Intro It's been a while since my last post (said every blogger ever), and so much has happened. I haven't gone anywhere exciting since my tour to Stirling Castle and Loch Lomond, but I am fully immersed in my classes. It's a bit weird writing a blog about school because what I've always loved about school are the people, both teachers and students. That being said, I feel as though I have made some very nice friends here. There are many people who have already gone above and beyond for me and that sort of kindness isn't easily forgotten. They say Glasgow is suppose to be a friendly city, and I couldn't agree more. I had one bad run in with a yoot at Subway (click this link here because this is my favorite part of the movie), but other than that, it's a nice city. There are bad parts though, but let's not talk about that. Classes I am only taking three classes for this semester. This is my first semester out of three, and I can't believe we are practically halfway through. My classes are titled: Sound for the Moving Image 1, Sound Theory/Film Studies, and Popular Culture and Creative Practice which is an elective. I have never taken so few classes before in my life. I love it and I can actually spend time researching the topics we learn about in class. I wake up every morning excited to learn, even if I'm tired. I love my classes and I love every bit I'm learning. In my Sound for the Moving Image class, we are focusing on Pro Tools and learning about the basics of what a digital audio workstation does. Having zero background in audio programs, except for that one thing I did that one time for that one class in GarageBand........... I am fed an overwhelming amount of information every Tuesday and Thursday. But, I think I can take it. Some of my classmates even lean over to help me out when I miss a step. When that happens, it's sort of like having a stand partner who is way better than you put in fingerings to help you keep up. I love that my classmates are kind enough to help me out, but I hope one day, I can return the favor and help them too. My professor is absolutely fantastic. I didn't realize this before I came here, but he's recorded with Belle and Sebastian and went on tour with Mogwai. AND what is an added bonus: He's a trombonist! It's little things like that that make me feel like all of this is suppose to be happening. In my Sound Theory/Film Studies class, we watch films on Monday, have lecture about the elements of film, and discuss the use of sound in the film. Today we watched an amazing movie called La Antena (you can watch the whole film without subtitles here, but it's in Spanish.) I loved the score for it, but it made me miss Bowling Green very much. I felt a very strong attachment to it for some reason today, and some part of it made me miss hearing my friends play and perform with and for me. I'm not sure why it evoked those emotions, but I also haven't practiced violin since coming here because of lack of practice rooms, and the violin part sounds so fun to play. We've also watched a film called Festen, which I also liked very much. It follows a set of rules called the Dogma 95 Manifesto. Some of the rules require that the camera must be handheld, the sound must be recorded on location, and it must be in color. BUT, if I had to recommend one movie above the rest, it would be Hunger. It is an incredible film based on true events during The Troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1980s. Michael Fassbender is just impeccable in it. I cannot recommend watching this movie enough! In my Pop Culture and Creative Practice class, which is only one day a week as well, I always think about the lesson throughout the entire week until we have class again. We are learning about the perception of (sometimes economical) differences between social class, taste, and fandoms. This is the class where I learn the most about history from a different perspective. It is fascinating to learn about historical events from a British point of view. A group of classmates and I always have lunch afterwards and I am usually full of questions pertaining to the differences between Britain and the States. I only have one project for this class and that is the only thing I get graded on. I get to pick a research topic and then spend the rest of my time researching it, I think. We get our proposals back this week, so it'll be interesting to hear what my prof has to say about mine! Violin and Viola When I was younger, I promised myself that I would never turn into one of those people who said, "I used to play _(insert instrument)_ but I stopped. I wish I kept playing!" because it seemed like everyone who has ever played an instrument regretted not playing it more often. I haven't quit violin or viola, but I have very limited time that I can devote to it. I deeply miss the viola. I didn't bring my viola because I was renting one. I haven't ever felt like I played violin as an emotional outlet, but rather, I just liked making music. With viola, I felt like I could more easily express my thoughts and create more meaningful sounds. I miss both of my teachers very much and hearing their words of wisdom, hearing their advice, and watching them perform. Universal Health Care I am not afraid or ashamed whatsoever to say that I absolutely LOVE universal health care. It was the biggest pain in the butt to get an appointment (but that's because I was a brand new patient), but nothing really comes close to not having to pay for your prescription medicine or appointment. I forgot that universal health care meant that I didn't have to pay anything, and when I asked my doctor about how much everything would cost, she looked at me and said, "You pay nothing. Really." She went on to tell me that what she likes most about having universal health care is that she doesn't have to worry about her patients not being able to afford their medicine, so she can prescribe the best brand and know that they'll have the best chance of getting better. I sort of loved that she told me that. A Last Note It's very easy to become home sick anymore, but I love being in this place. My mom and I were talking about how Korea was too focused on appearance for my liking, and how I felt that London was very judgmental. Glasgow seems to be the perfect fit for me. In general though, I am surrounded by international people all day, and that in itself is a great thing. I do love this city very much and I am constantly learning something new and interesting all the time.
