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Ahhh…finally its week 2 in Glasgow. Health check: Vomit more than once, blood test once and back pain all the time. Happy-o-meter : ooookay I think, I am 80% cheerful and 20% nauseous. So, I guess it’s quite a successful week.
In between Adam Smith, Gramsci and Hegel, I manage to squeeze in Pan`s Labybrinth and Amin Maalouf’s Balthasar ‘s Oddysey. Like the Genoan-originated book seller in the story, learning Glasgow has been an emotional journey for me these past weeks. Apart from arguing politics or international affairs at different levels and with diverse interpretations, tolerance became a challenge for everyone, I guess. Not in the bad way of course. Few discussion with my coursemates revealed that our views and perspective are very much influenced by our own experiences and that can either be a connecting point for a great discussion or otherwise. But I valued the arguments in classes just the same. If we are to be a bunch of duplicated robots agreeing on everything, surely we need not spend our time learning international relations or world politics or …Adam Smith. When the going gets rough, I just laughed, sit back and enjoy the aggressiveness of the people arguing their cases.
Last weekend was also the time when I mourned for the sold out tickets for Arcade Fire’s coming up gig. Arcade Fire, the Montreal orchestral rock/pop extraordinaire is scheduled to tour Europe next spring in conjunction with the release of their sophomore album-Neon Bible on March 6 (which is also my birthday, hint! hint!). In just few hours, their tickets for the gig in Barrowlands are sold out! There goes a great plan for my coming birthday! Unless I grow nuts and buy their tickets on bid at E-bay. Well, if I think 200£ is nothing compared to the wonderful experience of watching Win and Regine “live”.
I ate lots of Indian food these past two weeks. I was too lazy to demonstrate my great cooking skills and opted for Indian delicacies take away down the Lymburn St. Speaking of India and the issue of tolerance, Shilpa Shetty‘ s controversy of being bullied in the Big Brother Show is just getting hilarious. Read here. An enlightened comment made by the media rep. for the show was “those are merely clash of cultural or class diferences” and…errs…wouldn’t that amount to racial remarks too?
I need to get more books this week. I am losing my imagination, well, most of it. There’s a nice small shop selling works by Mikhael Bulgakov, Salman Rushdie and something about David Bowie.
Ta and good night my Union Guy. Distance is a temporary setback. J
Its my first week in the Clyde. The cold wet weather is still bearable. I think. Untill the cruel ghastly snow shows up later in the month, I guess. Anders, our international student guide, fast into becoming my verbal duelling mate was always reassuring us, “the weather is fine”. Oh, sure. He has been here for eons and I have been basking in the tropical sun all my life.
The University of Glasgow is like a huge community area of its own. Apart from providing the opportunity for newcomers like me to be lost, the University area is made up of beautiful ancient looking building with nice brownish slab stones and the works. My personal favourite is the Scott Gilbert Hall. An open hall consisting of beautiful cloisters of gothic looking arches, it used to be the only hall for students to have their academic lectures. The middle part of the hall was used to separate the Humanities School and the Science School which had they lectures together in the same hall as they like to fight alot. (HS: You’ re bunch of soul-less nerdies with no passion for life! SS: Oh sure, and u think those mopped hair, dreamy lyrics and tight jeans can save the world?). The centre part of the hall was also supposed to be the area where both schools had their fencing duels. Well, after exchange of verbal insults just got tiring, I assume. After years of establishment, more and more students came in and hence, the demand for more space. So, they built more buildings to place the growing number of students, but of course around the historic open hall and still in accordance to the humanity-science boundary.
Today, we will be touring Glasgow with bus so it is a pretty relaxed day. The fellows are a nice bunch of peeps too. We have Yasmine, the gorgeous smart lass from Egypt, Mani, the soft spoken activist from Ethiopia, Hamideh, the environmental activist from Iran, Nadia, also an activist from Khartoum, Sudan, Murtaaz, a funny large guy from Syria and of course many more. Those not mentioned is because I am running out of time to write but of course, I love you guys too. (Its 7.30 am, and I need to take my shower!)
So, I will write some more later. What with Chumbawamba, Keane, The Killers, Bloc Party, Kaiser Chief, New Order, Iron Maiden will be playing here in Glasgow… maybe an amateurish attempt at writing gig reviews? Well, why not. I am also checking out the new band to emerge from Glasgow-The Fratellis. They are creating quite a buzz here.
I will also post pictures much later. No great snaps yet.
Till then, ta!
The blog is about my short 3 month stint in the cold and wet land of Glasgow. But don’t worry, amid the gloomy dull weather, Glasgow is pretty much a colorful city; international communities, rock bands, curries and of course, kilt. So, enjoy the bits and pieces of my experience, a pelikat wearing female experimenting the taste of the “kilt”. Do drop by, when you are free!
