Well, it's Thursday and I am still recovering from a weekend in Dublin. I had been planning on going for St. Patrick's Day pretty much since I got into my program. The only problem was finding out how to get there and where to stay. Naturally, I waited to book everything about two weeks before leaving. The only room left was a pretty nice apartment just outside the downtown area. It ended up being about 30 euro a night, but everything is expensive in Dublin so that wasn't too bad. Flights on ryanair were pretty cheap and now I just had to figure out what to do while in the city, which obviously included drinking Guinness. When we got there, we decided to be extreme tourists and went with the two day "Dublin Pass" for 40 euro and got us into all the big tourist attractions in the city. Big suckers, but I figured if I was going to pay for this thing, I would definitely get my money's worth. And I did. I have never done so much walking in my life. After three days of refusing to take a cab, my feet were all but dead.
We ended up going to the Guinness Storehouse, Christchurch Cathedral, and walked through Trinity College and Dublin Castle (not really a castle compared to the ones in Scotland) the first day. The Guinness factory was definitely a highlight, much more impressive than the Budweiser brewery which is the only other brewery I have visited. The cathedrals were actually pretty interesting with great medieval architecture and stained glass windows. I just couldn't believe you had to pay between 4 and 10 euros to get in a church, damn Irish Catholics. We visited the Jameson distillery, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Kilmainham Goal (Gaelic for jail) the second day. Lots of walking and Irish history lessons. The jail was actually very strange, a huge stone building used to hold prisoners during the Irish War of Independence between 1919 - 1922. They told us some pretty creepy stories about executions, hangings, and various prisoners in the tiny cells.
The third day, we made a day trip to Howth, a beautiful fishing village in the suburbs of Dublin. It was a pretty quick 20 minute train ride out of the city, and we spent the whole day there. We watched people throw dead fish into the bay and watch the seals fight over them, pretty amusing. Then we basically climbed up a cliff, which was pretty difficult because we were carrying all our stuff for the whole trip with us. The views from the top of the cliff were incredible though. For miles you could see the stark Irish coast, two uninhabited islands, beaches, harbours, etc. We got dinner at a seafood place in town and then headed back to Dublin.
That night, I met up with Julia, one of my friends from back home who is studying in Dublin. She was very kind to have four people crash in her living room of a small apartment. We enjoyed the Dublin nightlife at a couple bars in the area the last two nights and it was a very enjoyable trip. The only thing that went wrong was that I lost a bag with a gift for my brother in Howth. Oh well, I guess he's not getting anything... But I am happy to say that I visited Ireland, but now have a giant hole in my wallet. I think it was worth it though.
Thursday 19 March 2009
Sunday 1 March 2009
New faces
Since my last post was such a hit, I decided I would add to my winning streak. I've already been here a month and I'm really starting to feel "at home" here. I had a pretty interesting weekend going to my first rugby match ever. The international adviser, Jim Wilson, is a funny little bald round Scottish man who sets up a bunch of programs for international students, some actually fun and some very lame. Like he organizes weekly pub nights for the students to go out and meet other people outside the classroom and those can be hit or miss based on the number of people who show up and where the pub is. Last week it was at the weirdest pub I have ever seen, half normal sit down bar half sleazy dance floor that didn't do much for me. Other than that, those have actually been pretty fun.
Anyways, Jim organized this trip to Edinburgh for the Scotland v Italy Six Nations rugby match. The tournament has been played for the past 130 years and originally started with just four nations in the UK: England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Then it added the French and Italian teams later in the 1900s. To start the story, I had never even seen rugby played until this weekend and wasn't sure what to expect when I booked the trip. The tickets cost 15 pounds (about $20) and we were supposed to find our own way to the match by bus. I woke up late the Saturday morning of the match, crawled out of bed at 11:30 am, showered and got ready at around 12:30. I was supposed to meet Jim there at 12:30 so I ran to the bus station and quickly got on the first bus I saw for the stadium. I noticed Jim standing in the middle of the station and it was then that I realized I didn't have my ticket to the game. So I asked the bus driver if I had time to quickly run out and grab my ticket, 30 seconds tops. The bus driver said in a thick Scottish accent "No" with a lot of incomprehensible muttering. I figured there was no way I would get that ticket from him at this point, so I decided to cut my losses and plan a trip to the city.
