Friday, August 31, 2012

Taking on Scotland Day One

So here I am, in my dorm room in Scotland. I can't believe it! It's so surreal.  I took off yesterday after a tearful goodbye on my end.

 When we took off my head was hurting but it wasn't terrible. I figured that if it got worse that I could get the advil from my purse. After watching Mirror Mirror, which was suprisingly funny, my head was throbbing. I looked in my bag for advil, but I had forgotten to pack it in my carryon. I even asked the people next to me if they had any but they had left it in their luggage as well. Can you imagine sitting through a 9 hour flight with a throbbing head? It was terrible. I couldn't go to sleep because I couldn't get my head in the right position. I figured it was a pressure headache but it didn't go away when we landed.

So my quest in the London airport was to find some advil. But silly me, I didn't remember that the UK is not the same as the US and doesn't sell advil. I bought a drug for headaches but I wanted to wait and take something I had taken before. It seemed like I would have to wait until my Glasgow to get rid of my evil headache.

Aside from my predicament, the London airport was very hard to navigate around. I had to take a long shuttle to my terminal but it wasn't even my terminal. I had to wait until my gate was ready and possibly take another shuttle to my plane's gate. Thank god my gate was in the original waiting terminal. So I boarded the hour plane with the same hanous headache. Thankfully, this plane ride was only an hour. I don't know what I would've done if it was longer.

Asside: The difference in Heathrow and the Glasgow airport reminds me of the difference between the Denver airport and the Colorado Springs airport. Glasgow's airport is not huge like London's but it is good for its city.

So anyway, I grabbed my luggage and was suprised to see the University of Glasgow waiting for me. They said that Glasgow is known as one of the friendliest cities in the world and it's true (at least my experience with the students today). They talked to me like they had known me my whole life. It was one of the best welcomings I've ever had.

I, along with other international students, boarded a bus and headed to our new living quarters for the next semester. Our student leader was very kind and pointed out all of the cool places to go. Of course, I forgot all of what he said because I grabbed my advil from my bag and took a nap as soon as I got to my dorm room.

My room is nice and actually bigger than I thought it would be. It is a little drab but I just need to personalize it. The flat itself has a very interesting layout. There is a long hall with single bedrooms, bathrooms, and doors marked as "toilets", "shower", or "bathroom". It is interesting that they decided to seperate the bathrooms into smaller units. Then there is a huge kitchen. I hope to have dinner parties sometime in my near future.

After my cat nap I was emotionally worn out from all of my travels so I had a much needed skype session with my mom and Marley. Then I skyped with my wonderful Big, who is sending me a care package full of things to know (since she studied abroad here last year). I don't know what I'd do without her.

I decided that I needed to walk around and find something to eat. Although it's rainy, it is so pretty here.  I walked to a conveince store and got dinner. Now I am back at my dorm, settling in for the night.

To be honest, it has been a hard day. Although I am not in completely forgein country, it has still been a big change for me. Like I have been saying , I have to get used to the fact that stores don't carry advil. Although it's hard to be in a new place, I feel like its the right thing. I have to have this experience to prove to myself that I can do this. I know by the end of this, I won't want to leave. Until later everyone. Day one complete:D.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Roots Before Branches

This is my blog of my abroad experience at the University of Glasgow. I know, I know.  I probably should be studying in some foreign country like France or Capetown (those were my original choices) but I decided to study where William and Kate met (not exactly...they met an hour away at St. Andrews). The University of Glasgow is a great fit for me in all seriousness. They have education classes for undergraduates and I can't take those classes at my university. They also speak English, so I wont be overly out of my comfort zone. Finally, my mom's great-grandmother's family is also from Scotland, so it will be a little like  finding my heritage (which is awesome because I love history).

I am excited and a little nervous to study abroad. It is no secret that I get homesick really easily. I do go to an out of state college but I come home quite often (because I can't stay away from my dog for too long :D) So this will be an adventure.

When I think about living in the UK for a semester I think about rooming with Duchess Catherine, going to class with Hermione Granger, becoming best friends with Mary Crawly, singing with One Direction, or meeting my Mr. Darcy or Captain Wentworth. I know it will probably be nothing like that but a girl can dream, can't she?

So here I go. Off to Scotland. My plane leaves tomorrow and I am more than nervous. I don't want to leave my family and friends (especially Marley, my dog). And on top of that, I hate airplanes and the airport. This could be interesting, seeing that I have not been on a plane by myself for more than two hours, but I am ready to beat my fear. Challenge accepted! Although I am scared for this experience I am excited to partake in many adventures in another country.

I will leave y'all with a cheesy video. I know it's lame but I think it fits my feelings about my abroad experience. It exemplifies my nervousness about leaving home but shows my excitement for something new. I have to remember that change is a good thing.