Meet Some Amazing People

       Each new week in Glasgow seems to have one of those nights that just take my breath away. From the nights where I really got to know some amazing people to the wild dancing at Scottish ceilidhs to partying until the morning to silent music, each night got me more and more excited to be in this spectacular city with some spectacular people. And last night was no different.

       At the end of my first class this week for Scottish Literature 1A, a group of people came in to quickly offer an invitation to join the Scottish Literature Society on campus. They seemed very welcoming and so I thought I would give it a try. Their first event was a pub crawl in the West End of Glasgow to some of the most popular pubs and bars for students. We all met outside the subway station and we all instantly connected, knowing it would be a great night.

       Our first pub was in the QMU at Jim’s Bar where a few of us bonded over Harry Potter, social awkwardness, and drinking games. As we were leaving though, we got to talking about television shows we watch and luckily, there were a few Breaking Bad fans that I talk to about the upcoming epic series finale. I was also told to watch Sherlock, which I will probably start doing soon because I guess it’s another one of those shows you can really binge-watch.

       The second pub was on Ashton Lane and was called VodkaWodka. Ashton Lane is definitely one of my favorite streets because at night, there are lights strung above the entire street; it is such a beautiful sight. That bar was really nice but it was incredibly crowded so we stayed for drinks and then moved on.

       We next went to the Hillhead Bookclub, a favorite of mine since coming to Glasgow because during the day, the food is amazing and during the night, the entire hipster atmosphere is just so alluring. There are even game rooms with ping-pong, chess, and 90’s video games; awesome, I know. I played a horrific game of ping-pong before heading off to our last location, Òran Mór.

       Òran Mór is known throughout Glasgow as one of the top pubs to visit for one specific reason: it’s a church. Well, now a converted church as it holds a stunning bar and underground nightclub. The entire vibe was very relaxing and it just made me admire the great city of Glasgow even more.

       I arranged this blog in a play-by-play format because that is strangely how this amazing night went. Each new pub that we went to, I got to know different people more and more. I met people from Scotland, England, France, Italy, and Spain, and for the first time, I was the only American. I was so incredible to get to know people from all diverse cultures and backgrounds, figuring out the differences we have all had in our lives. Yet despite all the cultural variances, we were all there, together. We shared common ground on literature, education, television, drinking games, you name it. Despite our various upbringings, we were all able to spend a night together and have a truly astounding time, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

       God I love studying abroad.