En skotsk dag

Hverdagen er i gang, efteråret er over os og undervisningen er begyndt - og jeg kan nu officielt kalde mig universitetsstuderende i det skotske! 

Jeg har været very much MIA siden jeg flyttede, og hvor jeg, da jeg var i Sydamerika, plejede at have tid til at skrive udførlige og detajlerede beskrivelser af mine oplevelser, skrive blog og generelt være mere 'online', har jeg absolut ingen tid her. Dette indlæg er skrevet halv to torsdag morgen og den eneste grund til, at jeg netop nu har tid, er at der er fest lige udenfor mit vindue. Hverdag er den nye weekend.. Men I ved jo alle sammen forhåbentlig godt, at det jo ikke er fordi, at jeg ikke vil fortælle, hvad jeg laver. Jeg vil gerne have, at alle udenfor min lille nye verden, ved hvad der sker. Men tiden går stærkere end nogensinde og.. ja, jeg behøver vel ikke flere argumenterende undskyldninger. Men nu skal det være! Så, velkommen til det, I alle har ventet på; En 'helt almindelig' dag i mit skotske liv! Hvad kan jeg konkludere her, nu hvor jeg har været her i 2,5 uge?

Jeg starter hårdt ud med mandag morgen, jeg lægger ud med en forelæsning i Latinamerikas historie klokken 9. Nine am sharp. Det er ikke let, skal jeg lige hilse at sige. Men det, at det er vanvittigt spændende, gør det dog lidt lettere at komme ud af fjerene. De fleste af mine venner starter ugen ud mandag morgen og vi skal altså have credit for det - Aberdeen har et notorisk og meget gråt skydække, der med vilje prøver at gøre livet surt for os. Mandag morgen. Behøver jeg sige mere?

Men mandag er ikke kun hård, fordi mandag er mandag, men også fordi at mandag er den dag, hvor jeg har allermest undervisning - 4 forelæsninger og 1 tutorial. Resten er ugen er legende let, hvis jeg sammenligner med mandag. Jeg har 4 fag - Latinamerikansk historie, internationale relationer, antropologi og filosofi - Jeg har næsten helt selv fået lov at bestemme, hvordan min ugestruktur skal se ud, da jeg selv har skullet vælge mine fag. Der er ingen skabelon her, jeg skal selv i gang med karton og papir. Min dag indeholder normalt et par mellemtimer, som jeg enten bruger på vores fantastiske bibliotek, hvis indretning er spiralformet eller på at chille med nogle af de dejlige mennesker, jeg kan støde ind i på campus. Når dagen er slut, går jeg hjem igennem Seaton Park eller King Street og tænker på, hvor heldig jeg er, at jeg bor her. Dette mønster gentager sig 4 gange om ugen. Og så er det her I tænker, jamen Sofie, er der ikke 5 undervisningsdage på en uge? Til det kan jeg fortælle jer, at det begreb ikke længere eksisterer i min ordbog. Onsdag er undervisningsfri dag og hvis jeg var bare lidt mindre civilisereret, lå jeg i sengen hele dagen. Men så er det, at et andet meget vigtig element af min nye hverdag kommer ind. Svømning! Jeg er på svømmeholdet. Svømning har så længe jeg kan huske været en del af min hverdag, men mit sabbatår satte en stopper for det. Ikke mere! Jeg er tilbage i vandet og jeg kan mærke, at hvis man en gang har været svømmer, så er man det til evig tid. Al universitetsarbejdet bliver glemt, så snart jeg hopper i og det er et tiltrængt pusterum blandt forelæsninger, tutorials, essays og de 40 sider om globaliseringen af verdenspolitikken, jeg egentlig skulle læse til imorgen..For at vende tilbage til tråden, så har jeg lige afsløret en meget vigtig del af mit liv; onsdag er fridagen. Jeg er koloenormt meget fan af det, og fridagen gælder næsten for os alle sammen - det er skønt! Ugen er lidt lettere at overskue, når jeg nærmest kan holde weekend fra tirsdag eftermiddag. *winkey smiley*Men når det en sjælden gang ikke er onsdag og jeg rent faktisk har forpligtelser, så sker der også, at jeg åbner en bog, når jeg kommer hjem fra universitetet. Eller tager ind til byen med mine venner. Ellers også dejser jeg bare om på min seng. Det sker også ret tit. Jeg har ikke helt fået styr på, hvordan jeg bedst organiserer min tid, så det ender lidt for ofte med, at jeg sidder til klokken 2 om natten og laver lektier. De tider er dog ovre snart, for jeg kan allerede mærke, hvordan jeg lige så stille får styr på, hvordan man prioriterer tiden bedst. Hvorfor er det lige, at jeg hader kaffe og elsker at sove? Det er ikke kompatibelt!

