Scotland Cried When I Said Goodbye

It hit me for the first time this morning: I'm going home tomorrow. I've been telling myself that for about two weeks now, and wishing for the day to come faster all term, but now that it's here, the moment has become bittersweet. I walked West Sands for the last time today, enjoyed one more coffee with friends. I played my last game of golf yesterday, enjoying having the short course to ourselves. We listened to Scottish music in the pub one final time, sat with friends for the last meal in hall. A bunch of lasts.
It started out as a bunch of firsts. The first friends we met, the first Ceilidh, first walk into town, first golf lesson...the list goes on. And now suddenly I'm saying, 'That's the last time I'll buy a piece of shortbread.' Or something along those lines.

Our final days in St Andrews were well spent. Saturday proved to be the most beautiful day we had the entire term, and Kate and I enjoyed a long afternoon on the beach. I should have been studying. But I wasn't. We got our first light sunburn, dipped in the North Sea (to cool off, of all things!) and enjoyed the rare moment we got to wear a bathing suit in Scotland. We went to church for the last time on Sunday, and were left with some excellent worship and a meaningful message. I took my one and only final on Monday, and then prepared to return to the beautiful USA. We made sure we got in everything we wanted to do before we left: music at the Whey Pat Tavern, practicing our chipping skills on the short course, coffee at Northpoint, and so on.

It seems only right that it should storm the last day we are here. We haven't had a good rain in some time, and Scotland was overdue. The wind is picking up, and the rain drops are getting bigger and heavier. Last night we even had some excellent thunder and lightning storms. Katelyn is finishing up her final day of work, and we will be enjoying a little jazz tonight before lugging my suitcase to her dorm and ceremoniously burying her tattered shoes.

Tomorrow is an early morning. We are being picked up at 5:30 am, and will have some time to get breakfast before our flight to London. Here's hoping that travel goes smoothly tomorrow. It will be a long day, long overdue.

Many lessons have been learned over the months spent here in St Andrews:
We've learned that when you eat in the pubs, order at the bar, because they won't serve you from your table.
We've learned that haggis isn't really as bad as some think; as long as you ignore the ingredients, it really just tastes like corned beef hash.
I've learned that there are some seriously harsh rules in golf, especially if you land in a bunker, so note: don't hit it into the bunker.
I've also learned the the most famous pirates in literature were created by Scots. Peter Pan and Treasure Island's inspiration for their pirates can all be traced back to Daniel Defoe's General History of the Pirates.
If you think someone is staring at you because you look funny...you're right. But then just stare right back because they're probably in some ridiculous ensemble that looks like the Big Bang of fashion failure.
When in Scotland, ALWAYS carry an umbrella.
NEVER trust BBC Weather. They're always wrong. Even when you look up the current weather.
Some of the nicest people you will ever meet are in Scotland. And some of the weirdest.
You make friends from all over the world when you come to Scotland. Germany, France, England, Russia, the Philippines, and of course the lovely USA.

There is no end to the memories that have been made here, and the friendships that have been formed. There were highs and lows to all of it, but it is all a part of the experience of studying abroad, and this is one that I have enjoyed immensely. Everything for the academics to the golf, to the people, has made this semester one of the most memorable of them all.

Thank you to all who helped to get me here, and thanks to all who made this term so fantastic. I will never forget you. And with a final wave, I say goodbye to this home away from home, and hello to the family and friends waiting for me in California! See you all tomorrow! YAY!!!!

Countdown

Hello to everyone stateside!

We had a lovely time at the polo tournament, and enjoyed some quiet nights out last week to wind down the last week of lectures. It is so strange that it has finally come to this. We are down to two weeks and counting. My final story will be turned in tomorrow, and then it will be time to hunker down and start studying for my one and only exam...Pirates and Privateers. Nervous! There's so much information to go through from the term, and it's making me slightly panicky. There are people who have three or four exams. I can't even imagine doing two! And I only have one...I should not be complaining. This week has been revision week for most, but for me and Hailey, it has been a relaxation/stay away from the books week. My last golf lesson was last week, but I had the opportunity to play the Balgrove Course on Wednesday, which was very fun (though my skills were a bit rusty on the golf course...) It was a great way to end such a fun semester of lessons, and it is definitely the best decision I made here.