0 Comments
Intro I've been in Glasgow for almost a week and a half now. I arrived safely and had quite an enjoyable flight. I met an extremely kind couple on the plane ride here, and they gave me so many great things to think about before we landed. They answered many of the questions I had about the city and gave me good tips, like good phone services and nice places to visit. I was less nervous about the city after speaking with them about it, especially when they confirmed that Glasgow isn't as dangerous as everyone says. Of course, they warned that it was a large city, so to be aware and careful of my surroundings like I would in any other large city. Several weeks ago, I met a man from Scotland at Rite Aid (in Mansfield!) and he said Edinburgh was like Columbus and Glasgow was like Cleveland. I know what he means now. Glasgow reminds me a lot of Cleveland in the sense that it's very industrialized. It's definitely a working city and has a plethora of people living in it, as much of the world saw during the Referendum. The Referendum I absolutely LOVED everything I saw during the week before the Referendum. They had music performances at nearly every rally and gathering I happened to see. Amazing. There is so much pride in Glasgow. I loved seeing these people, and honestly, it truly broke my heart thinking about all of the disappointed children and young people I saw that supported the independence of Scotland. Regardless of my views or anyone else's views about Scottish independence or not, I loved the Yes voters I met. And regardless of how anyone feels about Alex Salmond, he led one incredible campaign. First Impressions The spirit of Glasgow sends an interesting feeling. It's not a glamorous city by any means, but rather an accomplished city. A hard working city. A city that has seen and experienced quite a bit of weathering, growth, change, and many other things I don't even know about. On a bus tour by the School of Art, I wasn't initially impressed by the places I saw. It's not that I didn't like it, but like I said, it's far from glamorous. We didn't even see some of the biggest landmarks in Glasgow on the tour, so it could've just been that it was student led, free, and non-legit. The general color palette of Glasgow is gray, charcoal, sandstone, and for now, the fading fall colors of the season. Many of the buildings are covered in soot and look ancient. I suppose I was spoiled by Kensington in London, which is such a surreal experience that I still can't believe actually exists. But, after walking around the city a bit, I see it in a much different way than I did on the tour. Every day, I seem to find a new view that I find beautiful, especially during the rare moments that the sun happens to be shining through the overcast. The biggest thing that did stand out to me in our tour of Glasgow was the University of Glasgow. My jaw dropped when I saw how GORGEOUS the buildings were. Oh my goodness. The Glasgow School of Art actually awards their degrees through the University of Glasgow, so we are allowed to use some of their facilities like their library. I am looking forward to visiting and seeing what beauty lies within the walls. I won't post any photos because I don't have any yet, but Google it and just look at its magnificence. Today, I was sitting outside a cafe, sipping a butterscotch latte (which is way better than pumpkin anything from Starbucks) with some new friends. I realized in that moment that I was doing exactly what I've been dreaming of for the past year. I'm in a beautiful city with pleasant company with tasty coffee. I am studying exactly what I have wanted to learn more about since high school and for now, things are good. Perfect even. Just for that moment. School Stuff One of the unfortunate things about my school is the main building everyone wants to tour is under construction from the fire. It's closed for now. I am always a little sad that I probably won't get to see the inside of it anytime soon, possibly even during my time in Glasgow. The Reid building is quite nice though. I haven't seen all of it, but it's a very spacious, clean building. Not very warm, but a cooler modern feel. I might have one or two classes there, but otherwise, I'll be at the Hub, which is on the other side of Glasgow. I was a little put off by the fact that it would be much more of a trek to class than I thought, but I am realizing now that I appreciate the space between the studio and home. I'm sure somewhere along the way, I'll be in a hurry, running to the subway station, and cursing bitterly under my breath about how stupid it was to live where I live. But for now, I enjoy the opportunity to spend time in a different part of the city. I'll update more about my actual classes and things once I get in more of a routine! It's hard to say anything now, but I'll update when things get going. Flatmates I feel like I need to talk about my flatmates. I have four other flatmates from the following places: South Korea, Italy, Pakistan, and California. The kid from California is quite unique and has come from very different lifestyle than myself, so it doesn't really feel like we're from the same country at times. My flatmates and I have already established a friendly relationship with each other, and I am very thankful for that. While we are all attending the GSA, we are all majoring in different things. Last week, we shared our portfolios with each other, and it was such a great thing to do. Their portfolios are incredible. Every day I am reminded of how lucky I am to be here and how hard I need to work. I will say though, cooking pasta in front of an Italian person gave me the same feelings I had once when I realized I was practicing next to a TSO member who was waiting for her next student. My Italian flatmate told me he would help me next time. Language While the language in the UK speaks is English, I have already experienced a ton of differences between Scottish/British/English terminology and American English. For example, Americans say pants to describe something like jeans or the bottom piece of clothing. In the UK, those are called trousers. In the UK, "pants" means underwear. Also, "jelly" is not the same as jam. Jam is what goes with peanut butter on bread. Jelly is what American's call Jell-O. The man at the grocery store lovingly laughed at me when I asked where the peanut butter and jelly ingredients were, which is gross if you think about it. Another difference which confuses me very much is that UK binders only have two rings, like what the doctor uses in the USA. They're quite central as well, and the bottom of my pages are flopping around a bit. I explained this to a Scottish friend today, and she stated she also really liked the idea of three ring binders and said, "Perhaps the American's are onto something there." Hahaha My friend taught me a Scottish slang phrase: ya ken? It means: do you understand/did you get it/you know it? What I Love So Far While I keep struggling with differences between the States and the UK (like the @ symbol being where the ; symbol is on a keyboard, or the fact that dates go dd/mm/yyyy in the UK), I have already found love for many things about the UK and Glasgow. Here is a small list: 1. No tax on store bought items. The price you see is the price you pay! 2. People are generally friendly and quite helpful. Glasgow was voted to be the world's friendliest city! 3. Big city perks. For example, I signed up for a rewards card, and now I get a free coffee every week from a stationary store. 4. Street musicians and performers. The first musician I heard in Glasgow was a guitarist playing an acoustic version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps in the morning near all the shops. He had an amp and I could hear him for several blocks. It was lovely hearing music while I window shopped. There are Also, I saw these younger high school kids performing and couldn't help but toss them some change. Love that these kids had the guts to do that! 5. The availability of healthier food for a cheaper price. I bought a ball of mozzerella for 50 pence (cents). I would've paid $3-4 for that at Walmart back at home! Also, the organic option isn't always MORE expensive like it seems to be in my hometown. |
AuthorA blog of my time in graduate school. Archives
November 2015
Categories |