During the bus ride, I made small talk with a girl from Honduras who was in the university's masters program. She told me all about Honduras and how different it is in the UK and how amazing the US is. I told her about my little dilemma and she said not to worry because we will probably see Jim on the way to the stadium so I didn't lose hope just yet. So we get there an hour before the match starts and see a packed outdoor pub right across the street from the stadium so naturally we walk in and grab a drink while I wait for a short round bald Scottish guy to walk by, a seemingly easy task. There are millions of short round bald Scottish guys! Luckily and still unbelievably by me, I managed to spot Jim and sprinted out of the bar to chase him down. I ran up to him and completely out of breath from running 50 feet asked if I could still get my ticket. He happily told me that he had just sold my ticket because I didn't pick it up at the bus station with a big shit-eating grin that I wanted to smack off of his bald little head. My heart sank because it just started to rain and it was a good 20-30 minute walk to downtown Edinburgh. Then, he casually said he had an extra ticket for his nephew who couldn't come tot the game. I was pretty relieved, but ended up walking halfway around the stadium and waiting in a 15 minute line, but it was worth it. Finally, with ticket in hand, ran back to the bar across the street and met up with the Honduran and friends to grab a celebratory drink before heading in.
The stadium was a modern cage-like arena, but since it rains so much in Scotland it had a weird looking glass roof that only covered the spectators. It was pretty worthless because I started feeling freezing cold raindrops before the game started. We had great seats about 15 rows up behind the goal posts and made it just in time to see the Scottish "national anthem". (They don't really have a real national anthem because it is part of the UK but they sing it at all sporting matches) The game started and I was immediately lost because rugby is a sport unlike any I have ever seen. It is a mix of American football, European football (soccer), cheerleading, and a game of dogpile. Eventually I caught on to the strategy of the game and thought it would be pretty cool to play it sometime. At halftime, I walked to the food court and was amazed at how normal the price of food and drinks were, unlike the ridiculously over priced American stadiums. Beer was three pounds and a hot dog was two, not bad considering the beer was a lot better here than the "king of beers" that is budweiser. Scotland ended up winning the match 26-6, but it didn't really matter since the two teams were the two worst teams in the tournament. But, before I left there was some post-game entertainment on the field. Apparently some half naked guy broke through security and ran around the field in just a kilt. I guess this is a common occurrence because there were probably about 100 security guards in bright yellow jackets around the field. After a few minutes and close escapes, the guy gave up and was tackled hard and wrestled to the ground. I'm sure he is thinking twice about that now that he has sobered up...
Since I was just lucky to get any ticket and it was still relatively early (about 5 pm) when the game let out, I decided to hang out with my new friends and take the walk into the city. We strolled through New Town Edinburgh and it is one of the nicest looking places in Scotland, with great Georgian architecture and tons of shops and pubs. We got a bite to eat at a little coffee shop in new town and got in touch with some of their friends who were at a pub in Old Town. So we walked a little more and met up with their bigger group of friends at this cozy pub where we started to watch the Ireland v England rugby match. This one was a lot more intense, physical, dirty, and aggressive than the one I watched because I saw a lot more pushing and punching and grabbing in this game. I even saw an English player on the outside of the scrum stomping his cleats down on the Irish players' hands, not a pleasant sight and apparently legal. I met a bunch of other grad students from finance, engineering, management, etc and they were all pretty cool. I even met a Canadian girl who lived in DC for a while, so we bonded over the good old dc-metro area. It was a fun time and I'm glad it all worked out for me randomly. I met a lot of really cool people that I hope to hang out with more often.
Besides that, I am getting pretty busy with schoolwork. I didn't realize I would actually have to do work this semester. I wrote a 4 page paper about Scottish landfills, a very exciting topic and did two labs last week. Plus I have another two labs to do this week that I am not looking forward to. But, I am content with the fact that I had a pretty good weekend overall, and I am really looking forward to St. Patty's Day in Dublin in two weeks. I have the general plan and the motivation, now all I have to do is fill in the minor details of how to get there and where to stay. Then, in the beginning of April I get two weeks off for a much needed spring break. I am not completely sure where I am going yet but I have some pretty good ideas to keep me going for the next couple days. Til next time, stay classy whoever is reading this.