During revision week we had one more Pirates lecture, with guest historian Eric J. Graham, who is very passionate about Scottish maritime history, and made the discussion very entertaining. When he finished his lecture, Jacob, Dan and I headed over to The Central pub for a pint...and to talk about more pirates with our fellow students! It was a fun way to end the lecture. As challenging as the course has been, I have learned so many interesting things, and have come to appreciate even more the period of privateers and pirates that has fascinated the public for centuries.

This weekend will be a quiet one, as many of my friends will be starting their exams, including Kate, who has her first one on Saturday! I am stocked up on food for the study period coming up next week, and next time you hear from me, it will be only a few days before Kate and I return too the beautiful USA!

See everyone VERY SOON! Cheers...

An Exciting Weekend

Hello friends and family!

The past couple of weeks have passed, and St Andrews is now on the homeward stretch. After turning in my final Pirates essay, the final events of the end of term are in full swing. We had a wonderful time at the Byre listening to jazz, and that weekend we danced till we couldn't move at the CU Ball. It was so much fun going for dinner, a time of worship, and ending the evening with a Ceilidh and a Bop (DJ). We also went for a pre-May Dip on Monday morning, and though the water was freezing, the sun was shining, so it was a warm walk back to hall. St Andrews really gets into the final weeks of the term, with so many things going on. The biggest event of this month is May Dip. On the first of May, at dawn, the students head down to Castle Sands to take a plunge into the freezing water. It is a whole night ordeal for most people, with students out the entire night getting extremely drunk and going to parties. Hailey and my alternative was to go to Tesco and get an Apple pie and some ice cream. We baked with a couple friends of our, hung out and watched Sandlot, and then at 3:45 this morning, we headed out for Castle Sands. Market Street had never been more deserted. Not a soul was there. And then we hit North Street, and a mass of students suddenly appeared. For those who don't know, Castle Sands is the smallest of the three beaches in St Andrews, no more than a cove, and yet every year without fail, 3,000 students make their way down to the beach, herded like sheep by the police down the steep steps to the beach for a dive into the freezing ocean just as the sun rises. After experiencing this, I am impressed at any person who can be completely wasted and still make it down the steps, dive in the water, and back up without getting killed. I was surprised we made it out alive! The experience was worth it for us, though; we couldn't leave University without having experienced May Dip. Yes, it's true many choose to do it in the nude, and we were very grateful for the darkness that still hung around. We stood next to the bonfires around the beach for a few minutes before fighting our way back to the top of the cliff and walking back to hall. We showered and fell into bed. At 8:30 we woke up got some breakfast, and went back to bed. The same thing happened at 12:30 for lunch, but before we could get a decent amount of sleep, the Garden Party started earlier than it was supposed to, so we were woken up to very loud music, and an interesting text message from a friend of mine.

Prince William is at this wedding! Of course, my first thought was, Kim, what are you doing at a wedding here? But she sings in the Sallie's choir, and a friend of William was getting married. We weren't sure if this was true or not, but we had to walk into town to check it out. We went and got something from Northpoint, then went to the quad and saw the wedding party taking pictures. We sat on one of the benches and kept our eyes peeled. At first we were a bit distracted by all the crazy hats, but then Katelyn said, 'I think that's him, cuz that's Kate Middleton.' We all looked across the quad and lo and behold, there he was. Prince William and Kate Middleton. I was impressed we remained so calm the entire time. When we finally left the quad we saw tons of people milling across the street waiting for a glimpse. Lucky us, we got a front row seat.

