The city that became my second home!

 The 10 yr old me wrote in her journal ‘I want to study outside of India’.

At that time, those were just some random scribbles across some pages of a wide-eyed girl who didn’t know what it meant, just some dreams worth chasing maybe!?

For years, that dream looked like the US, if it was possible. I had a picture painted in my head — glossy magazines, yellow cabs, Hollywood movies. When I got the chance to apply, then, one by one, every US university I applied shut down doors for me. Rejection after rejection, like some sort of dominos falling, left me really heartbroken. At that point in time, I thought this dream wasn’t mine to chase. 

But then out of nowhere, UK came into the picture. UK every Bollywood movies in the 90s and 00s exhibited as the perfect backdrop. It was never on my list. Glasgow was not even a minuscular point in my imagination. Yet, sometimes life pushes you to places you never had on your wish list.

I applied to 8 universities and got into 7. And Glasgow? It wasn’t love at first sight. I didn’t put up posters of Clyde river or Kelvingroove park on my room wall. It was a practical decision — research opportunities and academic fit. Logical. But oh, how it turned out to be some love story.

I landed exhausted, tired, scared, excited, happy — all at once. The 21 year old me packed her life in 45kg of suitcase, stepping out of the flight with shaky hands. With the warmest welcome from the immigration officer, and after 26 hours of travel, the city did start to feel like home.

What followed was a 365 days of rollercoaster ride! 

Glasgow gave me a family I never expected. Friends who became comfort and joy. It gave me a knack for trying out food. It gave me the joy of feeling like a local — knowing which coffee shop, having a go-to £2 iced chocolate order, which streets to cut through when I was running late, 9PM food-joint (Hajar at Trongate) never disappointed. Glasgow made me a walker too — averaging 8km a day — and every walk was a discovery, something new. About the city, yes! But more than that, about myself!

I ticked off some of my bucket list items.

I saw Aurora Borealis — crying under the red and green sky night above the tombstones.

I saw snowfall — as Taylor Swift said ‘glistening as it fell’ — making me a kid again!

I cycled freely for an hour most of the days — who thought I could pedal myself up the slope!

And most of all, I found my sanctuary in the form of necropolis — there is something about that place that I can never figure out!

Glasgow made me a beer girlie. Tennent’s most of the times, Guinness when I wanted something that felt like me (some people just don’t understand it). But the best memory? Not any fancy pub, but having the £1.79 Bel haven at Wetherspoons with your best friend — tired, messy, laughing, and me getting a bit tipsy!! That kind of joy, you can’t buy with money!

The city gave me strangers with smiles, security guys at my fav stores saying ‘how you doing, love?’. It gave me quiet streets where I could wander on heavy days, vibrants colours when I wanna walk off my frustrations. Somewhere in between it gave me the chance to belong, to fit in, even thousands of miles away from where I was born.

And then there was the weather! 

How can I forget — the only thing has more mood swings than me, at this point! Or else how would you justify having the privilege to watch, through your 6th floor room window, heavy rain, hail storm, gusty winds, blinding sun and the whitest of snowfall — all in the span of 2 hours? 

There were days when the winds knocked me off my feet, literally. But the shiniest of the sun rays asked me to pause and soak in. Back at home, I am not a huge fan of rain. But here? Somewhere down the line, Glasgow rain has creeped up on me, and I started to love it!

Of course, it wasn’t always sunshine - literal or otherwise. There were days when I confined myself in my room, when the walls felt too tight. Days when nothing felt right so, I took solace in quiet libraries. Days when my smile felt superficial and forced, I walked to Necropolis because I didn’t know where else to go. But Glasgow held me tight on all those days too. The street, the skies, the colours, the city — all whispered: 

You’ll be fine. You always have us. You are home. Keep growing.

And maybe that’s the biggest gift you gave me, Glasgow. You gave me a place to grow. The permission to be better. To fail, to stumble, to cry, to pause, to laugh, to love, to live. To be scared, but to keep walking no matter what!

Because the girl who landed in this new city alone — nervous, scared, excited, unsure — is not the same girl who took off. I like to think this version of me, she’s much stronger now. More independent. More confident. More self aware. Still naive, still scared — but not afraid to admit.

So thank you, Glasgow,

For the academic opportunities that brought me here.

For holding me on the worst days.

For the coffee shops, the rain, the sun, the smiles, the people.

For bringing my dream come to life.

For making me walk without complain.

For giving me opportunity to fall in love.

For giving me home when I wasn’t looking for one.

Until we meet again, be you because you taught me the same!