Anyways, Jim organized this trip to Edinburgh for the Scotland v Italy Six Nations rugby match. The tournament has been played for the past 130 years and originally started with just four nations in the UK: England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Then it added the French and Italian teams later in the 1900s. To start the story, I had never even seen rugby played until this weekend and wasn't sure what to expect when I booked the trip. The tickets cost 15 pounds (about $20) and we were supposed to find our own way to the match by bus. I woke up late the Saturday morning of the match, crawled out of bed at 11:30 am, showered and got ready at around 12:30. I was supposed to meet Jim there at 12:30 so I ran to the bus station and quickly got on the first bus I saw for the stadium. I noticed Jim standing in the middle of the station and it was then that I realized I didn't have my ticket to the game. So I asked the bus driver if I had time to quickly run out and grab my ticket, 30 seconds tops. The bus driver said in a thick Scottish accent "No" with a lot of incomprehensible muttering. I figured there was no way I would get that ticket from him at this point, so I decided to cut my losses and plan a trip to the city.
During the bus ride, I made small talk with a girl from Honduras who was in the university's masters program. She told me all about Honduras and how different it is in the UK and how amazing the US is. I told her about my little dilemma and she said not to worry because we will probably see Jim on the way to the stadium so I didn't lose hope just yet. So we get there an hour before the match starts and see a packed outdoor pub right across the street from the stadium so naturally we walk in and grab a drink while I wait for a short round bald Scottish guy to walk by, a seemingly easy task. There are millions of short round bald Scottish guys! Luckily and still unbelievably by me, I managed to spot Jim and sprinted out of the bar to chase him down. I ran up to him and completely out of breath from running 50 feet asked if I could still get my ticket. He happily told me that he had just sold my ticket because I didn't pick it up at the bus station with a big shit-eating grin that I wanted to smack off of his bald little head. My heart sank because it just started to rain and it was a good 20-30 minute walk to downtown Edinburgh. Then, he casually said he had an extra ticket for his nephew who couldn't come tot the game. I was pretty relieved, but ended up walking halfway around the stadium and waiting in a 15 minute line, but it was worth it. Finally, with ticket in hand, ran back to the bar across the street and met up with the Honduran and friends to grab a celebratory drink before heading in.
The stadium was a modern cage-like arena, but since it rains so much in Scotland it had a weird looking glass roof that only covered the spectators. It was pretty worthless because I started feeling freezing cold raindrops before the game started. We had great seats about 15 rows up behind the goal posts and made it just in time to see the Scottish "national anthem". (They don't really have a real national anthem because it is part of the UK but they sing it at all sporting matches) The game started and I was immediately lost because rugby is a sport unlike any I have ever seen. It is a mix of American football, European football (soccer), cheerleading, and a game of dogpile. Eventually I caught on to the strategy of the game and thought it would be pretty cool to play it sometime. At halftime, I walked to the food court and was amazed at how normal the price of food and drinks were, unlike the ridiculously over priced American stadiums. Beer was three pounds and a hot dog was two, not bad considering the beer was a lot better here than the "king of beers" that is budweiser. Scotland ended up winning the match 26-6, but it didn't really matter since the two teams were the two worst teams in the tournament. But, before I left there was some post-game entertainment on the field. Apparently some half naked guy broke through security and ran around the field in just a kilt. I guess this is a common occurrence because there were probably about 100 security guards in bright yellow jackets around the field. After a few minutes and close escapes, the guy gave up and was tackled hard and wrestled to the ground. I'm sure he is thinking twice about that now that he has sobered up...
Since I was just lucky to get any ticket and it was still relatively early (about 5 pm) when the game let out, I decided to hang out with my new friends and take the walk into the city. We strolled through New Town Edinburgh and it is one of the nicest looking places in Scotland, with great Georgian architecture and tons of shops and pubs. We got a bite to eat at a little coffee shop in new town and got in touch with some of their friends who were at a pub in Old Town. So we walked a little more and met up with their bigger group of friends at this cozy pub where we started to watch the Ireland v England rugby match. This one was a lot more intense, physical, dirty, and aggressive than the one I watched because I saw a lot more pushing and punching and grabbing in this game. I even saw an English player on the outside of the scrum stomping his cleats down on the Irish players' hands, not a pleasant sight and apparently legal. I met a bunch of other grad students from finance, engineering, management, etc and they were all pretty cool. I even met a Canadian girl who lived in DC for a while, so we bonded over the good old dc-metro area. It was a fun time and I'm glad it all worked out for me randomly. I met a lot of really cool people that I hope to hang out with more often.
