Scotland II

Wherever you go, you will always face the unfamiliar. Even if you have already been there before, there will always be situations that are unfamiliar to you.

My last blog will focus on a few topics. Before going to Scotland, I have not really known much about the country and its culture. But this made it also exciting. I went there, just knowing a few things from TV or other sources, but haven't really done my research about it. The decision to go to Scotland was a personal response to my feelings. I just felt it in some way, that it was the choice I have to take. So, facing the unfamiliar by going to this country for the first time ever was an exciting step. I think it's never wrong to do something even if you don’t know what's going to happen, how it’s going to be, or how you would enjoy it. Getting familiar with an unknown country is an ongoing process which takes place over some time. Through being there and experiencing the live, the people, nature and all other influences, suddenly the unfamiliar gets familiar. That's nothing that you really can influence. In my case, I think I got fortunate with my flat mates. We were a group of 5 students from 3 different countries from all around Europe. So we really had a connection, and we became friends really fast. Therefore, we did a lot together. We rented a car, booked some hostels in the countryside, and started a road trip. The road trip was even more about doing something together, rather than what you did.  But for the factor personal experience, we saw quite a lot of the natural as well as the artistic side of Scotland.

To concretize my essay, I want to give you a short inside about my experience of how I got familiar with the university (Glasgow School of Art) and its tutors and students. I think it is similar to what I wrote above in the first half of my essay. Time changes the unfamiliar to the familiar. But socially, the people studying with you are even more critical. The students from the semester I joined were really welcoming and friendly. They all were welcoming from the very first moment and therefore allowed me to feel comfortable from the very second. To familiarize me with the institution was mostly through the tutors. They were helpful and tried to find a solution to all problems. During the whole time, despite the 80 students in my semester, I never felt left alone. They always tried to help with anything unknown or with questions about internal university guidelines. 

For me, and I think that's the same for every other student in the world, an exchange is not different than starting your study at your home institution. It's the same situation, just somewhere else and with different people. I achieved a lot during my stay in Scotland, experienced a new country, learned new ways how to design architecture, struggled to communicate with Scottish people sometimes, but still managed to solve this and other problems. But the most crucial impact or achievement I will take with me is the friends. I think that's the most important thing about it, I mean, of course, we go there to study, but that's just a small part. We really grow in our experience and intercultural learning through the people we meet.