Battling Wind...

Well, I'm getting slightly more prompt in my posts if I do say so myself. The weather has taken a turn for the worst. Wednesday saw the end of the wonderful series of sunny days we enjoyed for a time. I spent the afternoon at the library and then had a break that evening with the Welcome Wine Reception in the Old Wing Dining Room, where I had the chance to meet other JSA's and finally heard the story behind Hamilton Hall.
For those of you wondering what on earth I'm talking about. I will fill you in. Once again, I reference Chariots of Fire: In the opening scene as they run across the golf course and the town is seen in the background, there is a giant red building on the corner that stands out amidst the rest of the gray town buildings. This is Hamilton Hall. When Kate and I were here three years ago, we often passed Hamilton wishing we could live there, because it's location was so beautiful and it was such an elegant building. It was empty that summer, and when we came back this semester, we wanted to see what it had been turned into. The building is still empty, but the St Andrews Grand Hotel will soon be coming to the corner of Golf Street and The Scores. The story begins with a wealthy gentleman who wished to join the Golf Club, but he was rejected on the grounds that he was Jewish. Feeling very jilted, he promptly purchased the lot across the street from the Clubhouse and built Hamilton Hall, a huge five story building, overlooking the Course and towering over the Clubhouse, and there he would sit and gloat that he was higher and much more grand looking than the Golf Clubhouse. After his death, the building sat unused for many years, going to waste. Doors had been left open, water was leaking in, and birds were flying in, dying, and then laying there for years. The City Council of Fife finally sold the building for a very cheap price to the University, who turned it into accommodation for students. Several years ago, the building was bought from the University by a man that no one knew much about. After his purchase, he disappeared for a few years, and the building once again went to the dumps. It got to be so bad, and the man had disappeared, that the City finally repossessed Hamilton Hall, and is now going to be turned into the St Andrews Grand Hotel. If that man ever turns up again, he will find that his building is gone. Oh well. The mystery of Hamilton Hall is finally solved.

Thursday brought more terrible weather, even worse than the day before. Needless to say, Kate and I did NOT run that morning. The walk to class that afternoon was a miserable one, and I spent the rest of the day inside, warm and cozy in bed reading, watching movies, and feasting on a chocolate bar. Friday found me in the library once again (because over here, independent study is an absolute must in order to survive honours modules). Since the day was still so terrible, I treated myself to a hot cocoa and caramel shortbread before heading back to the dorm to change for the night. After dinner, we met up with friends at The Rule, and just in time, because 6 Nations was just about to start, and the pub quickly filled with people. Our table continued to expand, and we all enjoyed a pint, some beer battered onion rings, and a very exciting game of rugby between Wales and France. Carter and Alex decided to head out for more drinks after that, but the rest of us (Kim, Natalie, Kate, Dan, Tyler, and Matt) headed for the Union to play some foozball, darts, and pool.
It was a fun night out, and much needed too, because Saturday found Kate and I once again on the beach for a run (the hardest one yet since we were running into a severe wind) and then in the library for the bulk of the afternoon reading some Shakespeare and reading up on letters of Marque and Privateers in the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland (very old primary resources, which are very intimidating to look through sometimes!) We once again met up with friends, this time at the Vic, for a quieter night of onion rings and hot coffee to warm us up. After a few games again at the Union, we headed back for a movie in my room.
However, Kate and I found ourselves wandering around Old Wing, where I will be moving in (hopefully soon!) We looked into the Arts Library, the Old Dining Room, the TV room, and the West Common Room. We also peaked in on Hayleigh, who is going to be my new roommate, and looked at the room. It is a spacious standard double on the corner with a big window overlooking the tennis courts and athletic fields, very nice. Kate and I then spent the next hour in the West Common Room playing on the piano and conjuring up a song while we were at it. Natalie came over to Uni about 10 pm and we watched Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (simply to see Taylor Lautner when he was 12) and ended up talking well past 1 in the morning. We were about to call it quits when my roommate (hereafter called The Girl from D1, because that's how most people refer to her; no one really knows her name, she just kinds of joins whatever party she can find) came back with Carter and watched the end of Inglorious Basterds, which took us all the way up to 3 am (longest freakin' end of a movie I've ever endured). Finally the party was over and I made it to bed, only to have weird dreams and needless to say, I was ready for church the next morning, even though I had only gotten 5 hours of sleep.
Kate and I went again to Vineyard, which we are really enjoying, and met more people from Uni Hall who attend as well. Uni has a Christian group called Link that meets on Monday nights, which I will definitely be checking out. Link group is putting on free meals this weekend (since halls don't provide dinner over the weekends) and tonight is free pizza and a couple short talks on Christianity and any questions people have about it. Natalie and Kate and I are going, and we'll see if Dan and Kim want to come as well. Anyway, this afternoon is looking like another working one for me, but probably with a short movie thrown in for a break. :)

P.S. Our package from Mom and Dad arrived with chocolate, jelly bellies, and Kate's camera cord! So there are new pictures up on her facebook for those who want to check it out.