Besides that, I am getting pretty busy with schoolwork. I didn't realize I would actually have to do work this semester. I wrote a 4 page paper about Scottish landfills, a very exciting topic and did two labs last week. Plus I have another two labs to do this week that I am not looking forward to. But, I am content with the fact that I had a pretty good weekend overall, and I am really looking forward to St. Patty's Day in Dublin in two weeks. I have the general plan and the motivation, now all I have to do is fill in the minor details of how to get there and where to stay. Then, in the beginning of April I get two weeks off for a much needed spring break. I am not completely sure where I am going yet but I have some pretty good ideas to keep me going for the next couple days. Til next time, stay classy whoever is reading this.
Monday 16 February 2009
More from Glasgow and Edinburgh
So I have been in Scotland for three weeks and I finally feel like I have found my stride in the city. Coming to a campus in such a large city is very new to me because the only college campus I know is a tiny town in southwest Virginia. Glasgow is a very different city than I am used to. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but I am pleasantly surprised. Although areas of the city are grimy and dirty, there are some very beautiful parts of the city. Part of me feels like I have been here months and have already done so much, but I also feel like I haven't even begun to explore and experience Scotland yet. I'm getting there though, especially after this past weekend.
Last week I was still kind of settling in and getting adjusted to my new life. It is truly remarkable the feeling of satisfaction after all the grueling hours of work that I put into setting up my study abroad experience. It all seems so trivial now that I am actually getting to enjoy the work of many months of preparation that led to this. Most of my second week was spent figuring out how to do some of the basic necessities that come with living by yourself in a large city. Laundry, groceries, cooking, doctor's visits, banking, cell phones, gym, subway all seemed impossible to tackle at once and all seemed very foreign. I've taken many of these things for granted, especially groceries and cooking. There are no dining halls on campus so I either have to cook my own meals or find local restaurants to eat at. I have found that frozen meals are very easy to make and work wonders for my figure. Anyways, I think I've taken care of all the essentials here and can start really enjoying myself.
Last weekend, my flat mate and I went back to the West End of Glasgow to check out some places that we didn't get to see the first trip. It was very cold when we left on the subway and by the time we got off, there was a blizzard. We stopped at a wee pub on a cool street called Ashton Lane that was full of nice little stores and shops. I was confused by how hard it was to find a normal lunch on a Sunday afternoon. Either places weren't serving food or had ridiculously priced Sunday brunches, but we finally found a place that served sandwiches and beer so we were content with that. We walked through Kelvingrove Park, which had some interesting statues and landscapes along the River. Then, we walked to the Museum of Transport, one of my favorite museums of all time. They had hundreds of antique cars, real trolleys and trains used in town, airplanes, and my personal favorite, an exhibit on model ships. There was a huge room full of ornately decorated and incredibly detailed model ships. From ancient Viking longboats to giant Titanic-like cruisers to high tech naval destroyers to old dredging boats, this museum had everything. This was the first museum of its kind that I have ever seen. They even had the magical flying car fom the Harry Potter movie on display.
It was a fun trip and I am glad to have figured out the underground (metro).
Yesterday was probably the highlight of the trip so far. Unfortunately, the first time we made the trip to Edinburgh, we got to the castle at 4:15 right as they were closing the gates. This time, the only objective was to go to the castle. It was incredible! This fortress is truly impenetrable. It is perched on a huge cliff overlooking the entire expanse of the city. You can even see miles into sea from the top of the castle. The inner workings of the castle are very fascinating too. The Scottish National War Memorial is a huge sandstone building honoring all the noble Scots who died in battle, a very moving exhibit. The Great Hall is an impressive specimen of Scottish architecture with a very royal feel. The vaulted ceilings and hammer-beam roof along with the countless swords and pieces of armor make me think about the many uses of the castle as a fortress, royal palace, and Parliament meeting place. Looking out the North edge of the castle is a giant 6 ton cannon called Mons Meg. This thing is gigantic! It hurled 300-pound cannon balls over two miles! It was used until 1682 as both a military weapon and for celebratory salutes. The most impressive part of the castle is the Royal Palace which houses the Royal Scottish Crown Jewels. The set of Honours includes the Crown of Scotland, Sceptre, Sword of State, and a huge collection of jewelry. Just taking a glimpse at the gleaming gold and shiny jewels of the crown, it is easy to see why Scotland has had such a violent history. Here is an online picture of the Scottish Crown Jewels because they don't allow cameras into the safe where they are kept.
