How Was Your Weekend?

The weekend began a little early for me last week!  Don't you love it when that happens? 

Thursday got everything started with a graduate marketing programs dinner.  It was so nice to get outside the classroom and have a chance to get to know one another at a social event.  With such a diverse group, I'm so glad we are able to have serious discussions in class, where we critique each other and discuss differences, but then are able to respect each others opinions and enjoy dinner together.

Just a few of the students in International Marketing!

Friday night and Saturday, I was excited to be invited to Dumbarton.  A couple, from the church I am attending here in Glasgow, welcomed me into their home and showed me more sites of Scotland!  We took a trip to Aberfoyle and visited Little Fawn Waterfall, in the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park.  When typical Scottish rain came rolling in, we were not able to explore more of the park, but still have a great time.

Sister Mekwi

Brother Mekwi

The Little Fawn Waterfall

Sunday night finished the weekend with my first authentic Chinese dinner!  Since I have two Chinese flatmates, I have been attempting to learn Chinese.  It is a slow process with a lot of repetition but I have not given up yet!  One of my flatmates invited me to have dinner with her friends, what better way to practice the language than to be surrounded by native speakers?!  Dinner was delicious and the conversation was fun.  They were all so encouraging and helped me learn more of the language.  If I reach some level of fluency at the end of the academic year then they just might give me a Chinese name and have a special dinner for the occasion.  That is pretty great motivation! 

They were all pretty surprised that I could use chopsticks the proper way.  A big thank you goes to my parents for teaching us kids at home to use chopsticks during stir-fry nights!  I think all those little (and big) things we learned growing up, prepared me for an adventure like this.  From my mother always tell me "it doesn't matter what they have for dinner, try it even if you think you wont like it" to my dad saying "yes you can, just practice some more."  Trying new things and listening to what other cultures have to teach me has opened even more doors and opportunities.  Who would have guessed I would come to Scotland and have the opportunity to learn Mandarin Chinese?        

The master chef, Nason

The other chef, Leon

Mandy, me, and Purple

Purple, Darny, and Mandy

Some of the delicious food!

Yes! I can use chopsticks!

Sunday was a beautiful day in Glasgow with a few last rays of sunshine for a while.  Today turned quite cool with temperatures around 7 degrees Celsius (about 45 Fahrenheit) and rain most of the day.  So far I have been handling the cold, rainy weather pretty good.  It is amazing how much scarves help!