Second full day in the US of A and it already feels like we are American students!

Today was unbelievably busy but a really enjoyable experience. The day opened at our usual breakfast spot – Little John’s – followed by a wee stroll through campus grounds to the Declaring Independence Exhibit in the UVa Special Collections Library. Not only did we learn a lot of information about the authors and creation of the declaration but we were lucky enough to see original letters from the signers and news prints from the 1700s. Some of us got a tad excited over an interactive touch screen in the Collection – but it was all highly educational! Honest 😉

Another wee meeting with the UVa Pals took us into one of the small gardens just off of the Lawn, behind one of Lecturer’s house. This was a great chance to find out more about UVa, their social life and American culture. Lunch in Newcomb Hall was another way to experience life as a UVa student – not only was the place crawling with people, but attempting to find food was something else! We spent the time deliberating over who wanted to go to what classes – a few of us were slightly nervous about attending classes on our own so we grouped off – some went to Roman History, International Relations, ‘How Things Work’ (but I’m sure we were in the wrong class?!!), Native American Indian, Introduction to American Politics and Espionage and Intelligence History – a wide range of topics!!

After classes we sprawled out on the Lawn for a few hours – making the most of the sun which is a rare sight for us Scots! Was a good chance to see the different sights around Campus and for a few others to attend other classes. After an early dinner, in an attempt to skip the queues in Newcomb, we decided to find a sunny spot to chill. While Ruairidh was busy filling up his sketch book, the rest of us played the game ‘Stop the Bus.’ We then attended the UVa Education Abroad Photo Exhibition at Dawson’s Row where we were joined by a few UVa Pals. Not only were we welcomed by a very large food spread but by outdoor games like croquet and Corn Hole – where one of two of us got a little bit too competitive…..

We ended the night back at the hotel where we munched on left-over pizza, watching the basketball on TV. Student Life!!

Alison 🙂