Favorite picture of the castle lit up at night.
After leaving the castle, we tried to make it to the Palace of Holyroodhouse before closing, but just missed it. The palace is where Queen Elizabeth stays when she travels to Scotland and is a very regal stone building. Originally built in 1498, it has some great history as the royal palace of many kings and queens of Scotland. We got there right about dusk which doesn't show up very well on camera.
Right across the street from this remarkable palace is a very ugly looking Parliament building. Designed by the Spanish architect who built many of 1992 Barcelona Olympics buildings, it marks the first official Scottish Parliament separate from British Parliament. It is an important building, but it looks completely out of place with the beautiful medieval architecture throughout the city. After it got dark, we ended up stopping by one of the only pubs that was still serving dinner. Little did we know that this was actually one of a select few "classic pubs of Britain". It is a very old-looking bar that is supposedly haunted by the bishop of St Andrews. It was a great deal, two meals for 10 pounds and of course they had great Scottish lagers. That was the end of a very worthwhile trip and we headed back to Glasgow on the train.
There are some exciting upcoming events in Glasgow including the annual film festival all this week, rugby tournament at the end of February, and comedy festival in March. Also, the international adviser is setting up various trips to the Scottish highlands later in the semester. There is a weekend trip to a few castles scheduled in about a month so I am definitely looking forward to that. I feel empowered after seeing the castle. I am following the wise words of my Grandpa Jack to "not knock up any Scottish girls." Thanks grampa...
Last week I was still kind of settling in and getting adjusted to my new life. It is truly remarkable the feeling of satisfaction after all the grueling hours of work that I put into setting up my study abroad experience. It all seems so trivial now that I am actually getting to enjoy the work of many months of preparation that led to this. Most of my second week was spent figuring out how to do some of the basic necessities that come with living by yourself in a large city. Laundry, groceries, cooking, doctor's visits, banking, cell phones, gym, subway all seemed impossible to tackle at once and all seemed very foreign. I've taken many of these things for granted, especially groceries and cooking. There are no dining halls on campus so I either have to cook my own meals or find local restaurants to eat at. I have found that frozen meals are very easy to make and work wonders for my figure. Anyways, I think I've taken care of all the essentials here and can start really enjoying myself.
Last weekend, my flat mate and I went back to the West End of Glasgow to check out some places that we didn't get to see the first trip. It was very cold when we left on the subway and by the time we got off, there was a blizzard. We stopped at a wee pub on a cool street called Ashton Lane that was full of nice little stores and shops. I was confused by how hard it was to find a normal lunch on a Sunday afternoon. Either places weren't serving food or had ridiculously priced Sunday brunches, but we finally found a place that served sandwiches and beer so we were content with that. We walked through Kelvingrove Park, which had some interesting statues and landscapes along the River. Then, we walked to the Museum of Transport, one of my favorite museums of all time. They had hundreds of antique cars, real trolleys and trains used in town, airplanes, and my personal favorite, an exhibit on model ships. There was a huge room full of ornately decorated and incredibly detailed model ships. From ancient Viking longboats to giant Titanic-like cruisers to high tech naval destroyers to old dredging boats, this museum had everything. This was the first museum of its kind that I have ever seen. They even had the magical flying car fom the Harry Potter movie on display.
Yesterday was probably the highlight of the trip so far. Unfortunately, the first time we made the trip to Edinburgh, we got to the castle at 4:15 right as they were closing the gates. This time, the only objective was to go to the castle. It was incredible! This fortress is truly impenetrable. It is perched on a huge cliff overlooking the entire expanse of the city. You can even see miles into sea from the top of the castle. The inner workings of the castle are very fascinating too. The Scottish National War Memorial is a huge sandstone building honoring all the noble Scots who died in battle, a very moving exhibit. The Great Hall is an impressive specimen of Scottish architecture with a very royal feel. The vaulted ceilings and hammer-beam roof along with the countless swords and pieces of armor make me think about the many uses of the castle as a fortress, royal palace, and Parliament meeting place. Looking out the North edge of the castle is a giant 6 ton cannon called Mons Meg. This thing is gigantic! It hurled 300-pound cannon balls over two miles! It was used until 1682 as both a military weapon and for celebratory salutes. The most impressive part of the castle is the Royal Palace which houses the Royal Scottish Crown Jewels. The set of Honours includes the Crown of Scotland, Sceptre, Sword of State, and a huge collection of jewelry. Just taking a glimpse at the gleaming gold and shiny jewels of the crown, it is easy to see why Scotland has had such a violent history. Here is an online picture of the Scottish Crown Jewels because they don't allow cameras into the safe where they are kept.