After our amazing luck at seeing William, we walked back to hall to hang at the Garden Party. Tonight there are fireworks at 10, which we'll watch from the party, and tomorrow we are planning on going to the charity Polo Match at the Manor just outside of town. Who knows? Maybe Prince William will make another appearance... :)

Until another exciting entry...let the countdown begin!
Cheers!

I'm Alive!

Hello long lost friends!

Yes, I am still alive and still in St Andrews, studying away. The past few weeks have seen me vegging, ergo nothing to write about, but I have just returned from the Emerald Isle, with not that many stories actually, but a ton of pictures of the breathtaking west coast of Ireland. Easter break saw Katelyn and I taking a turn back in time to the Burn House, near Aberdeen. It is straight out of Jane Austen and is one of the most beautiful peaceful places I have ever been. We enjoyed our first weekend away from classes lounging around the huge house, enjoying tea and cakes, playing croquet, tennis, golf, and walking along the river paths that run into town. I felt like Elizabeth Bennett walking into Merriton. It was absolutely beautiful.

We headed back to St Andrews while my roomie Hailey went off the London. We caught a rather nasty storm in town, confining us to the room and our shows and movies (how unfortunate...) but still managed to walk down to East Sands on the only sunny day we had, as well as have a merry time at the driving range, with me teaching Katelyn the basics of golf, and her catching on quite nicely. She was a little worried about not being good enough, but she fit right in with the other players who had come out to 'hit' a couple balls.

On Good Friday, we took the bus to Glasgow and spent a lovely weekend with JJ. We had the chance to meet her boyfriend John as well as many of her other friends from church. Kate and I spent Saturday walking Buchanan Street and browsing the shops. The forecast said rain, but it never once rained on us. Easter Sunday we joined JJ for church, where we released hundreds of colored balloons into the sky, and afterward for a lovely lunch. It was so nice out that afternoon that we walked down by the River Kelvin and enjoyed out time out before going in and watching Chocolat before getting ready to catch a VERY early flight the next morning. We woke at 3:30 am and caught a taxi to the bus, which took us to Glasgow Prestwick. While it got us to our destination, I would not recommend anyone fly RyanAir. The rates may be cheap at first, but you tack on luggage, taxes, transport to and from the small airports, and it starts to add up. Even so, we reached Dublin with little trouble, and the day ahead of us to explore the city.

Dublin was very nice. It was once again sunny for us, and we walked to Trinity College to see the book of Kells but unfortunately it was not open. The college however is lovely and we enjoyed sitting in the quad for a while. We made our way to Old Dublin, the medieval part of the city, and saw the two old cathedrals, from the 10 and 11 centuries, as well as Dublin Castle, which is sort of like a rough looking Buckingham Palace. We then walked to Temple Bar and enjoyed a lovely lunch on the river.

Another piece of advice: If you have a choice, ALWAYS fly around Ireland. NEVER take Bus Eiraenn. None of the employees talk to each other apparently. We kept getting different stories telling us that we wouldn't make the Doolin bus in Limerick that night, and then the opposite. It was awful. We were finally told we could make Doolin that night, but even then we were unsure if we really would. It took us seven hours to get to the west coast, and by the time we arrived that night, it was pouring rain, and we were exhausted. We heated my leftover pizza and fell into bed.

The following morning, we had to find food. But when we walked out of the hostel, the place looked like a ghost town. The only living things we saw were the cows. We walked about fifteen minutes, with everything that we passed being closed, but finally found a lodge that served breakfast. With our stomachs finally full, we headed back to the hostel to rent bikes to ride to the Cliffs of Moher. They were only six kilometers away, and it was a lovely day. Silly us, we forgot that the cliffs being what they are, we had to go uphill to get to them. So what would have been about a 45 minute ride ended up taking us almost an hour and a half. But it was well worth it. The cliffs are even more magnificent in person than to look at the pictures. We spent the bulk of the afternoon there, then enjoyed a much more comfortable ride back, since it was all downhill. We walked around town a bit more, finding a mini market to buy food for the week, and then down along the coast, where there isn't any beach to sit on, just a bunch of huge rocks. But it was a beautiful day.

