Travel Journal – Glasgow (Scotland) – Part 1 (First impressions through the eyes of a student)

I’ve never been good at first impressions. Well, never been great at the last ones too. The impression that has worked for me lies somewhere in between - in the chaotic and adventurous journey. That’s how it was with Glasgow. It didn't make a good first impression, nor a great last impression (you will know why, later in this series).

For most, the dark, dreary, somber concrete of Glasgow is a place that doesn’t offer much. The relentless rain, cloud, and wind that cuts through your clothes and pinches the skin, doesn’t sound like a place one would rather choose to be at. Coming from a place where the weather is almost the opposite, Glasgow felt like heaven.

After completing my undergraduate studies from Lahore, I was blessed with the opportunity to pursue my post-graduate studies from Strathclyde Business School. I had a couple of other options in England (Exeter, Leicester, Durham, Bath, York, London), but what made me choose Glasgow was the fact that the University was situated right in the city center, in the midst of the hustle and bustle, in the heat of culture, offering events, concerts, festivals, rallies, and unforgettable (and sometimes forgettable) nightlife. Also, the lower costs as compared to the rest of the cities :P

After getting off of the airport and entering the city for the first time, my first impression about the city, the buildings and the roads as i stared out the foggy window of the bus was… “grey”. Yeah. That is the exact word that came to my mind. Everything was grey. The sky, the clouds, the buildings, roads… it was all grey and wet from the rain which I just couldn’t see, yet I felt it as soon as I got off to check out my room. The rain always cheated the eyes.

Among many things, i’m a nomad at heart. I don’t like staying at a particular place, for a very long time. I have this constant urge to move on. To experience new shenanigans. Make friends with all sorts of people from all walks of life.
To me, this is when I’m truly living. Nothing beats this feeling, and I think it’s coming back to me again. ;D Hmm, where to this time?

The flat on the second floor.

I crave independence. I have ever since I can remember. To be free from the shackles of society, norms, and traditions; things that one ‘ought’ to do instead of really wanting to do them. Whenever I have even tried to stubbornly or rather stupidly pursue this terribly philosophy, the universe just makes it a point to fuck things up, and I realize i don’t like myself when I try to ‘conform’.

Hence, my current mantra is this – Live and let live. If you love something, let it go. Open door policy for all. Have fun. Focus on your well-being, and remove all negativity from yourself, and NEVER stop being yourself, for that is where the bird-poop hits the head.

The idea of living independently, on my own, still entices me as much as it did then. It’s not like I was shackled and bound inside my home in Lahore or anything, it’s more of a feeling. Maybe it’s what they mean when they say that an Aquarius needs independence?

My room. This is where I stayed at. The comfy little bed. A closet. A sink. A desk. And the window that opened up to the bar across the street, and a view of high street. Beautiful isn’t it? :D

Settling into my flat was exhilarating. Happiness is at its greatest when it is shared right? I shared the apartment with 5 guys from 4 different countries. Germany, Ireland, Thailand, and China. For the first time in my life, I also shared one toilet with five people. Haha.

My first day was spent organizing the room, meeting my flatmates, calling home and telling them that I was okay, getting groceries, and strolling about the streets. Bliss.

I have a thing for random street photography.

It took a couple of weeks for me to begin an understanding of the Scottish accent. At first, it seems as if everyone is speaking a weird dialect of Pushto. However, if you listen closely, you realize, its English, just spoken in a way that makes the person speaking sound as if he/she has a stone stuck in the throat. The accent Is beautiful by the way. Promise.

Being in the city center, I had everything that I wanted in the vicinity. An Aldi store for groceries, laundry machine in the second building, a local shop for smokes, an ATM, bar across the street, and the constant rain to remind me that I am responsible for my own well-being. That’s a little weird, but that’s how it felt. Whenever it rains, it turns on this primal instinct to protect.

View from the window.

After getting the hang of things, and my university schedule, I experienced a very snowy Christmas. I remember putting on shorts and a jacket and going out in the city at about 3 am in the morning to take these pictures.

Glaswegians have a fetish for putting traffic cones on statues. All the time.

George Square now had a skating rink, a ferris wheel, and these reindeers.

In the next part in this series, I will describe the rest of the city, as I venture out and about to explore new places.
Cheers!

NOTE: This series is going to be one with a LOT of words and pictures, because, well, I have a lot of them, especially for Scotland.

Note: The first image is from Google. The Gif from Giphy. com. Every other picture is my own.