Favorite picture of the castle lit up at night.
After leaving the castle, we tried to make it to the Palace of Holyroodhouse before closing, but just missed it. The palace is where Queen Elizabeth stays when she travels to Scotland and is a very regal stone building. Originally built in 1498, it has some great history as the royal palace of many kings and queens of Scotland. We got there right about dusk which doesn't show up very well on camera.
Right across the street from this remarkable palace is a very ugly looking Parliament building. Designed by the Spanish architect who built many of 1992 Barcelona Olympics buildings, it marks the first official Scottish Parliament separate from British Parliament. It is an important building, but it looks completely out of place with the beautiful medieval architecture throughout the city. After it got dark, we ended up stopping by one of the only pubs that was still serving dinner. Little did we know that this was actually one of a select few "classic pubs of Britain". It is a very old-looking bar that is supposedly haunted by the bishop of St Andrews. It was a great deal, two meals for 10 pounds and of course they had great Scottish lagers. That was the end of a very worthwhile trip and we headed back to Glasgow on the train.There are some exciting upcoming events in Glasgow including the annual film festival all this week, rugby tournament at the end of February, and comedy festival in March. Also, the international adviser is setting up various trips to the Scottish highlands later in the semester. There is a weekend trip to a few castles scheduled in about a month so I am definitely looking forward to that. I feel empowered after seeing the castle. I am following the wise words of my Grandpa Jack to "not knock up any Scottish girls." Thanks grampa...
Saturday 7 February 2009
First week in the land of the scots
Here are some highlights from the first week in Scotland:
Pre-trip idiocy - I packed my three giant duffel bags about two hours before I left for the airport. Then, I proceeded to throw up on the flight over due to stomach sickness and a possible hangover from the night before. I didn't go to any classes the first week because I still didn't have my class schedule figured out for a number of reasons (mainly advisers at Tech and Strathclyde), even though I originally started looking at classes in August! I realize that the people here are a lot more laid back about these things than in America. My favorite response from my international adviser here was "don't worry, it will all work out in the end". Luckily she was right and it did work out, but it was very frustrating. I showed up to one class thinking it was a sophomore level intro to materials class and ended up being a graduate level advanced structures class. When I emailed the teacher to see what happened, she casually replied that she wasn't teaching anymore and the class wasn't being offered, good luck. Needless to say, it was a challenging first few days...
Anyways, when we actually got to Glasgow the morning of January 25th, we couldn't check in to the hotel til 2 pm so went to Edinburgh for the day. It is the capital of Scotland and a very beautiful city. It is known as the "Athens of the North" for the great architecture, rich history, and cultural appeal. The Royal Mile is the main strip of Old Town Edinburgh and is full of shops, pubs, and tons of historical sites. It is a busy city that I will definitely go back to visit because there is just so much to do there. Picture of Calton Hill taken from the North Bridge:
That day, I took a walk around the University of Strathclyde campus. There is some pretty interesting history with the university, which starts with its sister college, the University of Glasgow. The University of Glasgow was founded in 1451 and is the fourth oldest college in the world. It was located in the heart of the city, but when space became limited, it branched off and moved to the West End of Glasgow (will talk about that soon) and what was left became known as the University of Strathclyde. It doesn't really look like a normal college campus and even though the buildings aren't much to look at in terms of architecture, campus is pretty much in the heart of Glasgow. George Square is the center of the city and is about 3 blocks away from campus. It is a pretty cool place with a lot of shops, pubs, and statues. They held a celebration for the 250th birthday of Robert Burns, a very famous Scottish poet the night we arrived. There was a bagpipe band, light show, and fireworks in George Square. I thought it was celebrating my arrival... Here is a picture of the Robert Burns Illuminated presentation projected on the City Chambers:
My flat mates are all very nice and I get along with them all pretty well. One is from Ghana but lives in London, one is from Knoxville, TN, one is from France and is really weird, one is from Germany and one is from Poland. They are all very different but very interesting people except the French kid. But the flat mate from Ghana is a fulltime student here so he knows a lot about the city and has taken us to a couple bars and clubs nearby. The club scene is just a wee bit different than in the States. They play American pop and hip-hop songs with really fast techno/trance beats, such as my personal favorites Lady Gaga - Just Dance and Britney Spears - Circus. Also, the girls dress really weird here. They are all pale emo/punk/goth girls with one or more of the following: dyed/spiked hair, lip/nose ring, fishnet apparel, army boots, and oddly enough spandex leggings. It will take some getting used to...