Indeed, all of our days in Doolin were lovely. The sun came out for us every morning without fail. We took the ferry over to the Isles of Aran on our second day and enjoyed walking around the old cemeteries and castle ruins, and then sitting on a real beach. The water was so clear that we could see straight to the bottom.

Unforunately, on our third day there, Kate got sick and we spent the day close to home. However on our last day, we decided to brave the bikes once more, and this time rode to Fanore, sixteen kilometers to the north on the coast. It was still a hard ride, but the hills allowed us reprieves every now and then, and the beach waiting for us at the very end was nice. We saw some kids go in with boogie boards and surfboards, but we being California girls thought them to be total idiots. The ride back was a bit harder, but no too bad. We stopped into a pub back in Doolin for some water and hot tea for Kate. We were only going to be there for a little while, but ended up staying for almost three hours talking to some of the locals.

We were quite ready to go back to civilization and technology but had one more hurdle: the hostel did not accept credit cards, and we were down to our last bucks. The ATM was being hellish with us until Kate remembered she had gotten a PIN for her credit card, saving us from a tough spot. We caught the bus early the next morning, and while the west coast was absolutely beautiful and we had had four lovely days, we were more than happy to say goodbye to Doolin.

We arrived in Dublin around 2:30, a much quicker bus ride coming back we found. We walked around O'Connell Street, got a cheap lunch, and browsed through Carroll's. We didn't want to do too much walking; we had already walked our feet off in Doolin. We got to the Travelodge an hour before our check in time but were still able to get into our room. After what we'd had in Doolin, the Travelodge seemed like a 5 star resort! I spent two hours in the bathroom getting clean from all the dust and sweat that had accumulated over the week, we snacked on food we'd brought with us, as well as some chips and candy from the vending machine (our budget was limited) and spent the evening watching Harry Potter on TV. It was so nice.

We didn't have to wake up quite so early as we'd had to in Glasgow the next morning, and for some reason I was rather perky that morning. That lasted for about an hour, then I crashed in the airport. We got Starbucks to help wake us up, but still ended up sleeping for most of the flight and the bus ride home. The trip back was much more relaxed than going, and by the time we got to St Andrews, we were so happy to finally be home. Ireland had been a fun adventure, but I think I still like traveling pampered style...

We enjoyed a full meal at The Rule that evening, the first we'd had in a week, and promptly answered all emails and facebook notices that had accumulated over the days we had been gone. Movies were definitely on the agenda that night. While I love Pride and Prejudice, I would not be able to live without technology I've decided. Pretty pathetic, but true. At least, that has been my experience so far.

The first week back has been rather nice, not too much, but I do have my second history essay due next week, so I've been catching up on my reading for that. This is the fun one too: Pirates in the Golden Age. Hello Blackbeard and Captain Kidd! (they actually both have very interesting stories, and are not the only pirates worth hearing about...more to come later...) The countdown has officially begun to summer, and the days are already flying by. April is already halfway over!

Kate and I also had a little bit of a Shel Silverstein/missing home moment, and here's what came out of that:

West Coast to West Coast

West coast to west coast, the forecast is rain,
But Cali girls come and scare it away.
If we go inside, the sun becomes sad
But we step outside and the sun becomes glad.
There's rain when we travel,
And Sun when we stay.
There's clouds when we're sick,
And sun when we play.
And of course there is rain when we must go away.
They said, 'Be prepared for rain and storm clouds.'
But we got here, looked up and inquired, 'What clouds?'
For the sky was as blue as it is back at home,
The breeze was as cool, and the sun was a warm.
We can't boast Cliffs of Moher, or the Isles of Aran,
So what does home have that Ireland's not sharing?
Home has soft beaches and sun all year long.
Home has got hamburgers that never go wrong.
While Ireland has beautiful mountains and glens,
Home has my bed, my family and friends.

