Away from Home

Europe

2009-04-22T17:31:00.050+01:00

After three weeks of travel around europe, I returned to dear sweet Glasgow. I saw many beautiful and exciting things and met many interesting and fun people. There are too many stories to tell for this small blog, but I will say that europe is a beautiful place and I thoroughly enjoyed every country I entered. Instead of trying to explain the marvel in words, I hope some of the images I've captured will give a hint of the great things I saw. It was a journey on my own, and I learned a great deal about myself and humanity in kind. I am fortunate that I have the means to have done so, and I hope that many more after will have the ability to experience what I have.

Barcelona

Cologne

Neushwanstein

Munich

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Paris

Amsterdam

Berlin

TED TALKS

2009-02-28T16:37:00.004Z

So, for those of you who haven't heard of it, TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design), is a conference held in Long Beach, California every year. It has been around since 1984, when it was focused mostly on those three disciplines. Today, it has grown to encompass almost every possible subject and discipline, and draws world-renowned speakers from across the globe.

http://www.ted.com/ is a website dedicated to making the best speeches and presentations from the conference every year available to the public. They are free and downloadable, as well as infinitely rich in content. Some of them might just encourage you to change your life, or at least reexamine your perspective. I would encourage anyone who hasn't seen any of these talks to take a look, and anyone who has, to keep watching.

I recently saw a speech from Barry Schwartz on wisdom.

Edinburgh

2009-02-25T21:19:00.009Z

Over the weekend I decided to take a day trip to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is only about 50 miles away from Glasgow, on the east coast. Similar to the distance between Baltimore and Washington D.C., ironically. I decided to take the train, and got on in the morning on saturday.

The ride was a little under an hour, and I was able to see a lot of the country side in between the two biggest cities in Scotland, which is much different then the highland country side. I arrived at haymarket station and began walking. Although I had checked out information on Edinburgh beforehand and knew where I wanted to go, with map in hand, I have found in my travels over here that I prefer wandering at the beginning. In my wanderings in Edinburgh, I came upon a street performer from england doing an escape routine. He was quite funny and really got the crowd going. After he escaped from the chains by contorting his body, the show ended and I was on my way to see the sights.

(yes it was cold that day)

I first walked to the center of old town, where Edinburgh castle, and many of the other big attractions are. The city was bustling, and I heard more american accents then I've heard in the last two months in glasgow. There were hundreds of people waiting in the line to get into the castle, so I decided to see other things and try to see it later.

Edinburgh castle up on castle rock

There were many churches and cathedrals

After leaving the castle, I headed down the Royal Mile, which is a mile long stretch of old cobblestone road which connects Edinburgh castle and Holyrood Palace. Along this road I found the Camera Obscura, which is located at the top of a tower. The camera projects reflected light from all over the city onto a table inside the tower, and by turning the mirrors and lens inside the top of the tower, the guide can give you a complete 360 degree view of the city, which is pretty cool. She pointed out some historical structures and talked about the history of the city. It was quite interesting.

After the camera onscura, I decided to go down to the Holyrood palace and over to Holyrood park, where the peak of the city, "Arthur's Seat" lies. I hiked up the rolling hills until finally reaching the peak, where I was greeted by a 70mph gust that knocked me off my feet. Honestly, it was the strongest wind I have ever encountered. The view was fabulous. You can see 360 degrees around you for miles. It gave me a much better understanding of the entire city, which was built on seven hills.

arthur's seat

a view over the city, with edinburgh castle rising above the rest on the right

old church ruins in holyrood park

As I came back down from Arthur's seat, the sun began to fall, and sunset swept the city. By the time I got back to the castle, it was getting ready to close. I never did see the inside. Maybe another time. After about 10 miles of walking and hiking, I was getting quite tired, so I took the train home to glasgow, walked home and fell fast asleep. So ended another great day in Scotland.

Highlands

2009-02-06T22:18:00.034Z

This past week, two other exchange students, Mike and Kati, and I traveled up into the Scottish Highlands. Mike is another american product design student from Pratt Institute, and Kati is a product design student from Hungary.

We took the train out of glasgow at 8:20 am. It was still quite dark outside, but as the train started heading up north, I got to watch the scenery of the city gradually turn into wide open fields and rivers, and then to wide expanses of snow-capped hills and mountains. It was beautiful. It is as if you are looking into a great painting. Many of the rolling slopes beckoned me to run out and climb them. Alas, I could not.

The train crisscrossed through the highlands for five hours, stopping at twenty-five stops, each one harder then the last to pronounce. Around one in the afternoon we finally arrived at our destination, a coastal fishing village named Mallaig.

