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Whenever I say that I am from Houston, usually people turn their heads as if to say "where on earth is that", so to avoid confusion and a long explanation of where it is, I usually say that I am from Glasgow. As it is near to where I live, and in my opinion the best city in Scotland, I like calling it 'home'. 

It's been a long time since I have been home and I have to say, I do miss it remarkably, and greatly look forward to returning after the term is finished. As it is only a short (one hour, twenty minutes) train ride away I am forever tempted to just go back and visit for the day, but the amount of work rolling up is a severely discouraging factor in my number of visits.

One of my favourite places in Glasgow has to be the Kibble Palace in the Botanic Gardens. Its sheer architectural nature is amazing and I think it is one of the reasons I decided to do architecture at University. The detailing and beauty of the Palace is surprising as most people would just see it as ‘another greenhouse’ but I looked closer when visiting earlier in the year…

Another place in Glasgow I find highly inspiring is the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, which opened in 1901. Built in a Spanish Baroque style, Kelvingrove is one of the busiest attractions in Glasgow and its sheer size hides the amount of people within the Museum at the one time. As a child I remember the stress and panic I used to have whenever I lost my Mum and sisters, but over time we devised a plan to always meet at my then favourite piece in the museum, the lit up Elvis statue, if we ever got separated. More recently, after refurbishment, I feel that the Museum has lost some of its previous charm and things I used to love about it. For instance, there used to be something I always thought was magic, but it was a light projector that, whenever you pressed the button, held your reflection on the screen for a short time and this kept me and my sisters amused for hours whenever my Mum went to look at the ‘boring paintings’.

As I have grown older, I have learnt to appreciate the smaller things, such as the checkerboard floor, Art Deco detailing and the heavy wooden doors, as well as the vast range of art and artifacts they have on display throughout the Museum.

So, I am counting down the days until I can go home (just now it is at 15 yay!) to relax, sleep in my own bed and get my dinner made for me. As I am becoming increasingly homesick, I feel that a month at home will do me some good.