March 18, 2012

Halfway gone.

It honestly blows my mind that March (my halfway month) is going to be over in two weeks.

That means that Ian and I have (at most) onehundredandtwo days left together. 

My family is very, very close, so leaving them for six months has been a big deal. And it certainly hasn't been the easiest trip. Ian is in one of the toughest Master's programs at Glasgow Uni, which keeps him locked up in the Library 24/7 (and rightfully so). 

So, has it been worth it?

Absolutely, 100%, most definitely. 

There's nothing like being in the same country (and time zone) as your best friend. 

Tonight I watched the movie Like Crazy, and indie film about a British girl who studies in America and falls in love with an American. The rest of the movie is all about the ups and downs of their long-distance relationship. The airport goodbye scenes were all too familiar and left me with soggy kleenexes. 

So how do we do it?

Trust. I've never questioned where Ian is, what Ian is doing or who Ian is with. After all, how is he going to find the equivalent of Kelsey Fowler in Glasgow? Letsbereal.


Flexibility. The five hour time difference is a pain in the arse. Finding time for the both of us to sit in front of a computer on skype is very rare and phone calls are very expensive, so we whatsapp. Whatsapp is an app for the iphone/blackberry. It's basically free instant messaging (using wifi). 


From the very beginning of our relationship I have consistently worried about our deadlines. Christmas break apart, summer break apart, then a whole semester apart. But (slowly) I've learned that the time I spend worrying should be spent enjoying. "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you have now was once among the things you only hope for."
     Haha. I'm sure you can understand why not seeing that face for six months is complete agony! 
XOXO-Kels

March 14, 2012

Mean girls.

This post is designed to take you though a 'day in the UWS life of Kelsey.'

Quite conveniently, the story I'm about to tell correlates very closely with the movie Mean Girls. 


Being a foreign exchange student is a very odd experience. You might as well walk around with a sign on your head saying 'I'm American, don't talk to me.' Unlike the American college system, where you take Gen Eds with students from other majors, in the UK you only take classes that pertain to your major, with students who share that major. In other words, you are with the same kids from day one. Everybody knows everybody, so when an exchange student comes in, they are typically outcasts...sort of like lepers.

Anyways, you could possibly think of me as Cady Heron--replace Africa with America and eliminate the big boobs and red hair. 


The University of the West of Scotland has a very unique student population. My favorite spot to go and eat by myself  is the library common area. Here you can see the different types of students clumped together.

You have the gamers, huddled around a laptop.

You have the adults. UWS has a massive adult population...seriously over half of every one of my classes. The funny thing about them is some of them try to dress 'hip.' I'm talking mid forties in cut off blue jean shorts (with suspenders) over fishnets, with motorcycle boots.

You have the foreign exchange students. You might think that I would fit in nicely here. However, they are all French and they all speak French. That could get awkward for me...


Then, you have the most interesting group, The Plastics. This group of girls must spend three hours getting ready for school. Each one has an uncomfortable set of fake lashes, the darkest fake tan possible, and outfits that look like they were planned at least a week in advance.

In the midst of this group, you see her. She has the biggest lashes, the darkest tan. Everyone is fawning over her and listening to her every.last.word.

She is Regina George and she happens to be in one of my classes. The minute I saw her walk in, I knew she was a very special human being. I kept trying to figure out how to describe her in my blog. I couldn't exactly take a photo, so I decided to put my artistic skills to work.

There she is. Every single day she comes in with her hair piled way on top of her head, so much mascara on fake eyelashes that I'm afraid they are going to get stuck one day and she will go blind, hot pink lipstick that sometimes makes an appearance on her teeth, and an outfit that makes the professors uncomfortable. Last week, she wore a see-through, red, lace top with a black bra underneath. She paired it with black, leather shorty shorts, fishnets/motorcycle boots, and earrings that made her earlobes sag. 

She has yet to speak to me, but I have a feeling that one day we will have a conversation that I will never forget.

XOXO-Kels

March 04, 2012

Conversation with a drunk.

I know I just posted something yesterday, but an event last night was too good not to write about.

I went with Ian's dad and uncle to visit him at work. He is a Blackjack Croupier (dealer) at Alea Casino.

Being from Georgia, I had never been in a casino before, so it was all very new! The casino was huge and gorgeous. Watching people blow 400 pounds in five minutes was entertaining.

While I watched Ian at his table, this middle-aged woman came up to me and grabbed me around the waist. To say that she was in my "bubble" would be an understatement...she was all over me. The minute she opened her mouth I literally choked because of her wine breath.

