Travel Journal: Scotland

Julie Springate                     Journal Entry 2 • “An Old American Movie” (09/08/12)                     Page 2

While all of the activities have been informative and fun at the same time, absolutely the best part has been meeting new people. I have met very few actual Scottish people, but I have made friends from around the world. I've met other students from Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Canada, China, Belgium, and all over the U.S. It's been cool to learn about their cultures and to teach them about mine. I've been amazed by the British abilities and have had a great time teaching some of them new phrases. I taught my flatmates the meanings of the phrases “We're on the same page,” “We're in the same boat,” “Spitting game,” “Wagging your finger,” and the meanings of the words “sarcasm,” “silly,” and “sneaky.” I love explaining these phrases and words almost as much as they love learning them! At times it makes me jealous—I wish that I knew another language, and that I could converse with them in their native tongues. Maybe when I get back, I'll have motivation to take more Spanish classes. On a lighter note, on Thursday, we also taught them lots of American dances—the Cotton Eye Joe, the Bernie, and the Wobble.

They're also very interested in the things that we eat. I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner and they told me that they had never seen a PB&J sandwich in real life, and that I was just like an old American movie. I offered to make one for them, and they were too afraid to try it. So, we started to cook dinner.

But it has not just been me teaching them things. They've shared plenty of wisdom with me. One of my Italian flatmates shared some Italian sayings with me. He told me “The world is beautiful because it is various.” With that, I learned that people all around the world recognize that the world is beautiful because everyone is different. He also told me that Italians believe that “although everyone is various, we all want the same things—love and happiness.” When he told me these two things, I instantly felt at ease because he confirmed that regardless of nationality, language, or culture, basic human wants and needs are all the same.

It has been an amazing week full of making new friends and fun. This coming week is Fresher's Week, so all of the freshmen from around the U.K. will be arriving. Both of the student unions will be holding events all week. We hope to attend as many as possible. Then, the week after that, classes get started. I couldn't be more excited to see what the next few months hold for me!

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