One month has officially past since I arrived in Scotland. In that one month, I have learned so much (yet not enough) about myself and my environment, and I have challenged myself in knew ways.

Coming from Gonzaga to the University of Glasgow was the first of my biggest challenges. Gonzaga is so small (5,000 Undergrads) compared to the University of Glasgow (20,000). The amount of people here is insane, but it is also really cool because it means that there are all kinds of people always doing something on campus. The classes here are infinitely more difficult as well. I have four courses- Italian, International Relations Theory, Bagpiping, and Civil Society and Social Capital. I have never spent as much time in a library in my life. For each class, the readings are mandatory if you wish to learn anything at all. I barely open my textbooks at GU and I am always just fine. It is also terrifying that my final grades are essentially based off of one exam or a paper and an exam. Although the difficulty of the classes is overwhelming, I am learning a lot and the information is actually sticking. My procrastination has yet to get better though- I have a paper due Thursday and I have yet to start actually writing it.

Aside from the academics, I feel like I have made some pretty rad friends in the month that I have been here. Thankfully my flat mates are among those friends. Although we are all very different people, we have very similar interests and personalities. There hasn’t been a night yet where I don’t hang out with someone or when I don’t do anything. Sleep has been limited, but the memories made are infinite. I am planning on going to the football (soccer) club this upcoming week to branch out a little bit more. I have also finally started to accept the fact that the UK is greatly lacking in some of my favorite foods (i.e. ranch, hot cheetos, gatorade, etc.). I have also had to start shopping for real food and start making my own meals. No longer are the days where I would just drive to Chipotle or Blaze, or just head on over to the COG to get my daily nutrients. I never thought I would ever say that I missed the COG- even though its only a little.

Glasgow is a rainy city, and for the past few days it has also been really windy. The other day I had to stop at some points because I though that the wind was going to knock me over. Walking is the main form of transportation for me here. I walk so much. And since the buildings here are huge, I have to climb up to 12 flights of stairs to get to my classes. College Hall has nothing on this place. I am going to be in such good shape when I get back to campus (whenever that may be). I have also started to get used to the accent. The Glaswegian accent is very dense and very hard to understand. Sometimes when people speak to me, I have no idea what they said. I just nod and smile. The people here are extremely kind and say “cheers” whenever possible. I love it.

I am finally going to have the opportunity to start doing some travel outside of the UK this month. On the 25th, I am heading off to Paris. The reason I am going then is because one of my favorite groups OH Wonder will be playing at a festival there. I am pretty sure that is going to be a pretty common theme with my travels.

Not only am I doing stuff abroad, I am also keeping up with my Zag family and activities. This month, I was accepted to become and Ambassador! I am so excited- especially since I will be learning from one of the greats, Olivia!!!

Overall the experience has been grand. I am excited to see what the next month brings.

Alive and well after an entire month,

-L