Edinburgh University is home to more than 17,000 students. Of this number, at least 3,000 are of international origin. Mobile phones are trendy, convenient and rampant among the British residents at the university. Every other lecture that I attend is interrupted by the sound of a distant, muffled ring. Such an occasion follows with the pause of a lecturer and the rustling of a rosy-faced student desperately searching for the device.
Silence resumes a few seconds later, and the annoyed lecturer once again speaks.
Walking through the Meadows to George Square in the morning, my slow daydreams are interrupted by electronic beeps. Even Seamus Heaney, who spoke of British and Irish poetry at Old College last month, was interrupted by an undeniable ring in a crowd of more than 500. Aside from mobile phones, students also like their dance and drink. Due to this freedom, most students do not aim to binge drink. Students can often be seen studying or reading in a bar during the day.