The Dog Day

A large "Allander" coach bus, hauls us away from the airport and onto our destination; where in our case were the Murano St. student dorms. The drive wasn't too long from the airport, and during it me and Rachel tried to see if we could recognize many of the car manufacturers from the vehicles around us. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, or maybe it was just common, but we noticed a great deal of Audi's and Beamers, and surprisingly Fords! I thought Chrysler was America's import but regardless GO AMERICAN IMPORTS! We had arrived at our accommodation around 10am, where we came to find out that we couldn't actually move in our rooms until 4pm that afternoon since the rooms weren't entirely prepared. Me, Rachel, and 4 others we had made friends with off the plane decided to bring our luggage into the main student center building to wait. We were all starving, and with nowhere to store our items and luggage decided to split into two teams of three where one could stay and watch everyone's stuff while the others could go off and find lunch somewhere. Collin (a student we had met from Gonzaga), Rachel, and I nominated ourselves to stay first. For 2 1/2 hours we waited, rested, and attempted to connect to the local Wi-Fi but to no avail.

When the second half of our party returned the three of us excited and eager were ready to find the cafe the others had came from. All they said was that they wondered around and passed a gas station down the way, where not too far beyond there were some shops and restaurants. Our trio headed off in the direction they described (or so we thought) brimming with anticipation and optimism for the meal our stomachs growled and groaned for. Walking, and walking we started to pass a number of smaller businesses that were closed (still don't understand why this was given it was the middle of the day on a Friday), and here the streets and sidewalks had a noticeable amount of garbage and trash strewn across them. This was our first taste of Glasgow and it wasn't the glamorous image we had envisioned. Half an hour had passed and we seemed to be getting into more of a residential area with literally no food in sight, although oddly enough we had to have passed at least eight barbershops. Realizing somewhere we made a wrong turn since we never hit any gas station after over 45 minutes of walking, we decided to cut our losses and go back to the Murano St. student center and ask for directions to food at the reception desk.

Retracing our steps we get back to where we started and asked a kind woman at the front desk for help. I tell her where we went and she chuckles, "Oh no, there is nothing over there, just a bunch of houses. You want to go across the bridge behind the student village and walk down Maryhill road where in 10 minutes time you will plenty of cafes and even a McDonalds." Slightly embarrassed but now again excited with hope we headed off in the right direction. You might be thinking well why didn't they just use Google maps on their smartphones? The issue there is that we hadn't had a chance to install a SIM card into our phones for service out here yet and we deactivated our home service from America to avoid those outrageous fees they try to get you with. Anyways, we went over the bridge and onto Maryhill road, where we passed a gas station and started to see some restaurants and cafes. A little further and there it was... My god those golden arches have never looked for beautiful! You could imagine at this point we were absolutely starving and we didn't want to risk trying one of these new places and have it not be good, we just needed something that was a sure thing, and well McDonalds was just that.

We walk in and noticed immediately it's both oddly similar and different. There weren’t a dozen different combo meal options on the menu, the soft drink dispenser wasn't out in the lobby, there was no value or dollar menu, and a Big Mac meal cost to the equivalent of $11.50 in pounds. I ended up ordering a quarter pounder combo which was about $8.00; Rachel and Collin both got a chicken sandwich. We all agreed that our meals tasted the same as it would of back home, just cost a fair amount more. Also, we found that you need to be careful not to gulp your Coca Cola too quick, as there aren’t free refills like we have in the states. Between the flight in, and our miss navigation, I felt like it had been a day since I had ate a semi substantial meal which made fast food that I wouldn't usually eat even back home all the more satisfying.

It’s funny how in the end something that in my opinion is so strikingly American (McDonalds) ended up saving us in our time of hunger and desperation. We head back where at this point it’s about time to finally move into our accommodations. As it turns out (upon our request through the original application), they put both Rachel and I in the same dorm, which is Sidlaw House. Also, to better explain the setup of where we are living it's relatively simple and standard. Basically a bunch of four story apartment buildings (roughly 20 or so) are together like a village. A flat is one level on the building comprised of 6-12 people same sex or coed with a couple of bathrooms and showers but only one central shared kitchen space. I live with 11 others coed and Rachel 11 others all girls two floors above me. Anyways, our rooms ended up being what you might expect for your typical college dorm, relatively small with a desk and some shelf space, along with a bed, lamp, and one wardrobe closet. One component that stood out to me was that we each have our own sink in each of our rooms making personal hygiene and grooming much easier. As soon as I reach my room and get situated I only unpack one thing, my plane pillow. Major jet lag setting in at this point, and feeling utterly exhausted I crash on my bare bed for an afternoon nap. What a day.

Pictures of my dorm