Berkley Center

After spending over four months traveling around the United Kingdom and studying in Glasgow, I have come to notice that there are very distinct differences in the behaviors of people I have met over here as opposed to those in the United States. Although I didn't believe it at first, I have come to discover that Glasgow truly is one of the friendliest places I have ever visited. While venturing around the city with my flat-mates one night, I stumbled upon an old Scottish pub from which I could hear traditional music floating out the door and into the streets. My friends and I were naturally intrigued, so we entered, and found ourselves transported into a place whose very nature seemed to epitomize the lost Highland tradition that I had traveled to Scotland to find. Although at first we felt out of place amidst the older, native crowd, it only took minutes before one man set down his banjo in order to help find seats for us. Before I knew it, the man had introduced me to his friends, who were all holding instruments of their own and taking turns in shouting out tunes for the rest of the musicians.

By the end of that night, my friends and I felt as though we had been truly welcomed to Scotland through what we thought was the rare kindness of a few session musicians. Yet, to my great surprise, I soon began to notice that this friendly nature was not so much unique as a part of the very culture in which the Scottish people are raised. Walk into any pub or restaurant and you are sure to be greeted by a genuine smile and a person not only looking to take your order, but to find out just how you “happened to find yourself in Glasgow.” Since arriving here, I have had the privilege of making concrete friendships with people through a variety of ways. A simple conversation with a man sitting next to me at the pub led to the discovery that I wasn't the only East Coast American in Scotland. In fact, after knowing this man about two months, my friends and I were invited to join him on a tour of the Highlands surrounding the mountain range of Glen Coe. After speaking with the man, we discussed the way in which the unique circumstances of the pub culture led us to act more openly, willing to get know one another as we may never have attempted in the United States.

While many people will tell you that Scotland is no longer the nation of the poets and the romantics, I've discovered that this image actually does live on. The unique sense of community and personal connection allows the people of this country to continue preserving their traditions. The history may visibly sit on the back-burner, but if you take the moment to get to know any local Scot, they will be more than excited to talk about Scotland's history and place in the world, ultimately sharing with you the rare beauty of a land whose greatest quality is its people.