My mom and Aunt Sandi helped me move into my flat which was very helpful because there were a lot of things that I realized I didn't have when I got here. Thanks Mah. Grocery stores are a little different, they don't have anything in bulk except beer, which is not entirely a bad thing. I think it's funny that they sell Budweiser, Coors and Miller high life like it's actually good beer. It is in the same price range as Stella Artois, Guinness, and Becks, which are actually good beers. Needless to say, I haven't had an American beer since I've been here.
When my mom and aunt went to tour the rest of Scotland, I walked around the city and got a pretty good feel for where everything is. I am two blocks away from the Glasgow Cathedral. Originally built in 1136, it is the only complete medieval cathedral left in Scotland although it was burned down in the 13th Century and then rebuilt. The cathedral reminds me of the Beast's castles from Beauty and the Beast especially at dusk. Next to the cathedral is the Necropolis, a large graveyard on a hill and is one of the weirdest places I have ever been. It was really creepy because I went on a cold rainy day when there was no one else there and the place smelled like oatmeal. There were also signs in front of some of the big tombs that said "Danger keep out". Hmmm...
The last night that Donna and Sandi were in Scotland, we went to a wee port town called Queensferry near Edinburgh on the Firth of Forth. There are two incredible bridges that you can see from the town. The Forth Rail Bridge is a huge, Victorian, cantilever bridge and is one of the biggest landmarks in Scotland, stretching a mile and a half across the water. The bridge was built in 1890 and it was the first bridge to ever use steel. The other is a modern suspension bridge for road traffic. As a civil engineer, I am very fascinated by these two great examples of human ingenuity so naturally I was inclined to see them. Here are some pictures I took of the two bridges, it was very dark out so they are a little blurry:
The first weekend, I went on a tour with fellow international students to the West End of Glasgow, which is a cool place on the other side of the city. I saw the University of Glasgow which has a lot nicer campus than Strathclyde's and the architecture reminds me of the Virginia Tech campus, except built with sandstone instead of limestone. Then, I went to the Kelvingrove Art Museum, which had a great collection of various 16th Century Dutch, Italian and Scottish artists. They also had an interesting exhibit on some of the history of Scotland.
During the whole first week, I just generally had a very good feeling heading into my semester in Scotland. I am really looking forward to the next 4 months of learning about Scottish culture, traveling around Europe, and meeting new people. I still can't get over the great accents that people have here.
That's all for now. I guess I will have to catch up later on last week's funtivities. Cheers
Pre-trip idiocy - I packed my three giant duffel bags about two hours before I left for the airport. Then, I proceeded to throw up on the flight over due to stomach sickness and a possible hangover from the night before. I didn't go to any classes the first week because I still didn't have my class schedule figured out for a number of reasons (mainly advisers at Tech and Strathclyde), even though I originally started looking at classes in August! I realize that the people here are a lot more laid back about these things than in America. My favorite response from my international adviser here was "don't worry, it will all work out in the end". Luckily she was right and it did work out, but it was very frustrating. I showed up to one class thinking it was a sophomore level intro to materials class and ended up being a graduate level advanced structures class. When I emailed the teacher to see what happened, she casually replied that she wasn't teaching anymore and the class wasn't being offered, good luck. Needless to say, it was a challenging first few days...
