Incredible Sights and Sports in Glasglow, Scotland

By: Austin Phillips, EC Scholar and Honors College Sophomore

When I thought of Scotland, I thought of one thing: golf.  Being a passionate golfer, Scotland was an interesting prospect of places to go study abroad.  Even after choosing the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, I had no idea what was in store for me.

Upon arriving to the University, I knew no one who would be here.  Up to this date I have only met 5 or 6 Americans that go to school here.  I live in a flat with 2 Irishmen (one southern, the other northern), a guy from Singapore, one from Sweden and another from Scotland.  I had an instant bond with the Southern Irishman as he is my age and that is where a lot of my experiences come from.  Throughout the first couple weeks, it took a while to get used to a culture that is so similar yet so different at the same time. I took sips of Iran Bru (Only place with a soft drink more popular than Coca-Cola), ate some awesome Haggis (Sorry Baxter) and went to my first Celidgh (Scottish Dance thing). Then the next few weeks (leading to now) have been some of the best weeks of my life.

First of all, the people I have met here have been incredible.  I have met most of them from an organization called the Christian Union, Sports Teams and Student Tours Scotland.  Speaking of Student Tours Scotland, let’s just say it is your ticket to see anywhere you want in Scotland.  It is ran by a guy in Glasgow, who wants to provide amazing experiences in Scotland at an affordable price.  Through his tours, I have seen the Scottish Highlands, Castles and a number of other amazing sights. (I can’t wait for the waterfall tour I am going on next week.)

Although I love the sights and amazing things Scotland has to offer, what I love best is the amazing sport this country has.  After I leave Scotland, I will have played on at least 8 of the top 100 golf courses in the world, including the most famous in the world, The Old Course at St. Andrews.  This has been a dream come true for me, and it is defentely moments I will cherish forever.  I have tried Cricket, played powerleague football (Arena style soccer), and am a quarterback on the University’s flag football team. (We can laugh at that later.)  I have even trained and ran my first 10k, which was also the biggest road race in Scotland.  There are many professional sports teams here in Glasgow, and by the time I leave, I will have seen professional matches/games of basketball, rugby (Rugby World Cup on TV as well), soccer (both BPL and Europa League) and hockey.  Right before I wrote this blog, I finished watching my sixth session live of the World Gymnastic Championships, which was an amazing experience.  This country has let me live my sports dream and has inspired what I want to do in the future.

None of this would have been possible without the EC Scholars program and the Honors College, and I hope whoever is reading this will go to a place that they can live out their dream.  Well, I am off to Newcastle, got to catch me a British Premier League game!