Being a GLOCAL student does not only mean a schedule filled with lectures, seminars and hours of readings. Of course, academic responsibilities are a big part of it but another important factor is that of living in different places, getting to know new people and new cultures. Jennifer, Ana-Francia, Penny, Anlii and Leilt are giving us an insight into the reality of living a semester in Scotland through their Glaswegian beReals.
October
Jennifer
Due to the high number of students taking the Globalised Economy course that is part of the GLOCAL curriculum, we had our lectures in a church. How beautiful!
Ana Francia
Just a normal study day at the Postgraduate section of the library. The library in Glasgow is a 12-floor building with a lot of study spaces. The Postgraduate section is on floor 5 and is a quieter area with group rooms. A great place to work on class assignments. Plus: the sunsets from the top floor are breathtaking!
We are eating bagels near the uni in between lectures because it was a busy week so we had no chance to cook.
Whisky Tasting of the GU Malt Whisky Society with Penny, Jennifer and Miriam. Glasgow University has a lot of societies: sports, culture, creativity – there is something for everyone. A great way to get to know people with the same interests! Here, we had 3 drams of Highland whiskies. Our favorite was the Loch Lomond.
Penny
Some of the GLOCALS decided to plan a trip to the Isle of Skye. The Isle of Skye is our first GLOCAL trip together. Glasgow’s academic life is busy, but we still need to explore Scotland! . I have to say, it was definitely worth it! It is an island in the North-West of Scotland with beautiful highland landscapes. Here we are doing a little hiking on the Isle of Skye.
Ana Francia
We stayed all together in a hostel on the Isle of Skye.
Penny
On our way back to Glashow for our Varieties of Capitalism class…
Halloween Subcrawl! What great fun to have my first crawl with GLOCALs! The Glasgow subway was built 125 years ago. Stopping by each station and visiting different bars was a great experience.
Ana Francia
Eliza made chilaquiles (a typical Mexican dish) for us.
Just GLOCALS hanging and de-stressing after the Globalised Economy lecture.
November
Anlii
Professor Duncan organized “GLOCAL Forums” where alumni and other external speakers gave us ideas and inspiration for life after GLOCAL. In the words of Professor Duncan: “It is an informal, non-compulsory opportunity to think a little bit more about what we are studying.”
Ana Francia
That day was Día de los muertos in Mexico. I found a way to get Pan de muerto (a tradition of this day) in Glasgow. The Mexican crew got together to eat some with hot chocolate. It was delicious!
I am a student representative along with Lourence and Maarten. This was a meeting in preparation for our Student Staff Liaison meeting.
Eliza, Maarten, Lorenzo and I went to a Celtic Match!
Us studying and debating the VoC readings at the Alchemy Experiment – a coffee shop and art gallery close to the University.
Penny
We had a Sukiyaki party hosted by our resident chef Stephen (a Canadian/Chinese/Japanese GLOCAL) with Asahi beer. What a night!
Ana Francia
Ceilidh night with the GLOCALS: Ceilidh is a traditional Scottish dance and, even for beginners, is a lot of fun!
Dinner and karaoke at Queen Mary Union.
Jennifer
Working hard for the Variety of Capitalism presentation.
Ana Francia
We went to Sheila’s live radio show “biblical excerpts”, based on the Red Shoes tale.
Penny
Definitely my favorite GLOCAL beReals so far. We had a Potluck at the Havannah House, a private accommodation where a few GLOCALs were staying. We had such a good time coming together and everyone brought something from their different delicious exotic cuisines.
Jennifer
Potluck day!
Sneaking into the graduation ceremony of GLOCAL IV.
December
Anlii
“What is Christmas for us?” – we went to the Christmas market and enjoyed. Can you tell that we were super worried about the final essays?
Penny
Daytime is getting shorter and shorter, and so is the deadline for our final essays. I love the moment when I bump into other GLOCALs working on assignments.
Ana Francia
World cup final. We took this just when the game took a surprising turn. Fun fact: Jan and Steve – our VoC professors from Germany and Kyoti – were there with us in the bar.
Penny
When you have an essay deadline on Dec 19 but the final of the world cup is on the 18th….We’ll see who is the champion!
Leilt
The few of us who were still in Glasgow got together to have a Christmas dinner party. We cooked a whole turkey (credits to Stephen who came up with the idea and did most of the cooking). I made Caprese salad that gave the party some Italian elegance. Helen made a delicious shrimp salad that was over in a sec. Ana-Francia cooked mashed potatoes that most of us agreed were better than Nandos. Lourence, Sofia, and Eliza made “mulled wine” that warmed the night, and of course others brought drinks, cakes and lots of snacks. Overall, it was a fun night filled with great food and music.
GLOCAL is a challenging academic programme but it is also the adventure of a lifetime. The first semester in Glasgow we got to know a new city but also the group of inspiring academics that makes up our cohort. After a semester filled with many beautiful moments, we are saying “goodbye” to a place but “see you soon” to the people.