Till next time, family and friends. Cheers!

Running, Balls, Laundry...Life.

You know the opening of Chariots of Fire? The part where they're running with a look of absolute bliss on the lovely shores of West Sands? The sun is shining brilliantly, and you wonder...'Can I ever be that happy while running?'
The answer is yes! Just blow out your knee in a sporting match, crawl around awkwardly for the next four months, then suddenly go down to the beach on a beautiful morning and RUN! The chilly wind in your face and the warm sun at your back, the soft sand cushioning your feet as you let the realization wash over you...you can RUN!!!
That was the feeling I had on Friday morning, a clear sky above me, the cold shores of the North Sea at my feet, and me...running! And yes, the music was going through my head. I'm pretty sure I was smiling the entire time too, which is unbelievable, because I loathe running. Well, I did, until now. Kate and I now have a schedule set out for us, three times a week, a quick run on the beach in the morning (weather permitting of course...what permitting? Who said that? [Sgt. Bilko moment]) Hehe...

Friday night saw the evening of the University Hall Ball. The theme was A Night at the Oscars. Though I really don't know that many people in hall, I found myself rather spontaneously deciding to go. I spent the afternoon with Katelyn shopping for a suitable pair of shoes to go with my sparkling silver dress, as well as a fun hairpiece to complete the outfit. (Picture soon to come) She was a lifesaver helping me get ready. She gave me a lovely hairdo complete with my new (and very cheap) silver flower hairpiece with small shining feathers coming out the top. That afternoon, the sun disappeared and it began to snow like crazy, huge flakes falling from the sky. So I ended up walking to Younger Hall, the music building where the ball was being held, in my blue wellies. I must say, I was quite a sight, walking up to the door in my stylish hairdo, vintage looking coat...and muddy wellies. I was greeted with champagne and a chocolate, after quickly changing into my black heels. The night was looking very fine, until I realized we wouldn't be let into the venue until about an hour later, and my shoes were a size too small. Needless to say, I found a chair the moment they opened the doors and sat there for almost an hour without moving, just wanting to be off my feet. The Ball started off with a Ceilidh (traditional Scottish dancing) which was very fun to watch. I didn't join in until later on, however, because even barefoot my feet were sore. I found a few friends later on and we all spent the rest of the night together. After the Ceilidh, we went to the free ice cream bar, which was very much needed. A DJ came on for a little while, who wasn't actually that impressive. A live band followed, but we only stayed for a few songs. The night was past the elegance and glamour part and into the drunk people making out on the dance floor part. The three of us headed back for hall, with me taking a quick detour to Kate's place to pick up my stuff.
The following morning, Uni Hall served brunch, since most everyone slept in. It was nice, with a selection of breakfast pastries and breads, bacon, eggs, coffee and juice. That evening we met up with our friends who had taken the trip to the Highlands that day. Kate and I had already eaten, but we joined them at a hole in the wall Chinese restaurant and heard their stories from the day.

Sunday it was still very icy from the storm, so the walk to church was a slow one. The sun was out yet again so we picked up a complimentary donut and coffee afterward and just sat outside enjoying the warmth. We decided to meet after lunch and go down to the beach to get some studying in because it was such a beautiful day, but of course, right after we got down to the beach, it clouded over and got cold. The only cool thing was that we saw a group of students playing baseball on the beach! Ah, America's favorite past time. So, we decided to go back to her room and watch Harry Potter, which was followed by Moulin Rouge (I know, procrastination tactics...awful) and after our movie fetish we once again met up with our friends at The Rule to hear their stories, this time from Loch Ness. I was again very glad that we had done these tours already, especially during the summer time when it was warmer!

Monday it was back to school, but not without another run on the beach! The sun came out again for us, and it was very cool because the higher part of the beach was still covered in snow from the shower the night before. We stuck our feet in the water when we were done because we wanted to cool off...yea, that lasted about half a second, and then we were definitely done! After the run, I did some reading before my pirates class in the afternoon and caught up for my masterclass the following morning. My desk is currently piled high with every possible book on piracy, privateers, buccaneers, and maritime history in Scotland and England.

Tuesday...another run! I know, I never thought I would be so into this whole running thing...go figure! I read up some more for my masterclass, then afterwards, went to the library to pick up some more books (I think half the history section is currently in my room) to start work on my first essay. Didn't get very far on it though. Since I have a welcome wine reception on Wednesday, Kate and I did our Prince Caspian night that night. We've been filling in during the week until NCIS comes back...next Tuesday! Or, Wednesday for us.