Here is our conversation:

Drunk: Wow! You look so concentrated. You must really know a lot about blackjack.
Me: No, I really don't know anything at all.
Drunk. WOW! Your accent! You definitely aren't from Glasgow!
Me: No, but you are very observant.
Drunk: Where are you from?
Me: America.
Drunk: Well, obviously. What part?
Me: Georgia.
Drunk: Georgia! Wow! That's where Atlanta is. On American Idol, all of the great singers come from Atlanta. You must be a great singer.
Me: No, not really.
Drunk: But you are so pretty, you must be able to sing.
At this point she is still holding me around the waist. All up on me.
Drunk: Why the hell are you in this miserable place (Glasgow)?
Me: Well, that guy right there. (Pointed to Ian)
Drunk: What? You are dating him? Oh wow! He is so handsome! You two are such beautiful people. Wow! Omg!
Me: Haha, thanks.
Drunk: How old are you?
Me: 21.
Drunk: How old is he?
Me: 24.
Drunk: When are you getting married?
Me: Not any time soon.
Drunk: Honey your time is running out. He is so handsome! You better get it while you got it. You aren't getting any younger.
Me: Oh okay.
Drunk: Take me for example, I married Bob when I was 20. Is he as handsome as your Ian? No. But he's rich. 
Me: Okay, well I'm going to go to the restroom now. It was nice to meet you.

And that, my friends, was the most awkward conversation of my life...well, if you don't count sorority recruitment conversations.

March 03, 2012

Sweet Jesus.

I had my first test/paper submission on Thursday.
Lawd, this girl was a nervous wreck. 

The paper was for my Community Care Policy class, which I absolutely love! The professor is English, so I don't need subtitles in her class. She is also a brilliant professor! The paper was over the welfare shift that happened in the UK after the Thatcher Government took over. Very interesting stuff. Basically, this woman, Margaret Thatcher, became the first woman Prime Minister and the longest serving Prime Minister. She was a boss. If you don't feel like reading through tons of material on her, watch The Iron Lady. Anyways, I was basically in panic mode the whole week leading up to the due date. It's so nerve-wracking to do an assignment at another school because I don't exactly know what they are looking for. 
Times New Roman or Ariel? 12 font or 11? Double-spaced or single-spaced? Should I include a cover page? 
Who knows if I did it right! I hope I at least came close because the paper is worth half my grade.
One thing that I do like about this University is anonymized submission. You turn your paper into a box with a sheet that covers your name. This ensures that your paper gets graded and not you. Wish my second semester FYS professor used it.

The next class was just as frantic. We had a test over the first three lectures. It was basically just over the notes. No big deal, right? Well, she (awful, Shrek-sounding professor) handed out the tests and told us we would have an hour to finish. She wished us luck and we began the test. The test was very, very easy. I finished first, in thirty minutes. I quietly gathered my things and walked to the front of the room, towards my Shrek professor, who was standing with her mouth open. 
Shrek: Are yoo not well?
Me: What? No, I'm fine. I'm finished.
Shrek: Well I wood uv appreciated it if yud uv stayed in yer seat until everyone finished. Yoor bein distracting.
Me: Um, sorry. 
Shrek: Just go.
In America, it is customary to leave after you've completed your test. I wasn't aware that Scotland had a  different policy. My bad.


Needless to say, I am glad the week is over.

ADPi Mercer just added six new girls! Their Bid Day was Thursday and theme was Breakfast at Tiffany's. So jealous. Missing them made me buy these two gems:

 
Also, I ended the week with a fabulous date night! 

On Friday night went to Poncho Villas for some mexican food and margs. The stroll there was fantastic on its own. The weather was perfect!

Glasgow City Chambers (with an annoying glare).
I was skeptical about this restaurant at first because I come from Dalton, the Mexican capital of the world. The food was delicious and the strawberry margs were amazing. The only bad part about the restaurant was when they brought out the chips and salsa. There were literally six chips with a tiny thing of salsa. Haha I wish someone was there to catch my reaction on camera!
Chicken quesadillas with guac, salsa and a salad.
Ian got fajitas. Typical Brit put chips on them.
Nom.

After dinner we went to Corinthian's Piano Bar for drinks. An artist named Michael Maclennan was playing...he was so great! We stayed for three hours listening to him play everything from Adele to Bruce Springsteen to Elton John. 

The night ended with an eventful train ride home. A random (drunk) guy dropped his sausage on the floor. He found out I was from Georgia and he asked if I knew of Brunswick, Georgia. Apparently his boat came from Brunswick, Georgia. Such a small world.

XOXO-Kels