Getting situated, surprises, and expectations
Being at the University of Glasgow for the first time reminds me vaguely of being of freshman at CNU. Trying to figure out the difference between the ten floors in the library, trying to find classes, attending orientation, and getting everything we needed for our flat. I had forgotten how exhausting, yet exciting it is to get situated.
Each day I spend here, I fall more in love with this place. Falling for a new city really is like falling in love. First it happens slowly, without you even realizing it. Then, it happens all at once. As my friends and I were starting to get situated by getting everything we needed for our flats, we didn’t realize that we had started loving the Scottish accent. There is definitely a Glaswegian accent--at orientation they said, “Well you thought you were going to an English-speaking country, but you come to find out we actually don’t speak English--Glaswegian only!”
Although there is definitely a prominent Glaswegian accent, I am amazed to find out that Glasgow is truly an international place. The University itself has over 1,500 international students each year--with majors from engineering to art history. Having the privilege to study at the fourth oldest University in the world is astounding. Especially coming from a school like CNU, where there are only 5,000 students and the school is barely 50 years old--its definitely different. I came here for a different experience, and while it may be a different community than I am used to I find myself falling in love with it even more.
While my friends and I kept on becoming more comfortable with this place we didn’t realize that that we had begun to love the cobbled streets, buildings that had seen decades of history before us, and the kind hearts of the Glaswegians. At times, it started to hit us, and the only way we could express our emotions would be to say at the top of our lungs, “We LOVE Scotland!” But now, as I am sitting here writing this blog post, I know that I really do love Scotland. I know it is still the part where we get situated, but I know I am finding new things to love every single day.
One of my new favorite activities here is wandering into new places. Just today, I wandered into a cute boutique on my way to the bank and had a lovely conversation with the worker in the shop. We talked about the differences between the States and Scotland, and agreed upon the fact that Scotland--and especially Glasgow are one of the most underrated places in the world.
I didn’t expect to fall in love with this place. My friends who had gone before in this program would tell me about their experiences, but I didn’t really get it until l got here. There is something about this city--maybe its the university, or the gorgeous walks, the Scottish accent, or just the fact that I love my CNU program and my wonderful friends. Maybe it’s one or the combination of all of them. Whatever it is, I know that I love it all.