Until next time (which will probably be the next time my blogger light bulb goes on...) Cheers!

Best week ever...

So, the title of this post is relevant to the fact that I basically did nothing after Monday. This week has been a recuperation week for me. Tuesday I only had one masterclass, in which a guest poet came and talked to us about how because we want to be writers, we should be warned that they are top on the list of becoming completely mental. So nice to know.

Wednesday I slept in, had a nice walk through town in the afternoon, and enjoyed a movie before dinner. Thursday morning, Kate and I did our run through Hepburn Gardens again, a beautiful spot a two minute walk away. We returned on Friday and took pictures to show the flowers coming up and when we crossed the creek, the water reminded us of polar bearing during the summer! We also planned our Easter break plans, which even though our only big trip is to Ireland, took us almost three hours to book flights, bus tickets and accommodation! While we are actually going now (which we are glad to have everything booked) we couldn't imagine everyone who was planning huge trips across Europe! All we're doing is going to Doolin, and it was driving us crazy! But everything is set and we are officially going to the west coast of Ireland for the week to spend some much needed relaxation time.

Saturday, Hailey and I did absolutely nothing. That wasn't how we planned the day, but it turned out that way. We both curled up in bed, because it was cloudy and rainy outside, and watched our favorite TV shows. It was probably the best day of the week. We enjoyed economically fasting on bananas and peanut butter, pringles, and chocolate. So healthy...

Sunday, the three of us and Hailey's friend Saad went to the beginning of church for the worship and then discreetly slipped out for the Easter Egg Hunt in the cathedral ruins! We ended up only having to pay 1 pound to get in, which was nice considering we only found 2 tiny eggs. They had hid 400 eggs all over the ruins, and we got there right on time, but Kate and I didn't find one. Saad found 2, and we ended up getting consolation prizes in the form of cream Cadbury eggs at the end. It wasn't quite what we expected, but we enjoyed walking around and then going into town to get some REAL chocolate! :)

It's clouding up again this afternoon. It's going to be a work day today, getting ready for tomorrow's lecture, which shouldn't be too hard because my essay topic is the discussion for the week. Probably an episode or two of Bones will be thrown in as well. Only 4 more days, then Easter break begins! And we'll be off to the Burn House...

More adventures to come! Till then, cheers.

Jelly Beans, Jesus, and Just Getting Through Those Essays!

My deepest apologies for having faltered on the blog front. The past couple of weeks have been very crazy. All of last week was devoted to writing my history paper, which had me nearly pulling my hair out, but has as of last Thursday been completed and turned in. I'm sure I am going to be blind by the end of term from looking at all of those manuscripts. I spent an entire weekend squinting at my computer, trying to make out a word in Scots, or attempting to make out a name written in flowing English script. While the work was difficult, it was so enlightening to look at primary documents, instead of reading about events out of a history book. A letter to Charles XI of Sweden from the Privy Council with statements like "We no more value a seapasse of Sweden than the barking of a dog." Classic lines that had me doing a double-take and thinking, 'They actually said things like that in the 1600s...to a king?' So overall, it was a very rewarding experience, and I believe that the paper turned out well.
The following day I had my first creative writing essay due, which was another adventure in and of itself. It had to be a work of nonfiction, a literary essay, and we were given prompts. I chose to write about a travel experience. But they also told us we needed to have sources. Sources? Like what? Bibliography: my brain. There, that was my source. No, I'm kidding. But still, it was strange writing a literary essay and citing books on Notre Dame and Versailles. While I didn't put nearly as much effort into that one as my pirates essay, I still think it turned out the way they wanted. Now I just have to wait and see.

