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?
Thoughts or Questions? 