag has also been a bit of an ongoing problem, but I think the morning sessions (while painful) are slowly helping me reorient my sleeping schedule to fit the time difference.

The Scottish Independence Referendum, taking place next week September 18, has been brought up a few times this week, though because the students currently on campus have been mostly international students, the conversations have been more like curious questions than actual discussions/debates. I am hoping to meet Scottish students and locals in the city to hear what their thoughts are. I am also keeping an eye out for any debates going on to listen and hear both sides. It’s quite an exciting time to be here!

So far I’ve been managing understanding the Scottish accent. I have yet to meet anyone with a really thick Glaswegian accent. There are a few words and phrases which were a bit challenging to hear or understand, but everyone’s been kind enough to say it again/explain it when I ask.

Funny enough, during the Welcome session this morning the presenter showed us this video which portrays the perspective of the Scottish when they feel they are not being heard because of their accent. It totally made my day.

More pictures to come soon I hope. I’ve been mostly soaking everything in and not actually pulling out the camera to take pictures. I do miss everyone back at home dearly, but so far I’ve been enjoying my time in Glasgow. Time seems to be going a bit slower right now, maybe that has something to do with adjusting to a new place?

36 Hours in Glasgow

A few friends have directed me to this article and video by The New York Times highlighting the city of Glasgow. Looking forward to checking out their recommendations and learning more from the locals on what else to explore in the city. I have the best friends!

Farewells but not goodbyes.

Quick status update: UK visa is approved and flights are now booked. Things are getting real now!

As my time to leave to Glasgow draws near, everyone around me has this aura of excitement for me – a level of excitement that at times feels is higher than my own. Perhaps it hasn’t fully hit me yet that I am leaving. I am definitely very excited, but I admittedly also feel nervous and scared as well. It sometimes feels like I am about to jump into a dark pool of water, not knowing what’s inside, and hoping I can remember how to swim (I can’t really swim, by the way… I will work on that).

I know I have the best colleagues, friends, and family anyone can ask for. I am very lucky to be able to say that. I know I am also very lucky to enjoy the work that I do and have the space to explore and learn even more for my own personal growth. I also work with some of the most inspirational students and student leaders and I love being part of their learning journey and seeing them grow with every new experience. There is a team of supportive people in my work life and personal life that I know I can count on, and a lifetime of gratitude only scratches the surface of how much they all mean to me.

This is what makes leaving feel so difficult – leaving all of that behind for who knows what is in store.

But you tread on, remembering why you are doing it. This opportunity to go on exchange is a gift I will cherish. It is a chance to push my boundaries further and discover new treasures and insights to further define my understanding of life and personal values. I am a learner. I continually strive to learn more about the world I live in and who I am. It will also be nice to be just a student again, focusing on my interests and contributing to my learning in an educational setting. I have been telling everyone that I will be away, but I am not gone. I will need to remind myself that every now and then.

And let’s be real – 10 months sounds like a while, but it likely will fly by. I will be back in case anyone had any real doubt – I need to come back and graduate!