Here’s To My Very First Post

So I left Vancouver at 3:25p.m. on Friday, August 7th. I don’t know if I have ever been so devastated in my life. All I could think about for the next twenty four hours was how much I wanted to come home. I guess I still feel a little like that now but I know that I need to do this (and besides,  I can’t very well afford to come home anyway)

We stopped over in Calgary, and then flew straight to Manchester. I am not sure about most other airlines but on the one that I was flying with, you are required to pay for everything (stopping just short of using the toilets). Luckily, when my parents booked the tickets, they had preordered the food, which turned out to be a delightful mash of stew, green beans and Mexican rice. Suffice to say, I was so hungry, I’d eat anything they put in front of me. I do feel the need to comment on the flight attendants. Each and every one of them had a Scottish accent. I knew that I could have a hard time understanding the accent at first, but it was like they were speaking a different language. I must get used to this.

Upon arriving in Manchester, the problems began. For some strange reason, there was one of those stair trucks sitting in the middle of the runway (as an Arrested Development fan, this seemed to me the most hilarious oddity). Of course, it was not supposed to be here and so while we were taxiing to the gate, the tip of our wing made contact with the stairs and then we were done for. They attempted to fix it (after all, we still had to fly to Glasgow) and so we waited and waited. They finally let us off the plane to wait, and after about two hours, they had finally arranged for coaches to take us up to Glasgow. All was well, aside from the fact that this bus ride takes about five hours, on top of which we had to catch another bus into Stirling, an additional hour.

Finally! Just about twenty four hours after we had begun, we arrived at the Stirling University dorms, which will be our home base (with the SFU and RMM pipe bands) until the end of August. It is a beautiful set of residences. They are very old but have clearly been recently refurbished. Each one of us has a separate bedroom, which comes with a teeny tiny bed, a desk, some shelves, a wardrobe and a sink. We all share a bathroom and shower (or a WC as they would call it here) and a kitchen. The one main downside is that there is not internet here. In order to use the internet, I have to make the grueling fifteen minute trek to the McDonalds just over the bridge.

On Sunday my mum and brother visited Perth to play in the Highland Games there while my brother and I visited the city of Stirling. To my surprise, almost everything is open on Sundays. I was able to get a cell phone (and man are they cheaper here) and now I can call all of my new friends all over the UK…

We also visited Stirling University. Seemingly smaller than Simon Fraser, there’s something to be said for having a university in the middle of the Scottish countryside complete with a lake in which you can actually swim.

Yesterday we took the train to Glasgow. Iain’s band played at St. George’s Square as part of an annual piping festival held in Scotland every year called Piping Live. I have never seen such a congregation of pipers. My brother and mum and I went shopping on the high street. Generally, things are more expensive here but the price you see is what you pay as all taxes are included in everything. This is very unfamiliar to me but it makes paying so much easier.

Today, we went grocery shopping and then I (typically) came to the McDonalds. I have yet to visit a pub which is surprising. Hopefully I’ll be doing that soon. They have imposed a new rule here. To buy alcohol (from the grocery store) you must be 18. They reserve the right to ask you for ID if you look like you are under 21. At the pub, however, you may drink at any age (over 5) so long as you’re with someone who is over 18 (or else looks over 21 and will therefore not be asked to show ID). I am so intrigued by how relaxed all of these rules are over here. But I suppose drinking has always been a cultural thing here and these new rules are just an attempt to ensure safety.

I will be writing soon.

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