Flatmates... Of the Opposite Gender !

When I enrolled for my Masters at the University of Glasgow, it was not tough to decide that I would be opting for the student accommodation provided by the university. The reason for my decision was based on both the pros of being in a university accommodation and the cons of a private one. 

It is not at all easy to search for a private accommodation in another country. Not only the location of a privately rented place is of importance, but it also comes with the hassles of a contract with the owner, various bills and the troubles of getting things repaired if something goes wrong.

On the other hand, the university provided accommodations are usually very near to the campus and come bundled with other perks such as free access to the sports facilities of the university. Not to mention the timely maintenance and repairs together with rules and regulations in place which make life a lot easier.

'Maclays Residences' considered to be the best option for post graduate students at the University of Glasgow was hence the logical choice for me. However, during the registration process I was expected to opt for either an all-male or a mixed gender flat. Though it would be expected for a student from the sub-continent to opt for a same-gender accommodation (with the experience of hostels), but I preferred a mixed gender accommodation. And the past two months have proved yet again that I made a wise decision.

On my arrival to my flat at 6 Cooperage Place, I found that I would be sharing my flat with three girls. Lilian (Lily) from Canada, Jiaming from China and Sophie from England. Though Sophie has been around the least due to her frequent visits out of Glasgow, it has been mostly Lily and Jiaming around. The following are the benefits I personally experienced having all female flatmates living with me.

1. The kitchen and the common area is always spic and span. (no dirty dishes in the sink from overnight)

2. No loud music at any time of the day.

3. Sincerity in the division of duties for the maintenance of the flat. (no one needs to be reminded when the dish-washing liquid runs out)

4. No thefts of food from the common refrigerator. 😋

5. No one banging on doors after midnight while being drunk.

6. Sharing of inter-continental recipes in the kitchen. (I got introduced to dumplings...)

7. Engrossing chats which extend way past midnight leading to the understanding of each other's perspective on a lot of things.

I guess the understanding we have between ourselves is probably a lot better than I could have managed with an all male group of flatmates. Below is the look of our kitchen on any given day.

Having wonderful flatmates is a great fortune !

The Orientation Week !

It is not often that a big decision that you have made gives you such immense pleasure that you start doubting whether it really is true. Arriving at the U of G gave me a similar feeling. Not only the people all around are absolutely fantastic and ever so helpful, the ease with which work gets done is simply unbelievable.

Just for example, getting an account at the 'Bank of Scotland' took me somewhere around seven and a half minutes !

But the highlight of this whole experience was the orientation week in the university campus. Not only were the new students provided with all the guidance to make their life a lot easier but also provided with on-hands experience of the countless clubs and societies flourishing at U of G.

The east and west quadrangles of the university were fully occupied by stalls dedicated to various clubs and societies which attracted the new students with some lively demonstrations of their activities. 

The visitors were simply spoilt for choices with the variety of clubs/societies ranging from Art & Music to Language & Culture and from Political & Activism to Food & Drink. I spent a fair bit of time observing two student members of the Scottish Sword Fighting Club go at each other.

It was really interesting to find student societies dedicated to social issues like racism, feminism, LGBTQ+ and environment. Similarly, the 'Comic Creators Club', 'MedTech Society', 'Zoological Society' and the 'Anatomy Society' particularly caught my attention. The live demonstration by the members of the 'Pole Dancing Club' was the eye-catcher around the cloisters.

The interesting thing to note was the sincerity and maturity with which the students handle some of the sensitive and queer societies like the 'Anti-racism Society', something which is so relevant with the vast variety of nationalities represented across the university. Similarly, the 'Glasgow University Applied Visual Arts (GUAVA) Society' conducting fortnightly life drawing sessions which are open to all students is something that is probably unthinkable in other countries.

I am yet to make up my mind on which clubs or societies to enroll for given the huge amount of options to choose from. The other things I got to take back from the orientation were the free goodies and free slices of Dominos pizza ! 😋

Glasgow Ahoy !

The past ten days have probably been the fastest ten days that I have ever lived. Having waited for my IELTS scores for more than a month and a half, I had almost given up any hopes of starting my Masters course at the University of Glasgow. But the method of things just falling into place in a span of less than ten days has been nothing short of a miracle.

 

Right from receiving my 'Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies' (CAS) from the University of Glasgow, to managing a UK student visa on priority, sorting out all the financial formalities and squeezing out a flight ticket, everything just flew by so smoothly that I didn't even feel it to say the truth.

 

In a way, things happening so quickly was actually an advantage as it didn't allow any time for anxiety. Before I could even realize it, I was walking across the alley of the Glasgow airport. It was then when it hit me that I was in a new place, a new country, all by myself. Although I had pre-booked being received by the UofG team at the airport itself which would take me to my allotted accommodation, but the booking was scheduled for 12:00 - 1:00 PM while it was already 3:30 PM when I reached the exit hall of Glasgow airport.

 

The first thing that I did at that moment was to buy a UK sim card so that I may contact home. No sooner had I switched on my phone with the new sim card that I saw a group of three girls in yellow t-shirts with 'University of Glasgow' inscribed on the back. They had me on their list and were happy to get me on the bus to Uni even though it was way past my scheduled arrival. 

 

The 35-minute bus ride was the time when the feeling of being in Glasgow actually started to sink in. I spent most of the journey chatting to Annie, the University student volunteer, who told me some of the basics of life in Glasgow. And before my anxiety could get the better of me, we had arrived at 'Maclay Residences', the university accommodation for post graduate students.

There was another 'accommodation team' waiting at a small desk outside the first block who handed me my keys, some essential info in a packet and directed me to my block 'Cooperage Place # 6'which was directly opposite.

Hence begins my journey to an adventurous and exciting year at the world famous 'U of G' !