Glasgow by Bike

Sorry about going MIA for nearly a month!

Last Saturday, another Columbia EDGEer and I biked up from Glasgow to Loch Lomond, a 30-mile journey factoring in pit stops and detours. Although it was a bit tiring, the journey was scenic and quite beautiful -- check out the photograph! On the return trip, we ended up biking back at 3 a.m. from Dalmuir and through Clydebank. It was relaxing, perhaps a bit soothing, having the vast night roads of a foreign country all to yourself. Once we crossed the border into Glasgow, we got a helping hand from a jolly old taxi driver, Gordon, who gave us a free lift to our dorms!

That little incident is a good example of Scottish culture. Here's a great thing about Scotland: the people here are in general very friendly. They'll ask you how your day is going and be sincere about it, invite you out to a pub with them, and lend a helping hand when necessary. You can see this caring, people-focused attitude permeate to their work culture; it's not uncommon for most shops to close at 5, and for most workers to be packing up their bags by 4:45. My cousins who visited from India pointed this out too: perhaps living to work, instead of working to live, is the American mentality we have grown way too accustomed to. Sometimes, we lose sight of the friends, family, and humanity that matter most.

In other news, I made some delicious chicken alfredo pizza here with a friend of mine. I'm quite proud of it! I'm used to making pizza with my mom (she mainly takes care of the dough), but making the entire pizza without her help was quite an experience.

We met a Columbia alumnus from the Glasgow region the other day, Martin. He graduated from the School of Journalism just a few years ago, and is now a BBC reporter working in Afghanistan. He told us about some of the challenges he's faced -- learning the language, dealing with the heat -- and it was definitely quite interesting to see how one man could have had such a fascinating gloabl experience.

Anyways, we've finished up our consultancy reports and are now wrapping up our presentations. Only four days until (most of us) head back to the States! I can't believe how time has flied.