I realize that I haven't written in what must seem like forever (6 weeks?)...but getting settled in Glasgow has been so busy! I suppose I'll digress for a moment and say a bit about the end of my travels in Amsterdam....
Laura and I got into Amsterdam on a Saturday after flying from Venice. It was a long day what with all the travelig to the airport, waiting around, flying and navigating the train from the airport outside of Amsterdam. When Laura and I found our hostel, the White Tulip, it was in the Red Ligth District. It was madness! We climbed our way to the top of the hostel, up some incredibly steep stairs and met with a few old friends of mine who had already checked in. It was so good to see Jenny (one of my best friends who I met in Aberdeen), Mark (an Irish friend from Aberdeen) and his cousin Declan (who I met in Chicago last summer). It was so great to see them all and having Laura there made it perfect. We went for drinks that night at the Irish pub next to our hostel as well as a cafe/bar called the Grasshopper. It was a hilarious night!
The next few days saw us do our touristy duties, checking out (as one does) a sex museum, grabbing some Haagen Dazs, going to the Heineken Experience, Hash Museum, Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House. It was a great few days and we made sure to see a few different bars every night. The best night was definitely our last one where we checked out a different Irish pub and ended up at a bar called Amsterdamned. It was awesome! The next day, Jenny, Laura and I headed back to London where we spent a day relaxing and catching up with Harry, another friend of ours from Aberdeen. It was a great way to end our trip but I was still sad that it was all over. It was so amazing to backpack with my best friend. It's an expereince I'm sure I'll never forget.
Laura and Jenny took me up to Glasgow the second weekend in September. Jenny headed off to Edinburgh to start her Masters program and Laura went back to London a couple days later to get settled in her flat and find a job. I missed them both a lot initially but that was to be expected since they're some of my best girls. I have a great place here in Glasgow...simple, but great. I live in a building of flats organized by the University called Winton Drive. It's an older building but the inside of the flats is pretty new. I have lucked out and only have one flatmate (I expected to have four) and she's great. Her name is Sarah and she's from Fife, just outside of Edinburgh. We get along great and I couldn't ask for a better flatmate.
Classes started after about a week of me being here and I'm absolutely loving it. My degree is called a Masters of Literature in Modernities so I focus, more or less, on literature (as well as some theatre and art) from the first half of the twentieth century. On Mondays from 5-7 I have my core course and there are about twelve of us in the class. The core course focuses on important movements within Modernity and is a really interesting class. Each week a different professor talks to us about what they focus on within Modernity. Everyone in my course gets along great so it's a ton of fun. Tuesdays and Wednesdays I meet with my option courses. I chose to take Modernisit Sexualities and it's really interesting. My professor is am amazing woman named Vassiliki Kolocotroni. She's really great and has made such an effort to get to know us all which is amazing. The seminar time for the class is Wednesdays from 5-7 and on Tuesdays we all get together and watch a modernist film from 11-1. Thursdays I have a research seminar from 1-2 which helps us prepare for our dissertation and for future PhD work if that's what we want to do. It's really helpful. You may be thinking that I'm not in class very much and you're right. But the amount of reading I have to do more than makes up for it. I'm trying to get ahead on my two papers for this semester going as well as staying on top of presentations so its definitely busy. There are a lot of reading groups available as well and this Friday I'm checking out a "Works in Progress" seminar where PhD students and professors read the papers that they're working on. I think it'll be a great chance for me a learn about research methods so that I can have an idea of what to expect when I start my own. I'm thankful that I'm not working for this first semester while I settle in and get myself in order. Being able to focus on school 100% is great.
I can't believe I'm here!!!!!! It catches me off guard sometimes, extremely surreal. It's just so crazy that for the last two years I've been trying to get back over here and now it's finally happening. I love every minute and am thankful for everyday. It's the most amazing feeling to look forward to everyday of your life. To have been out of school for a year has really made me appreciate just how inspiring it is to be a student and how much I need to cherish it. I'm so lucky to have the family and friends that do who are constantly supporting me. Without my parents I certainly would not be over here. I will try not to sound cheesy, but I really hope they realize how much I appreciate all that they've done for me. I'm thankful everyday for the opportunities they've given me. I miss them so much!
On a lighter note, it's also amazing to have Laura in London and Jenny and Chris in Edinburgh. Edinburgh is only an hour away and makes seeing two of my favorite people extremely easy. The bus to Edinburgh only costs three pounds fifty which is great! I just wish all my friends and family could be here! But then I would never get anything accomplished! Haha. Ahhhhh life is good. The new friends that I've made are so much fun, I just know that this year is going to be really amazing. I think that I overuse the word "amazing" but I hope that you know it's only because of my perpetual excitment! Anyways....I won't continue on any further tonight as I have to get started on my reading for next week. I promise to keep this blog up to date as best as I can from now on. If I can be sure to write in here once a week then I'd say I'm doing quite well! Wish me luck!
xx Vanessa
