Sorry for not blogging last week. Friends have started pouring in every weekend, so we're busier than ever. Last weekend, Tucker, Liam's friend from home, came to visit. He's doing a semester abroad in Dublin, so he's pretty close to us. He was the first visitor we've had here and none of us really knew what to expect. I don't think any of us were prepared for the weekend. When friends visit, I feel like there's this pressure to make sure they have as much fun as you're having, which can be difficult in Glasgow because we always have a good time. Apparently we thrive under pressure -- I had the most fun last weekend that I've had since I've been here. We also met a "star" at one of Laura's flatmate's birthday party last weekend. When I say "star," I'm using that term loosely. I'm not sure how this guy got to the flat party, but he and his massive amounts of body odor were there. His name is Freddie "Halfwit" Fisher, and he made it to week 10 on the last season of Big Brother. I find it strange that he was at a party full of 19 year olds, but he enjoyed himself and came back for breakfast the next morning.
Last week was pretty typical. Five days of classes, then the weekend. Before the weekend could begin however, I had my first test here. All the students we talked to before coming here said that the school part wasn't going to be hard and that we'd all be totally fine academically. They obviously haven't taken the classes I'm taking. I started the day off studying in the anatomy museum on campus because it's creepy, so no one ever goes there, which makes it pretty quiet and easy to do work in. Then I went to my test -- not in my normal classroom, but in this giant hall that was just full of desks. Row after row after row after row of desks. I got settled at one of the many desks and waited for instructions. I had to fill out three forms before I could even start thinking about taking the test. When I finished filling out those forms, my professor blew a whistle and the whole room started furiously filling in their scantrons. The atmosphere wasn't the only scary thing about this test: it consisted of 59 multiple choice 40 matching and 32 true/false... all in 45 minutes! I may have been the only person to finish, so I'll be interested to see the results. That's the last test I have for a while, thank goodness.
After the test, I was most definitely ready for the weekend. Good thing, because it was Callum's (Laura's flatemate) actual birthday. Instead of sticking to our routine of going to The Hive on Thursdays, we went to a bar, Revolution, and then to a club, Bamboo. Since clubs are generally expensive here, we haven't been going to them; however, Bamboo was SO CHEAP! Every drink was one pound and cover was only three pounds. The atmosphere of the club was really cool too -- it was divided into three rooms and each room played different music. One room was for relaxing and was decorated with all these modern couches. Another room was just the bar and the last room had the dance floor in it, where I broke it down like a pro. It was perfect for celebrating after a difficult exam, so celebrate I did. Needless to say, the next day was not very fun.
On Friday, we all met up at our place, Morton's, for some delicious (and necessary) bagels. I'm not sure if I've described these bagels in detail yet, but all that needs to be said is that they come from heaven. Then we headed to another one of my favorite places: TopShop. Something about this store just pulls me in. They must change their merchandise twice a week, because every time I go in they have something new and even cuter than they had before. It's dangerous. That night, Sarah's roommate, Rebecca, and her friend came to visit. They arrived just after our family dinner but right in time for cheesy pop, which is good because you can't do Glasgow properly without a trip to cheesy pop. I danced the night away, singing to my favorite songs, and went home looking like a sweaty mess. It was good though, because I worked off the fabulous brinner (breakfast for dinner) that we had before going.
Saturday I joined Sarah and her friends for some touring of Glasgow. We showed them Morton's (obviously) and then took them around the university, showing them where we go to class each day. I wish the day had been sunnier, but it was beautiful nonetheless. They were amazed at how gorgeous the University of Glasgow is. They are doing a program in Strasbourg, France, and were telling us how their buildings are those ones that looked cool in the 1970s, but not so much anymore.
When we were done walking around the campus, we went to the Kelvingrove Museum again. The two girls had just done Paris and weren't exactly in a museum mood, so we skipped the museum and headed to Buchanan Street to show them Merchant City and George's Square. While on Buchanan Street, we saw this crazy band playing traditional Scottish music. They looked like something out of Braveheart. We stopped and watched them for a while, taking pictures and being astonished at their arm muscles. It was a successful day, but by the end of it our feet were hurting and we needed to rest, so we headed home to get ready for the night.
The night was epic, to say the least. We started with another family dinner of pizza, which was absolutely delicious. Then we headed to the GUU (Glasgow University Union) for a foam party. Yes, a foam party. We were all wearing the most ridiculous outfits complete with flip flops and sunglasses that were totally out of place for the time of day and the weather, but they were necessary. We all looked outrageous, I'm actually pretty surprised that they let us in. We went straight to the dance floor, where they started to turn on the foam. I wish I had taken pictures, but I didn't want to ruin my camera in the foam so I didn't even bring it. The foam was up to my knees and I looked like I had just taken a four hour bubble bath. People were slipping and sliding around and throwing foam all over the place. There were points in the night where I thought I was going to drown in the foam because they just kept spraying it and my eyes started to burn because my sunglasses weren't doing a very good job of protecting me. When the night was over, we all looked like wet dogs, had all lost our sunglasses, and some of us had lost our shoes. Getting in a cab to go home was absolutely hilarious. We all glided our way into it and then sloshed around in the seats at every turn because we were so slippery. I showered immediately when I got home and woke up this morning looking like an absolutely beauty -- puffy eyes from the foam and hair a mess. Another successful weekend in Glasgow, I'd say.
This coming week is going to be interesting and exciting. My friend, Hannah, is coming to visit with two of her friends. Her two friends are actually roommates of Laura and Sarah from home, so I have a feeling things are going to get crazy. Not to mention this weekend is Valentine's Day weekend, so there are bound to be a plethora of events to keep us entertained. On Saturday, we're trying to go to a masquerade ball to celebrate, which should be fun! We have to find masks to wear, so I'm sure I'll end up going to Buchanan Street (and probably TopShop) again. This week will be one to remember, so I'll make sure to not wait another two weeks before blogging again.
Sounds like sooo much fun!! I am definitely jealous!! Miss you lots xx
ReplyDelete