First Week of Classes...DONE!

Hello readers! I'm writing this post a little early, since my Sunday is going to be busy! I am planning to visiting the Harry Potter Bridge and Glencoe. It's a day tour that my friend Rachel and I signed up for, specifically for international students in Glasgow.

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Anyways, I just finished my first week at GCU (Glasgow Caledonian University). The schooling here is WAY different. Firstly they have lectures and seminars. Lectures are pretty much self explanatory--the teacher lectures you for one to two hours. Seminars though are basically group work or interactive work. I had my first seminar on Tuesday and basically we just split into groups and worked on a handout the teacher gave us. It wasn't super difficult though. The only problem I'm finding, and maybe it's just specifically in my Sport and Community class, is that I don't know anything that's specifically happening here in Scotland. Apparently there is a HUGE shortage of facilities for people to workout in Scotland and a shortage for people to participate in physical activity. It's interesting to learn about the connection between physical activity and community engagement. If you think about it, sporting events is a HUGE tourism/community builder. It brings people in from outside your community, but also people who are in your community. Since I am not from Scotland, I do not know what they are doing in their communities and whether or not they have good turnouts or bad. After speaking with some of my group members from Scotland, they said that sports seem to be a bigger deal in America. I can tell that classes are going to be a bit tougher here, since they expect you to do your own readings and everything in your own time. I am nervous about this new way of doing school, but I am here and I have to do it (haha). It's not like I can drop classes here if it gets tough. I just need to remember to use my resources like tutors, the library, etc. It'll be a crazy next twelve weeks---yeah the semester is only twelve weeks compared to sixteen weeks back home! That's part I'm excited about.

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Today Rachel and I went to the west end of Glasgow, which is over by Glasgow University. Hogwarts architecture of their court yard is similar to Glasgow University's courtyard and arches. It was super amazing to see in person! We mostly just walked around the west end, visited a Harry Potter store called Magic Roots, then took pictures down an alley way which led to a small section of shops. I am always amazed how fast the sunsets. Granted we didn't leave our rooms until 12:30pm, but the sun was setting by 3pm! We decided to eat an early dinner at Handmade Burger Co. with the classic milkshake, burger and chips. After that we window shopped a little bit then headed back to our dorm rooms. I have to say, we are struggling trying to find things to do that don't cost money. Shops here close super early and we don't want to necessarily spend money on drinks or going to a movie. Well, I'll update you all later about how our trip to the Harry Potter Bridge goes tomorrow! Until then, enjoy these pictures from today!