Mallaig was closed. I say that humorously, but in reality, it is not that far off. As we stepped off the train, we were somewhat shocked to find that there were no people on the streets. We walked around for awhile, trying to find a place to have lunch, but every store and restaurant was closed. We eventually stumbled upon what we would later find out was the only pub open in town, and sat down for a beer.

The pub was also a guest house, but did not have any rooms open, so we began searching to try and find a place to stay for the night. Eventually, we found the only bed and breakfast in town ang got rooms. We then hiked in the hillsides, and up to a point where you could see the Isle of Eigg, where we were going the next day.

(Eigg is in the top left)

Soon the sun came down, and we went to the pub to have drinks and play pool. We talked to several of the townsfolk and had a few laughs. Then we went back to the b&b and slept.

The next day, we got up and had breakfast, and then caught the ferry over to Eigg. It's an hour ride, and we got a good view of a lot of the other islands in the area, including skye, the biggest. I met a man who lives on Eigg, who was the head of the recent change on the island to change to all renewable energy. That fact was half of the reason we wanted to go to Eigg. They have adopted an integrated electrical grid, which uses wind, solar, and hydro-power to electrify the whole 12 square mile island. He told us some good places to see on the island, and then was on his way.

We arrived on Eigg, and had only two hours before the ferry would be back (adn if we missed it we would be stranded on the island for two days). We took the man's advice and went to the caves on the south side of the island. I spotted the islands windfarm, and quite a few sheep (surprise). We hiked along the coast until we found the caves. The coast was beautiful, and in the background, the Sgurr, the peak of the island was snow and cloud capped in the distance.

(sheeeeeep)

After seeing a good part of the island, we headed back to the ferry. Then it was back to Mallaig, back on the train, past the twenty-five stops, and on back to glasgow. It had snowed a few inches while we were up north, so on the way back we were treated to a snow covered landscape. Then the sun went down, and it was the end of another day in Scotland.

Burns Night

2009-02-03T00:02:00.012Z

So, for those of you who didn't know, last week was the 250th anniversary of Scotland's own beloved and cherished poet/lyricist Robert Burns (or Rabbie Burns, as he is often referred to here) On Burns Night, the official time of celebration, I went with my friends Rachel, Dave, and John to Georges Square in the middle of Glasgow. There were hundreds of people there, in front of a stage. In the background there was an enormous projection of Robert Burns on the city council building.

There was a band of bagpipers that played for awhile and a speech about Burns. It was quite nice, but quite cold, and after about an hour, I left to go to my friend fraser's apartment to have a haggis dinner.

Haggis s good. I don't see what all the negative connotations I've heard people in the U.S. give it are about. It's a well-spiced meat hash with oats mixed in. I like it a lot, and along with cooked carrots and potatoes, it made a delicious, hearty meal which I would gladly have anytime.

Speaking of which....

Last Wednesday, I had it again, when I went to an official GSA Burns Supper Celebration at the Vic (school bar and social area). Everyone dressed up, either in traditional tartan kilts and sashes, or like me, in a suit or dress. There were five long tables set with candles and cutlery, with a stage in the front, and of course, a bar in the back. There were about 120 people who came for the dinner, which included a full haggis meal, some local folk music, speeches from several people about Burns and his poetry, and a dram of whisky to toast him.

(my friend Rory and the haggis meals)

After the meal and speech and drink were finished, it was time for the ceilidh, which is a traditional Sottish dance event. Folk Scottish music with basic beat and flighty fiddle played whilst everyone participated in dance quite similar to American line dancing.

I did particiapte until I was stepped upon by a girl with high heels and started bleeding. Despite that, it was a fun night and was nice to finally get a taste of traditional Scottish culture.

Obama's Inauguration

2009-01-20T23:46:00.004Z

Today, I felt especially proud to be an American. Being in a different country during this momentous of an event gives a totally different perspective. I guess, to a certain extent, I am not as removed from the American political bubble as I would be in other places in the world, since Britains ties with the U.S. and it's dealings are strong. However, it is quite a different feeling to be cheering for Barack Obama in a room of cheering Brits then it is with exuberant Americans I think, and in many ways is a more profound and awe-inspiring experience.

I walked into the Vic (the GSA's pub and night club) with a few classmates after studio today, to find dozens of students packed around the main projected TV. As I sat down, I heard the singing of Aretha Franklin and others and watched as excited Scotts watched the BBC live footage of the inauguration. I watched as Joe Biden was sworn into office and then, was almost startled as I stood up to applaud the appearence of Mr. Obama by the roaring cheer of the people around me. We all watched intently as Obama took the oath and then gave his speech.

I love listening to that man speak.

