SCOTLAND - GLASGOW
Despite all the stress about finding a flat, I've had a great time so far in Glasgow. The city is very lively, lots of diverse people, music on every corner, beautiful old buildings and great pub’s, café’s and club’s. There are also wonderful parks where you can enjoy the sun, read a bit or enjoy the time with friends there and there are a lot of squirrels.
One activity I particularly enjoyed was the Scottish dancing. It is called ceilidh dancing. I was told that everyone who goes to primary school in Scotland learns the traditional dance at school and on special occasions such as weddings ceilidh is often danced. During the welcome week, we got the chance to look into the dance culture of the Scots and learn the different dances ourselves. It was a bit chaotic at the beginning but after a short time we got the hang of it. It was great fun and we were accompanied by live music the whole time. The dance is usually danced in pairs. But there are also constellations for more than two people. There is a lot of jumping, spinning, clapping and laughing.
By the way, live music is also available in many pubs. My personal favourite is the MacSorley's pub. A different band plays there almost every night and I have never been disappointed. Sometimes blues, indie, folk songs or rock. The music has been great there every time so far. And the people in Glasgow are very friendly and always helpful. Something I have never experienced so strong in any other place. If you are waiting at the bus station, sitting in a pub or sitting on a park bench and someone sits next to you, you can be sure you will be smiled at and a conversation will start. So all in all, I really like it here. I haven't really experienced a big culture shock. Only small things, like more ready-meals in shops and unreliable bus connections. And the weather was really nice for the first two weeks, but now it rains almost every day but never the whole day just every now and then.
But now a little bit about my experience finding a place to stay. That was my only problem so far but it was a big one. I belong to the group of students who did not get a place in a student hall of residence. But I didn't think that would be a problem and that I would definitely get accommodation before arriving in Glasgow. After a long time of searching and still without success, I teamed up with other exchange students to look for a flat together. But still without success. A week before my arrival, I decided to rent an Airbnb for a few days with another student as a temporary solution, because we thought it would be easier to find a flat locally. But that was not the case. After a long conversation with the Glasgow University of Arts, in which they explained to us that the housing market had never been so bad and that they couldn't really help us, the mood was a little depressed after that. Luckily soon after that we found an Airbnb for six which is more expensive than the normal accommodation but it's really hard to find anything else at the moment.
In the meantime, however, we still had to bridge 5 days, so we went to a hostel. The worst nights ever. One of the men in our room had a habit of snoring loudly all night long. But at least it was only for five nights and after that we moved in the new Airbnb. It is located in the West End. This is the most desirable part of town to live in. It is very beautiful here with the most beautiful park, shops, café’s, and much more. Now I share a room/bed with another art student and the rest of the flat is also filled with great people. The flat is a bit full but we make it comfortable for ourself and enjoy the time.