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| George's Square |
Early
Monday morning, Steven picked me up from the Glasgow airport after
I landed in the United Kingdom for the first time in my life. Though
he stood holding a sign with my name, he recognized my face quickly
from the picture I sent him the day before. I was greeted with a warm
smile and a handshake. Steven is a very friendly man, like most
Glaswegians, and speaks with a distinct Scottish accent. Over the
past two days, he has been my tour guide, college advisor, mentor,
and Scottish history teacher. In his words and mine, he is “The
Man.” Though he is older than I am, we have become fast friends.
Those
first few hours were a special experience in my life; it took most of
the morning to set in that I was really in a foreign country. Perhaps
it was the jet lag, but everything had a mystical quality to it. As
we went toward the city, I noticed that everyone drives extremely
fast on the highways – few people traveled below than eighty miles
per hour. As we entered the “town” (Scottish slang for downtown),
I got my first glimpses of the historical buildings that make the UK
famous.
On Tuesday, I
got a chance to tour the Glasgow city center more thoroughly. Steven
and I left the City Campus of City of Glasgow College (CoGC), and
walked two blocks into the shopping district. On the way back, we
walked roundabout and went through George's Square. It is the most
famous landmark in Glasgow, according to Steven. I am not sure who it
takes its name from; I will be sure to ask Steven tomorrow. It is a
large paved area with a column in its center, a war memorial on one
end, and statues on the other three ends. Along the edges of the
square are enough benches to seat probably three hundred people, and
at lunchtime today, they were all full of both Glaswegians and
tourists. The three statues also have lips around the base that
people also enjoy as seats.
The square was the first landmark Steven pointed out to
me on Tuesday, and the first one I remember from when I came into the city
yesterday. After Steven returned to the Town Head building in City
Campus, I came back to George's Square and ate lunch.
I
enjoyed a baguette sandwich from a neat place called Greggs. It
bordered the Square. It is not exactly a restaurant; everything is
pre-made and prepackaged, but it is cheap. Locals call any item from
the place a “Greggs” – “What did you have for lunch?” “I
had a Greggs,” or “Want to go into town and get a Greggs?”
Apparently some of the CoGC staff had a laugh when they heard I had a
Greggs for lunch. It was very good, but at three pounds, (about six
dollars), it was not a lot of food for the price in an American
context.
In all,
I thoroughly enjoyed my first few days. I already love the people
here, the atmosphere of friendship and acceptance. Though there are
peculiarities, as with any community, I can already see myself
returning to Glasgow in the future. I cannot help but love this
place.
God bless,
Zacchari Gale
#jutocogc
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