My Arrival

Leaving Toronto was a blur, to be honest. I met a girl my age who was taking the same connection to Glasgow, headed off to arts school for a three year degree in sculpting. We got along really well, right up until we exchanged Facebook info and she took off in Glasgow. I stayed to wait for Taylor (also from Brock) to arrive so that we could head to GCU together, but after all the sleep deprivation and ibuprofen it didn’t occur to me that Taylor was arriving from the UK - not from an international flight - and I ended up waiting at arrivals for an hour and a half before giving up and getting into a taxi on my own.

The taxi to GCU was about £25, a small price to pay to not have to find my own way by bus. Upon arriving, I had been told to register at the student center and get my keys. When I arrived there, 40 kg of luggage in tow, I was told that no, I must go across the street to the residence.

I am becoming increasingly frustrated with the poor communication of the university. I had to ask twice for affirmation of residence placement, and only upon my second request did I get a notice that I had been assigned a room. Also, apparently the students arriving had already registered for classes and been assigned a student ID, login and password in an email from the university - an email I never received. Since I arrived on a Sunday, I have to wait until 11am tomorrow both to be granted access to the internet (thus the late post) and to speak to someone and hope against hope that I can be registered in the classes I’ve been approved for from Brock.

I had requested a bedding and kitchen package so that I didn’t have to worry about these things on the day of my arrival before I could get in some sleep. The bedding I was given is thinner than paper, and both looks and feels like a hospital gown. The pillow is very similar to the one I was given on my economy class flight. The residence is less than impressive, and many of the students I’ve met agree, telling me stories of filthy carpets, walls and kitchens upon their arrival. After all of this and no sleep, my anxiety washed over me and I was basically incapacited for the afternoon, until I was able to fall asleep for a couple of hours. When I woke up, my next door flatmate, Holly from California, was exactly the kind of person I needed. She told me about her first night, and brought me along to a get together with some friends she’d made. After my nap and some friendly interaction, I decided early to bed was my best bet for having a better day tomorrow. To prepare, I’ve made a list of things I want to buy, and Holly told me where the dollar store, or the “PoundLand” is.

The hardest parts have been running on such little sleep (about an hour on the flight from Reykjavik to Glasgow) and not having any access to the internet to contact Jarrett or my family. My three Spanish roommates have let me get onto their laptops to at least let them know that I won’t be in contact until tomorrow. I think, after a good sleep and something substantial to eat in the morning (where I’ll find that, I don’t know yet), I’ll be better equipped to settle myself into GCU.