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:

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!

Walking Heads: Glasgow Music Tour

I recently stumbled upon Walking Heads, a source for self-guided audio walking tours covering different places in Scotland which I am looking forward to trying out when I get there. I am particularly excited to try out the Glasgow Music Tour which promises to cover the city’s live music scene, famous historical venues, and various places to discover new and old music.

As someone with a not-so-great sense of direction, I will probably have to bring along a compass to navigate where I am as I participate in the tour. 😛

Song of the Day: I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)

“I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers, Sunshine on Leith (1988)

But I would walk five hundred miles
And I would walk five hundred more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door

My first time listening to The Proclaimers at school when I was young (this song specifically), was probably my first ever encounter with the Scottish accent. I remember thinking they sounded funny, not having had much exposure to different accents. But I still really liked this song and it’s still one of my favourites to this day. I am excited to discover more Scottish music while in Glasgow soon!

I also encountered this farewell video on YouTube for David Tennant when he was wrapping up his time as the 10th Doctor on Doctor Who. Just seeing David’s bits in the video shows that he is probably The Proclaimers’ biggest fan, so it was really sweet that the cast and crew all did this for him as a farewell treat. 2:39 is the absolute cutest when The Proclaimers themselves debut.

UK visa submitted!

One more thing off my to-do list as I prepare for my exchange to Glasgow. Yay!

Funnily, I saw this photo the same day I submitted my visa application to the UK visa application centre and laughed nervously to myself because it perfectly represents what I was thinking of as I was going through the process. One of the things I had to do at the visa application centre was give my biometrics.  As I watched the fingerprint scanner do its job and eyed all the cameras surrounding me in the room, I couldn’t help but think Mycroft Holmes was watching my every move and will continue to do so during my entire stay in the UK. A chilling (but somewhat amusing) thought.

John Finnemore: 50 Things You Must Do Before You’re 30

Two things to try to do before or after you are 30:
1. Be Kind, 2. Have fun.

Wise rules, John Finnemore.

I love John Finnemore and his work. There is so much truth in this video, and shown in a brilliantly comedic way.

If you have not heard Finnemore’s work before, I highly highly highly recommend checking out his radio shows, “Cabin Pressure” and “John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme” because they are super hilarious! Below you can get a taste of some of my favourites:

Cabin Pressure sketch — Passenger Derby (from S2E2, “Gdansk”)
JFSP sketch — Ghost Story (from S1E1; best ghost story I have ever heard! Long, but I think worth it)

 

Kurzgesagt: The Gulf Stream & Climate Change

When talking about the changes in the global climate, I have often stressed to others that calling it “global warming” is misleading, and this video about the Gulf Stream illustrates one of the reasons why that is the case. Climate change doesn’t cause the world to warm up altogether — it is predicted that some parts of the world may actually experience a drastic decrease in temperature. Love the illustrations and how simple this talk was presented.

Kurzgesagt has also put together a number of other very interesting videos. Some of my favourites are below if you care to give them a watch:

The History and Future of Everything — Time
Three Ways to Destroy the Universe
Who Invented the Internet? And Why?

Lip Sync Battle

This lip sync battle with Jimmy Fallon and the gorgeous Emma Stone is probably the best lip sync battle I’ve ever seen. Absolutely hilarious!

I am a huge fan of Jimmy Fallon and The Tonight Show. It’s humour that is refreshing and comfortable, but also raw and real fun. I enjoy Fallon’s monologues and sketches, some of which carried over from Late Night. But what I really love about this show is seeing how much fun everyone has making it. They are so funny, and the show never fails to put a smile on my face.

I was really happy when it was announced that Fallon was going to be the new host of The Tonight Show. He’s doing an amazing job so far!

Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare

It is the 450th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s birth. Though it is not certain when his actual birthday is, it is traditionally celebrated on April 23.

In honour of this, below is Sonnet 18 read by David Tennant. Sonnet 18 is one of my favourite sonnets written by Shakespeare.

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st,
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

— credit to Shakespeare’s Sonnets