DU Abroad

The longer I go without finishing this blog, the funnier it gets. I started it almost two weeks ago and then left it alone in my documents folder. Fortunately, I’m not alone in my imperfection – procrastination seems to be pretty universal, according to my extensive accidental research that I’ve done while actually procrastinating. Because obviously a better cure for procrastination than actually finishing my blog post is reading five books on procrastination and then cleaning the kitchen because I can’t start anything else until I’ve written a treatise on how I’m going to beat my procrastination.

I think I’m allergic to starting anything until either a) I know it’s gonna be great or b) THE DEADLINE IS TOMORROW. Option B happens 95% of the time, and deadlines are the only reason I’ve done the majority of the things I can put on a school application or a resumé. The other 5% of the time never. Happens. Instead, this weird thing happens where I’m totally unsure about how The Thing will turn out but I do it anyway. That is the reason I’ve finished writing novels, have a massive stash of my drawings and paintings back home, and am on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

A few weeks ago, on a Tuesday, I realized that I had a free weekend coming up. I’ve already spent several weeks squirrelled away in my flat, pretending to do homework but actually reading, cleaning, or cooking. My primary form of exploration has been finding new cafés to sit in and actually do homework. Tuesday, I agonized over what I should do – I hadn’t planned anything, should I just stay home again and wait for a better weekend? No, absolutely not. I came here to see Scotland, not just the inside of one flat. But what to do? A grand solo adventure up to Inverness? A hike around Loch Lomond? A weekend in Aberdeen? Or stay in Glasgow and just go to a museum?

Luckily, I wasn’t alone in a hidey-hole in a tea shop when I had this moment. I was in my flat, with friends who pulled me back into reality. No, a giant solo trip isn’t a good idea when just going grocery shopping wipes me out, but it’s time to adventure a little more. I’d already been to Edinburgh for a day trip, maybe it would be good to go there again so I’m not as overwhelmed. But this time, think about going overnight – that way I’ve done it and I can go a little farther next time. Within half an hour, I had a friend from the RCS to travel with, a return train ticket and an AirBnB booked for Friday night.

I was terrified. I felt underprepared, I had no events to go to, I had no idea how to use the public transportation, and I didn’t even know where I was going to go to dinner. (priorities, right?) It didn’t matter, I’d bought the tickets and refused to waste the money. So I did some Googling and found an article on Edinburgh by Alexander McCall Smith. Said article suggested canal walks and delicatessens – much more my speed than battling the crowds to pay £18 to get into Edinburgh Castle.

The trip was gloriously imperfect. I packed my backpack, proceeded to accidentally soak it in the tiny RCS bathroom, and hopped on the train with not one but three other musicians, complete with harp and fiddle. I couldn’t get into my AirBnB, so I had to find a café with free WiFi so I could look up the check-in instructions again. I found the check-in instructions (I’d been using the wrong key) but I also found a café with a designated overly affectionate Labrador on duty and tablet made by the owner’s mum. I went to the Italian delicatessen alone, found a restaurant in the back, and ate dinner there alone – spending an hour over a wonderfully rich, smooth chocolate torte. I then met up with my fiddler friend and we went to a Scottish music session in a pub on the Royal Mile.

After my beautiful anti-procrastination trip, I came home and proceeded to procrastinate my essay for the next week. In the end, it doesn’t matter how many blogs you read (or write!) about beating procrastination, how many plans you make, or how good you are at the theory of not procrastinating anymore. It matters that you decide to act now, with the acceptance of all the resources that are and are not at your disposal.

I know I’m not going to start a revolution of thought or write the most profound Thing ever to exist. I know that in many ways, my essays, travels, and interactions will be very, very average. I’m still going to try to be exceptional – I don’t think it’s possible to turn off my “GIVE 200%!!!” switch. But it’s a heck of a lot better to give a disorganized 80% than to give 0% by never doing the Thing at all.

Alice Major

SCOTLAND – UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW, 2018 FALL

Alice Major is studying at the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland. She is a double major, focusing mostly on music and adding history because history is cool. Study abroad is Alice’s first time out of the country, and she hopes to come home in one piece and with a wicked Scottish accent.

