Oh what a week…
This week was the first week of the term. I only have class Monday-Thursday, but the homework load is insane. Although nothing is really graded, reading are compulsory as the professors do not necessarily lecture on the readings. I have also attended my first huge lecture. There were over 200 students and it was really intimidating, but I made a Scottish friend on day 1, so it is going to be okay. I am enrolled in:
- International Relations Theory
- Civil Society and Social Capital
- Italian
- Bag Piping
Even though I am only in class for a few hours a week, the reading is demanding.
In terms of friends, I say I am doing pretty well. Everyone I have met is extremely kind and likes to do a lot of crazy stuff that I like to do. We went to another Cèilidh on Wednesday and it was so much fun. I also got an picture with the cute accordion player who was wearing a kilt:
Mission accomplished. Scottish line dancing is very similar to some American line dancing and I truly love it. SO MUCH FUN.
I also turned twenty this week. TWENTY. It is a miracle that I have made it this far. I had a lovely day, but it was somewhat bittersweet since I was not home to be with my friends and family. It was nice to have friends here to celebrate with though. In the morning my flatmates surprised me with donuts and sang me happy birthday:
They are so kind. Last night, as a celebration a few of us did (attempted) a sub crawl. It is where you buy a subway pass and get a drink at every stop. The subway system in Glasgow is a huge circle, so you just end where you started. Here was the challenge:
We ended earlier than we thought, but had a ton of fun at the Hive. It is a bar/club in the basement of one of the buildings on campus. Imagine if College Hall had one. Gonzaga needs to step up. Here are a couple of the pictures of the people I was with:
From left to right: Me, Mo(Germany), Abbey (Canada), Johannes (Estonia), Julie (Denmark)
Mo’s first (of many) selfie of the night
Overall the night was really fun and ended with a classic bowl of macaroni and cheese.
Being a twenty year old and not a teenager anymore is kind of strange. I still say I’m eighteen sometimes. I don’t feel a magical transformation or anything though. I still just feel like regular me. The one thing I want to set out to do this year is to do something incredible. Not for me though, for someone else. I want to do something that is bigger than me. I have no clue what that will be, but I want to be intentional when I do it.
At the end of this first week, I have fallen more in love with the city of Glasgow. I am going on a day trip to St. Andrews tomorrow, so expect some pictures within the next few days.
Until next time,
-L
Lydia Meets World 