The fifth blog belongs to me! My name is Nathan Roberts, and I’m a recently basically-graduated senior who still needed one more GE credit (more on that later). We’ve finished our first of four weeks in Glasgow, and with so much to unpack in this city and limited time between rehearsals and class to do it, I will definitely take every day I can here. Following Glenelg, Glasgow was a rapid change of pace. It’s one thing to be led home from dinner by a family of sheep in the highlands; it’s another entirely to put headphones on and walk down a busy street to a coffee shop on the way to class early every morning. As much as I loved the sheep, my personal preference is the latter, so I’m loving it here.
Speaking of class, the credit I still needed was REL 300, and the only way I was willing to fulfill this requirement was across the pond. Thankfully, Pepperdine was willing to negotiate. 😉 Prof. Scott Spurlock leads amazing classes every period. These are mostly lectures, but occasionally we have field trips to various landmarks around the city. The first of these happened this past Thursday, when we observed the Govan Stones (the sun stone is pictured below). We were told all about their history and significance, and the t-shirt I’m wearing above is one I bought while I was there – the snake and z-rod are thought possibly to represent wisdom and new beginnings, which felt appropriate given my recent graduation. So far in class, we have covered the spread and development of Christianity in Scotland, and this week, we’re looking at the effects of the Reformation in Scotland and how both Protestantism and Catholicism developed/evolved in response.
Rehearsals are well underway for our production of Lifelong, Lynda Radley’s brand new drama about a scientific attempt at “everlasting life” sans religion. Think Bryan Johnson, except there’s several involved, and the whole plan to extend everyone’s life seems to have too many negative side effects to be worth it (not exactly a stretch, is it?). Radley’s drafts keep coming in, with each one somehow clearer and more compelling than the last. The character work got very emotional for many of us over the weekend, which is only a good sign. We run for two weeks in August, and I so can’t wait.
Even among the spiral of class and rehearsal, there’s a great deal of exploring we’ve done. This past weekend, we enjoyed “A Play, A Pie, And A Pint” at Òran Mór, where a highly satirical take on Little Red Riding Hood saw wolves as propaganda bolstered by the media as opposed to existing creatures. We explored a botanical garden not far from there, which is pictured below. We’ve also enjoyed many restaurants in the area, including Maki & Ramen, which is currently sitting pretty at first place for me – pictured as well is their steak tataki ramen, which blew me away. I’m finishing this blog having had my second meal there, and this is the only restaurant that can boast this.
I’m loving Glasgow. Neither the company bonding time nor the independence allowed here feel compromised by one another; sometimes we split off and do our own things, and sometimes we’re all in one of our common rooms laughing hysterically at the night we’ve just had. I’m excited to keep exploring, and I’m even happier to know that there’s one more stop in August. Full speed ahead.
Comments are closed