Men når klokken nærmer sig aftenstid, skal jeg i gang igen. Hvis det er torsdag eller søndag, er der meget stor chance for, at et af mine societies har et socialt arrangement. Så sent som i torsdags var jeg til en tv transmittering af den skotske uafhængighedsfolkeafstemning, hvor vi blev oppe hele natten i studenterforeningens hovedkvarter for at se resultaterne som de kom ind. Jeg har også været til en tapas & sangría-aften med de spansktalende society - min kærlighed til Spanien er, efter den aften - hvis den ikke allerede var det - helt væk. For now. Hvis det er mandag, tirsdag eller fredag, skal jeg til træning. Eftersom jeg ingen cykel har anskaffet mig endnu, foregår det på gåben. Der er 15 minutters gang ned til sportscenteret og vice versa tilbage igen. Når der er hundekoldt og jeg velvidende ved, at alle de andre er inde på deres dejlige varme værelser, er det til tider svært at finde motivationen. Især når jeg går igennem Hillhead (navnet på vores student village), og jeg kan se oplyste køkkener, hvor folk sidder og hygger sig. Men afsted kommer jeg og jeg er ofte først hjemme ved halv tolvtiden igen - godt tilfreds og totalt udmattet. Men så er det jo, at jeg kan slappe af, fordi jeg muligvis først skal møde kl. 12 næste dag eller slet ikke skal møde - så behøver jeg ikke engang gå tidligt i seng jo!

Og hvad gør man så, hvis man har hele natten foran sig? Man udnytter det, at man bor på et universitetskollegium - der sker noget hele tiden! Der er mindst én fest hver eneste aften, og hvis man ikke er til den slags, er det også muligt at finde noget mindre larmende. De bedste aftener jeg har haft her, har været mig der helt tilfældigt har været på den rigtige etage på det rigtige tidspunkt og er endt med at sidde i et køkken i flere timer og snakke med medstuderende til langt ud på natten. Der er altid nogen, der heller ikke gider at læse og som først skal møde sent næste dag. Du er aldrig alene! Nye historier, nye mennesker. Nye venner. Nye venskaber, som potentielt kan vare hele livet. Filosofiske samtaler med folk, du aldrig havde troet, du skulle blive venner med..

Så, ja, hvad er konklusionen så? Er der overhovedet en pointe med alt det her? Ja, det er der. Tror jeg da. Jeg har det godt. Meget godt endda, til alle jer, der så gerne vil have svar på det spørgsmål. Det kører. Jeg er stadig i tilvænningsfasen og en læseplan skal udarbejdes - men jeg kan ligeså godt sige det nu, for denne gang er jeg ikke bange for at sige det for tidligt; Jeg er det helt rigtige sted.

Hey guys! First and foremost, I feel like saying I'm sorry for having been completely MIA over the last couple of weeks. I probably shouldn't even begin to explain how much stuff's been going on, because for anybody with a sense of what it's like starting uni will know what a huge transition is it. Even bigger since it also involved moving to a different country. But yeah, my excuses are countless so I should just stop talking and get to the point. What is the point, one might ask. The point of this post is to enlighten all you, my family and friends. To let you know what is actually going on. So, with this being said, I'd like to welcome you all to an 'ordinary' day of a semi Scottish Dane. What conclusions have I reached here, having been here for almost 3 weeks?

I will commence my story by telling you about something we all love: Monday mornings. Ironically I actually happen to like Mondays even though Monday is by far the roughest day of the week when it comes to my schedule. The very first thing on my agenda is my 9AM lecture in Latin American history. Nine am sharp may I add. It’s not always easy may I also add. The fact that I find this course insanely interesting makes it a lot easier though. It makes up for the ‘9 o’clock Monday morning’. So far at least. Most of my friends all have classes at the same time and I think it’s only fair that we get some extra credits for this particular achievement. Aberdeen is notorious for being chronically cloudy and very grey. The do not name it ‘The Granite City’ for nothin’. This plus Monday morning. Need I say more?

Monday is not only tough because Monday is Monday. This day is also the day where I have 5 classes – this is the highest number of classes I have all week in one day. 4 lectures and one tutorial. The rest of the week is all fun and games compared to Monday. I have four courses/subjects – Latin American history/culture, international relations, anthropology and philosophy. I’ve tailored my week all by myself and I love it – I know it’s completely normal once you get to uni, but for me, it’s a whole new world and I’m digging it. My days usually have a few hours in between classes which is much needed too. These hours are best spent studying in our awesome (it’s a spiral inside!) library or hanging with good friends on campus. When the day’s over, I walk home, either through Seaton Park or King Street and I always catch myself thinking how lucky I am to be here, to be able to study here and broaden my horizon in a way that’d never be possible in Denmark.