As I listened and cheered, I was struck with both a personal pride in my country and my president, but also by a realization that this moment was being celebrated all over the world. Many of the people here in Glasgow were as excited and moved as I was, and for that fact alone, I commend Mr. Obama. As the video panned out over the crowd of millions on the mall, I heard remarks of shear awe from friends next to me. I was reminded of Martin Luther King Jr's speech on the mall, not just because the two men are/were strong, well-spoken african-american leaders, but because they both inspired such a large group of people to believe in the strength and the perserverance of the American people.

God bless America
God bless the Earth

I look forward to the future...

Studio

2009-01-14T22:50:00.010Z

Studio, where the magic happens...

Greig and James

Iain and Rachel

Most of the class...

Pubs and Peeps

2009-01-11T13:27:00.011Z

I've been in Scotland for a little over a week now, but it seems much longer, in a good way. School started on monday, and we started a project with Hoover Candy (the UK and European Hoover). We will be doing strategic design work to examine potentially new product markets for Hoover in the near future. We've done a lot of research so far, and I gave a presentation on the science of dirt and hygiene. Did you know that for every one human cell on your body, there are 10 bacterial cells?

Along with academia, I've also been meeting people. I've gone out a couple times to nearby pubs to have a pint or two with folks from the Product Design department. They are all very nice and fun to be around. They've shown me the local brews and other specifically Scottish brands of drink and food. It's always fun to try new things. Also, I have to say, being able to buy alchohol is better then I could have imagined. Being able to buy a pint after class is just plain relaxing.

I've finally settled into a room in a flat, which is only about 100 yards away from my studio, and right up the street from the main digs of Glasgow City Centre. It's small, but warm and cozy, and there are about 20 other people living in the house, so I'll have many people to meet.

My bed

Desk

Fridge

Bathroom with shower

It's been raining and gusting wind for the past two days, so I've mostly staid inside, with the exception of going out to buy the things that I need for my room. I've already noticed how much having the things around you that you are used to can help you feel more at home. Consumerism at it's best I guess. I've also gotten to talk to many people from back home, which has made me feel alot better.

View out of my window

Until next time

peace and love
eric

Glasgow

2009-01-07T22:14:00.001Z

These are some of my first pictures of Glasgow on New Years Day

GSA Mackintsh building

GSA Campus (the product design building is the one at the farthest end)

See more at my flickr page

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30624169@N05/

Flight

2009-01-07T20:49:00.000Z

Leaving is almost always a strange experience for me. I guess my mind doesn't really wrap around the idea too easily or quickly. It always hits me later.

After many last minute preparations, with the great help of mom and dad, I packed my last bag and went out the door. At the airport, I hugged my parents for the last time in a long time and went through security. It wasn't until I was halfway over the atlantic that I realized how alone I was and how much I would truly miss them and all of my friends.

On the seven hour flight from chicago to dublin, I sat next to a little girl, who was probably five or six. In fact, probably 30 percent of people on that 767 were under the age of 8, and at least half of the flyers were Irish, probably coming back from holiday in the states.

I got a meat lasagna dinner during the flight. It was somewhat humurous to see the meal, since I used to be quite excited about them when I was a young kid. I am still fascinated with the modular and segmented design of food prep and serving products on airplanes, and how they fit together like a puzzle. The meal was much less exciting. I watched Ghost Town, with Ricky Gervais as a selfish, cynical dentist who starts seeing ghosts. It was ok, a bit cliche, and Ricky is much funnier unscripted.

I did not sleep, except for about 30 minutes right before they woke us up for breakfast, mostly because it is impossible to get comfortable in coach seats on an airplane. We arrived into dublin and I had about 10 minutes to catch the flight to glasgow. The dublin airport was surprisingly busy for 8 am. I caught the plane to glasgow and watched out the window the whole 50 min flight, trying to get a good look at the land in which I'd be spending the next 6 months. Unsurprisingly, except for a few holes through to the rolling hills and pastures, it was coated with clouds. I wish I had taken pictures. As we approached the airport, the unmistakeable forms of grassy hills and stone buildings came into view. There were sheep pastures all the way upto the outer fences of the airport, and when I stepped out of the plane doorway the smell of cowpatty surrounded me.

We walked into the airport after taking a bus, and I was surprised to find that were no customs or immigrations officers. My checked bag was also missing. I talked to the aer lingus baggage people and to the airport security and they said that if there was not an immigrations officer available, then I could just go. I went to an atm, took out my first batch of pounds, got on a bus and went into Glasgow.

New Years Day 2009

Introduction

2009-01-07T20:43:00.000Z

I've decided to use this blog as the story of my journey over to the U.K. and my life at the Glasgow School of Art in Glasgow, Scotland. I do not know what form it will take or what it will contain, but I hope it will give some comfort to my loved ones back in the U.S. and to me, since I am thousands of miles from where I call home.