Somewhere during this week of endless work and rubbing my eyes from weariness, I found time to go to the Ladies Golf Society cocktail party at Ma Bell's pub on the Scores, which was a nice break. A daiquiri cocktail (rum and pure lemon juice along with something else I can't remember) and some excellent small bites were enough to give me a second wind. And after all the papers had been submitted by Friday, it was time to celebrate the end of a long week with a drink and some catching up with friends. We headed to the Rule that night and enjoyed St Andrews Ale, Tennants, and Bulmers Cider with Natalie, Dan, and Kim.
Also during this long week, I received a much needed pick-me-up from home: a care package stuffed to the brim with dark chocolate, jelly bellies, and my old camera (since my new one is being weird and won't turn on). This, along with drinks on Friday, and Saturday to amble around town, take fun pictures basking in the sun, and watching Aladdin, were quite a huge help in recuperating from the long time with my nose in the books or staring at my laptop.


Saturday night, Kate and I headed over to the Fairmont Hotel, quite a ways past East Sands, for her New Hall Ball. The Venue was very impressive, complete with Chocolate Fountain, Vodka ice sculpture, casino, and ceilidh, it was a fun few hours for us. The only problem was that no one told our transportation where we were going. Our bus driver stopped at least twice and said, 'This is where we're doing, right?' Uh...no, sorry. And then at about midnight, when we were ready to leave, the security guards were telling us that the buses weren't leaving until 3 am. We were not about to stick around for that long, since we could hardly keep our eyes open, so we asked for the number of a cab company. No number. Excellent, so we moved on to text friends and see if they could look up the number of a cap company. No service. Great, now we were stuck. We were at the point of wishing we'd brought coats so we could just walk back (no matter how far it was, since it was way out of town) when we followed a group of students heading for the buses, and we sat there for about fifteen minutes. God bless that wonderful bus driver when he finally came and drove the group of us back to hall. Getting ready for bed that night, I got yet another bloody nose, a small one, so not that long, and forgot to take off my jewelry, so needless to say, I was a mess waking up for church in the morning.

We showed up in comfy clothes, ready for some Jesus after our long week and transportation nightmare. It was a lovely service, about God being for you, and the worship was wonderful. After, Kate and I stuck around for the lunch they were holding. We met some nice girls from Albany Hall, and had warm baked potatoes with chili, and best of all...FRESH FRUIT! Everything from blueberries to the sweetest pineapple I've ever tasted, and melons, kiwis and strawberries. It was heaven. I think I got three bowls full of fruit.
Sunday afternoon found me back to the books for a presentation the following day (which ended up being more of a discussion) and living off of a banana and peanut butter for dinner. We were fasting economically.

Our travel plans for spring break seem to be coming together nicely. We will be going to the Burn House (which will be like walking into Pride and Prejudice; yay!), have a few days around town to probably do some hiking and a day or two in Edinburgh, and then spend Easter weekend with JJ in Glasgow. Following that, we will go to Doolin, Ireland (on the west coast) and relax, see the Cliffs of Moher, and enjoy break in a small village on the coast. I can't wait, less than two weeks away!

The rest of this week will see me in bed vegging, since it's low key (finally!). The weather continues to get warmer, and the sun is out more. It is just lovely. Kate and I have been doing a different run this week, Hepburn Gardens, a small park with beautiful huge trees and a path that runs right along the creek. Shorter than running the beach, but lots of hills, so definitely more intense, which is good for both of us!

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

At church this morning, I found myself praying that my passion for God would be reignited, and that I would seek Him out even more than I ever have. A minute later the pastor got up and said that God had put it on his heart that there were those in the room who desired for God to light the fire in their hearts once more, and urged those who felt that way to ask for God's guidance and wisdom. Thought that was pretty cool. Just food for thought.

I went to the library this afternoon to work some more on my essay and look through the Privy Council documents, and wound up spending a good chunk of the time in the bathroom with a blood nose. Work in the library and a bloody nose? Possibly the worst combination on the face of the planet.

Just a little snippet of my thoughts during the day!