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I sat in the Hyderabad airport visitor area drinking a cup of coffee and reading Lolita. It was 7:25 am and I was waiting for my sister Mary to land after her 25 hours of flying. Her flight wasn’t supposed to land for another hour, so I lounged in my chair and watched people eagerly waiting for their loved ones. Men crowded the confined space as they sprawled their legs and arms out on the seats, staring with no bashfulness at me. I wrapped my scarf tighter around myself as I buried my eyes further into the novel.

After an hour had passed, I began getting frantic texts from my dad asking where Mary was, saying she had called from a payphone only minutes before. I craned my neck to look around me but was greeted only by curious brown or black eyes, not like my sister’s hazel and red. I realized then that this simple airport pickup I had expected may not be going as planned. I ran around the airport for the next hour, asking the guards if they had seen a tall girl with blonde hair, which they responded to with confused eyes and a shake of their head. No PA system limited any opportunity to call over the loudspeaker for her.

I was convinced that she had been abducted by someone. My dad and brother were calling me non-stop asking where she could’ve gone in such a short time frame. As I spoke to my dad, I got an incoming call from my roommate Kayla. With confusion, I answered the call.

“Hey, so, um… your sister is here right now. She came to my room and was asking where you were,” Kayla said to me with a hint of amusement in her tone.

After I talked to Mary and found out that she had left the airport thinking that I had abandoned her, I hopped in an uber and headed back to the University.

For the next week, I followed the itinerary which I had made for Mary’s trip. Go to Ahmedabad for the weekend with a couple of other students, visit some temples, go to markets. Each day was filled to the brim with things to do and see, even as the temperature rose to 95 degrees. We walked around in a confused daze, taking naps in the afternoon and waking up when the sun was beginning to descend.

But as we traveled through the streets, I felt as though I was seeing everything for the first time; the pani puri stands on the side of the road, families laughing outside of their houses, five people jam-packed on one motorbike. My senses were heightened as we drove through the streets in our auto-rickshaw. I felt as though I had to protect her from some negative opinion of India.

After two and a half months of living here, I thought I understood this country and that I could navigate everything and show my sister how much India had to offer. But when the time actually came, I felt lost every time I traveled with her and overwhelmed at the slightest inconvenience.

Mary took this well, as she often is more in touch with my emotions than I am. She was patient and reassuring when I was on the verge of tears for the first time in months. She welcomed the chaos of India with a smile and observing eyes.

As we drove to the airport on Thursday night, we talked about the time which had passed since I left in July. She told me about my nephew Carson who was getting baptized soon, my nieces who just went back to school, her new job. I smiled with happiness as the palm trees flew past outside the window in the darkness. It was different to hear her talk about what was happening back home in person rather than over facetime through times zones and a digital screen. She asked how I felt to be here for another three and a half months, and I responded honestly that I was apprehensive but ready for the challenge.

So many events have occurred during my time here that have made me so grateful for my own life and the opportunities I have had. The Supreme Court in India overturned section 377, which decriminalized gay sex. To be here in India when this was passed as well as having the chance to work with an NGO that is working first-hand to challenge the government’s opinion of the LGBTQ+ community is incredible.

I have also seen the death of one of my favorite artists Mac Miller. He recently died of a drug overdose after suffering from drug abuse and mental illness for years. I remember listening to “Frick Park Market” with Mary in our 2000 silver mustang as we drove to school, each of us switching rapping the lyrics and filling in the blanks when the other had to breathe. My heart aches for yet another artist who falls to the pressures of the music industry and society. Even though the world feels a little bit more silent without his voice, I’m grateful for the work he was able to create in the short amount of time he had here.

As I felt homesick and lonely with my sister’s absence last night, I borrowed my friend Meg’s watercolors and went to the roof to paint as the sun descended. Only days ago, Mary and I sat in the same spot together, recreating our infamous rooftop in Virginia where we would spend hours talking. Without thinking, my brush began forming the outline of a Banyan tree, the native tree to India which symbolizes eternal life, and I realized that each emotion I experience is beautiful and should be welcomed with open arms.

Anne Berset

INDIA – UNIVERSITY OF HYERDERABAD, 2018 FALL

Anne Berset is double majoring in Creative Writing and Psychology as well as a minor in Philosophy. She is studying at the University of Hyderabad in India for the Fall term, where she will be taking philosophy and political science courses. She hopes to gain a new perspective on culture, politics, and religion while abroad. Anne loves to watch films, go on hikes, and spend time with animals.

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