This pattern repeats itself 4 days a week. And this is where you’re probably wondering.. aren’t there usually 5 days in a standard working week? And then I say, oh yes there might be for non-cool people, but in my world this concept has ceased to exsist. Wednesday equals freedom, no classes nor tutorials, no nothing! If I happened to be just a tad less civilized, I’d be in my bed all day long. But as bittersweet as everything eventually turns out to be, I have swimming. Most of you probably know that swimming was once a big part of my life – I can now inform you that we’re back on track! I’ve missed it dearly, my gap year stopped me from carrying out one of my biggest passions but no more! Once a swimmer, always a swimmer – that is very clear to me now. I joined the swimming team and it’s only 5 times a week, so the level is just perfect when you’re busy with studying and all that other stuff I have to find the time to do. Every little part of my academic life and school is gone the moment I jump in the water – it’s the perfect getaway from lectures, tutorials, essays, assignments and those 56 pages of essential reading I actually should’ve read for tomorrow’s classes..

To get back on track; I’ve just revealed a very important part of my new life – Wednesday is the day off. I’m a fan! Most of my friends have this particular day off and it’s wonderful! It’s so much easier to get through the week when you have a gap in the middle and when you can almost allow yourself to call it a week when you get home from your Tuesday-classes.. almost! *insert cheeky smiley*

But sadly, it can’t always be Wednesday and when it’s not Wednesday (happens occasionally!) and I actually find myself with some sort of obligation and ‘need’ to study, it also happens that I get around to actually opening a book when I get home from uni. Oh the horror. If not, I go into town with my friends. Or I just collaps on my bed. Happens once in a while too. Maybe more often than it should. Let’s just be honest here. I have yet to figure out how all this is going to work. I need to figure out how to organize my time, because this thing with studying until 2am almost every night is not going to work out in the long run, I think that’s safe to say. I’m praying those times will come to an end soon and I feel like they will, I feel like I’m slowly but steadily learning how to prioritize and manage my time in the best way possible. 

But why have I been cursed with a hate for coffee and a soft spot for sleeping in? It’s not compatible..

But when it gets dark outside and it’s around 6 o’clock, I need to get going again. If it’s Thursday, Wednesday or Sunday, there’s a very good chance that one of the societies have a social events that I might want to attend. Like this past Thursday for instance. We all stayed in the Student Association-builiding all night watching a live screening of the Scottish referendum vote. We watched the results all night as they came in from the different regions all over the country. I have also attended a tapas and sangria-night with the Hispanic Society – my love for Spain is, after that night - if it wasn’t already disappearing - totally gone. For now at least. If it’s Monday, Tuesday or Friday, I have practise. Since I have yet to get myself a bike, it’s on foot. It takes me approximately 15 minutes to get to the Sports Village and vice versa back home. When it’s freezing hell outside and I’m well aware that almost everybody else is cozy in their rooms, it can be hard to motivate myself enough to get out the door. Especially when I walk through Hillhead (the name of our student village) and I can see all the lighted kitchen and people having fun and relaxing after a hard day. But so far I’ve managed to do it every single time and I haven’t skipped a single session. I’m usually home around 11-11.30pm – usually very exhausted but always in such a good mood although it’s late. But I might be lucky and I might not have classes until 12 next day, so I can finally relax and I don’t even have to force myself to go to bed early!

And what do you do then, if you have all night and don’t feel like sleeping? You take advantage of the fact that you live in a student village with hundreds of other young people. There’s something going on all the time. There’s at least one party every single night and if you’re not into that kinda thing, it should be possible to find something a little less noisy. So far, the best nights I’ve had here have been me randomly finding a kitchen with people talking – it’s a great way to meet new people. It’s just about being at the right place at the right time. And you might just end up talking ‘till 2am with these great people you never knew lived in your building. You’ll always find people fed up with reading and who might not have classes the next day either. You’re never alone and that’s what I love about living here. There’s always a new story, new people, new potential friends. Philosophical conversations with strangers that could turn into friends. It’s amazing.

So, this is the part where I should reach a conclusion. There should a point with all this, right? I hope there is. I think there is. The point is, I’m happy. Content. Still insanely overwhelmed with the immense workload and how to cope with wanting to do everything, wanting to have a life and get good grades (is it even possible?) – but I’m loving every second, so I might as well put it out there, even though everything can still change; I am right where I’m supposed to be.