Anyways, when we actually got to Glasgow the morning of January 25th, we couldn't check in to the hotel til 2 pm so went to Edinburgh for the day. It is the capital of Scotland and a very beautiful city. It is known as the "Athens of the North" for the great architecture, rich history, and cultural appeal. The Royal Mile is the main strip of Old Town Edinburgh and is full of shops, pubs, and tons of historical sites. It is a busy city that I will definitely go back to visit because there is just so much to do there. Picture of Calton Hill taken from the North Bridge:
That day, I took a walk around the University of Strathclyde campus. There is some pretty interesting history with the university, which starts with its sister college, the University of Glasgow. The University of Glasgow was founded in 1451 and is the fourth oldest college in the world. It was located in the heart of the city, but when space became limited, it branched off and moved to the West End of Glasgow (will talk about that soon) and what was left became known as the University of Strathclyde. It doesn't really look like a normal college campus and even though the buildings aren't much to look at in terms of architecture, campus is pretty much in the heart of Glasgow. George Square is the center of the city and is about 3 blocks away from campus. It is a pretty cool place with a lot of shops, pubs, and statues. They held a celebration for the 250th birthday of Robert Burns, a very famous Scottish poet the night we arrived. There was a bagpipe band, light show, and fireworks in George Square. I thought it was celebrating my arrival... Here is a picture of the Robert Burns Illuminated presentation projected on the City Chambers:
My flat mates are all very nice and I get along with them all pretty well. One is from Ghana but lives in London, one is from Knoxville, TN, one is from France and is really weird, one is from Germany and one is from Poland. They are all very different but very interesting people except the French kid. But the flat mate from Ghana is a fulltime student here so he knows a lot about the city and has taken us to a couple bars and clubs nearby. The club scene is just a wee bit different than in the States. They play American pop and hip-hop songs with really fast techno/trance beats, such as my personal favorites Lady Gaga - Just Dance and Britney Spears - Circus. Also, the girls dress really weird here. They are all pale emo/punk/goth girls with one or more of the following: dyed/spiked hair, lip/nose ring, fishnet apparel, army boots, and oddly enough spandex leggings. It will take some getting used to...
My mom and Aunt Sandi helped me move into my flat which was very helpful because there were a lot of things that I realized I didn't have when I got here. Thanks Mah. Grocery stores are a little different, they don't have anything in bulk except beer, which is not entirely a bad thing. I think it's funny that they sell Budweiser, Coors and Miller high life like it's actually good beer. It is in the same price range as Stella Artois, Guinness, and Becks, which are actually good beers. Needless to say, I haven't had an American beer since I've been here.
When my mom and aunt went to tour the rest of Scotland, I walked around the city and got a pretty good feel for where everything is. I am two blocks away from the Glasgow Cathedral. Originally built in 1136, it is the only complete medieval cathedral left in Scotland although it was burned down in the 13th Century and then rebuilt. The cathedral reminds me of the Beast's castles from Beauty and the Beast especially at dusk. Next to the cathedral is the Necropolis, a large graveyard on a hill and is one of the weirdest places I have ever been. It was really creepy because I went on a cold rainy day when there was no one else there and the place smelled like oatmeal. There were also signs in front of some of the big tombs that said "Danger keep out". Hmmm...
The last night that Donna and Sandi were in Scotland, we went to a wee port town called Queensferry near Edinburgh on the Firth of Forth. There are two incredible bridges that you can see from the town. The Forth Rail Bridge is a huge, Victorian, cantilever bridge and is one of the biggest landmarks in Scotland, stretching a mile and a half across the water. The bridge was built in 1890 and it was the first bridge to ever use steel. The other is a modern suspension bridge for road traffic. As a civil engineer, I am very fascinated by these two great examples of human ingenuity so naturally I was inclined to see them. Here are some pictures I took of the two bridges, it was very dark out so they are a little blurry:
The first weekend, I went on a tour with fellow international students to the West End of Glasgow, which is a cool place on the other side of the city. I saw the University of Glasgow which has a lot nicer campus than Strathclyde's and the architecture reminds me of the Virginia Tech campus, except built with sandstone instead of limestone. Then, I went to the Kelvingrove Art Museum, which had a great collection of various 16th Century Dutch, Italian and Scottish artists. They also had an interesting exhibit on some of the history of Scotland.
During the whole first week, I just generally had a very good feeling heading into my semester in Scotland. I am really looking forward to the next 4 months of learning about Scottish culture, traveling around Europe, and meeting new people. I still can't get over the great accents that people have here.
That's all for now. I guess I will have to catch up later on last week's funtivities. Cheers
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