My first day at Uni was orientation. I was extremely nervous not knowing what to expect or who to talk to. As I entered lecture hall, I surveyed the room looking for a seat and found one next to a girl who also came to orientation alone.
Taking a glance around the room once again after I sat down, I noticed that there were tons of groups already formed, I felt like the biggest outsider and knew I needed to step out of my comfort zone—fast.
I asked the girl next to me for the Wi-Fi code to start up conversation. We kept slight conversation throughout the welcome lecture; the ability for me to go beyond my shy demeanor had been rewarded!
After the lecture I met all her roommates and we all decided to buy pub crawl tickets for that night. My nerves went away as we all talked. Lesson No. 1 from my first day of this crazy experience: don’t be afraid at orientation. Make conversation with other people because everyone is just as nervous as you and also new to this experience. You’re not alone!
That night I was full on anxious to go to my first pub crawl! The atmosphere in Scotland is extremely revolved around drinking, making pub crawls a casual thing, especially during Fresher’s week. I met up with everyone I had met at orientation and together we walked to Three Sisters, the Uni’s pub.
Once we got there, everyone got drinks and began mingling with new people as well as our group. We then got into our Fresher’s groups (all wearing matching t-shirts—oh, the embarrassment) and headed to the first of the 12 pubs we were going to that night!
Needless to say, it was absolutely the best time. I got closer with my friends from orientation, tried plenty of pubs and had the best laughs that night. Nightlife in Edinburgh is beyond what I could’ve ever imagined. If anyone was looking for a good bar scene, look no further then Edinburgh, Scotland.
Lyna Nguyen is earning a bachelor’s degree in graphic design at San Diego State University. She is photo blogging from Edinburgh, Scotland for the 2015-2016 academic year.
The global experience, as told by SDSU students 