First few weeks in Glasgow

It has now been a little over three weeks since I first reached Glasgow.

At first, it took some getting used to, especially with the rainy weather. However, I have settled in quite well and am so far really enjoying the city and the people. I have been out exploring Glasgow, and have really loved photographing the beautiful buildings and picturesque streets. One of my courses is a black and white photography course and I’m very glad I took it because it allows me to pay more attention to small details that I would usually overlook. Walking around the city with a camera has been a very fun way of getting to know different places and I have so far been very happy with everything I’ve seen and everywhere I’ve visited.

One of the first great photo opportunities was when it snowed last week! I come from an island, so I had never seen snow before, so I was quite excited. It snowed all day and it was wonderful to watch (from my warm room with my hot chocolate). I did go out after a while as I wanted to make some pictures and document this important event in my life. It wasn’t as cold as I expected, so that was a pleasant surprise.

The next set of photos I made were at the Kelvingrove park and at the Botanic Gardens. I really enjoyed the park as it offered a great chance to capture nature. It was a lovely walk and just ahead I found many cobbled streets and amazing architecture; a great combination for a nice photograph. The Botanic Gardens were also very nice as I got to see many tropical plants that we have back home and I was able to make nice close-up pictures of some orchids.

Another thing I really like about Glasgow is how many great places there are to eat. I visited Crolla’s, which was voted the best ice cream parlour in Scotland. I was not disappointed. I went there two days in a row and loved their ice cream and cookies. I also tried the takeaway system in the UK and have so far enjoyed Italian and Chinese. Luckily the University of Glasgow has an amazing gym, where I went to try and balance my calorie intake of the week! The gym also offers a vast amount of exercise classes so I plan on taking a few of those too.

When it comes to coursework, I have so far been enjoying my courses at the University. I am finding it interesting to learn under a different system than what I’m used to, and since the courses I’m taking here are not available at my home University, I’m constantly learning new things and tackling new problems in all kinds of creative ways. I am also quite happy with my living conditions and have no complaints about my accommodation at all. I have been improving my cooking and cleaning skills, something my future husband will be quite grateful for.

I look forward to exploring more of Glasgow and of Scotland and I can confidently say that my experience so far has been very enjoyable.