Wednesday was a nice free day, but the weather turned vile. We woke up to snow, sleet, rain and wind. It was awful. Good thing we weren't planning to run this morning! I used the day to read some more and went to the library to get deeper into my essay, and came back with seven more books! Some of them look very interesting actually. Since the day was dreary, I warmed myself up with a mocha and caramel shortbread at Costa. Half the university was in there with the same idea, but I didn't care. Luckily, it wasn't raining too badly on the walk back.
Laundry was waiting for me when I got back. It ended up costing about 10 U.S. dollars (no more complaining about paying for laundry at Gordon!) but it was worth it to have clean clothes. Dinner's been over for a while, and now I'm off to a lovely wine reception. Talk to you all again soon (hopefully).

Cheerio!

In to the Second Week...

I know it's been quite a while since I last posted, so I will attempt to fill you in on all that has happened (which really hasn't been much) since last we spoke. Only halfway into the second week, I am already feeling rather intimidated by the expectations. Obviously, it is nice to only have class four hours a week, but the problem is trying to manage the rest of my time. I probably will have read over half the books in the history section of the library by the time this semester is at an end. Have you ever tried to read Scot? If you haven't had the opportunity...don't. It is by far the hardest thing I have ever had to read, including trying to read French or Russian. I have had to figure out which letter makes what sound, and where I just should skip over half the word all together! Along with this, I have never had to juggle more acronyms in my life. WebCT, SaulCAT, iSaint, Jstor...the list goes on. I along with most in my history class have learned to simply nod and smile when our professor asks if we have gone to some such acronym and looked at some such article that nobody in the world knows is there but him. However, I have the exciting opportunity to do something in that class that I know will be fun for me. Dan and I are teaming up to lead the discussion for Informing the Public Imagination. What is this you might ask? Well, we basically get to read about all of the most famous pirates in literature and film (i.e. Captain Hook, Jack Sparrow) and point out what is historically correct and what is absolute crap! So I'm really looking forward to that.

Creative Writing is going well. We're focusing quite a bit on nonfiction, which I wasn't sure I was going to like, but turns out it can be really boring or quite exciting, so we'll see how that turns out. I sit right by the window looking out at the castle ruins during our masterclass, so needless to say I get a little distracted when Meaghan just goes on and on about some boring stuff about nonfiction...by the way, isn't that just the longest spelling of Megan you've ever seen?? Meaghan...I don't think you can add any more letters to that.

Anyway, I can't quite remember how far I have caught everyone up, so if I repeat some things, I apologize. I have officially joined the Ladies Golf Club. I take lessons every Thursday evening at the driving range right next to the Old Course Hotel, and God willing, I'll get a chance to play one of the most famous golf courses in the world! Keep your fingers crossed. I got a polo shirt and sweater that have the logo on it, very nice looking. It's the St. Andrews crest with a pair of golf clubs crossed between. And of course, it says 'Ladies Golf Club.' That will have some good stories attached to it soon. I'll definitely keep you filled in on how that goes.

Valentine's day was a single ladies day...woohoo. Kate and I went to Kingdom Vineyard church, which was like a breath of fresh air. So wonderful. They do a kind of adoption thing for students where a family will have them over for dinner or something during the week, and we would love to get involved in that somehow. We treated ourselves to ice cream after that, even though it was quite cold outside, and the rain was coming. There are some times when ice cream is just necessary, and this was one of them. On a fluke, we walked over to the cinema to check the times for Princess and the Frog, and turned out it had just started! So we bought tickets and got in just as it began. It was very cute, a good Valentine's day movie. It had started to rain when we came out, so we went back to Kate's room and watched another romantic movie, Shakespeare in Love. We met with friends at 1 Golf Place pub and watched the Pebble Beach tournament, which was like a piece of home. It was a grand day overall...

I may be moving out of my room to a quieter part of hall, simply because being right by the stairs and on the rowdiest floor doesn't do well for my already struggling study habits...and let's face it, the walk to the library does not sound like fun when it is halfway across town and in the mid-twenties outside. While I do have the biggest room in the house apparently, it will be nice to have a little quiet, and probably move into a more picturesque part of hall! We'll see. I'm meeting with a potential roomie tonight to see if we're compatible, and from there who knows? I'll keep you posted.

Even though it's only been three weeks since we came, parts of me feel like I've been here my whole life, which can be either a good or bad thing. I remember feeling that way going to Gordon for the first time. September dragged on for eternity, but once we hit October, we hit the highway! Same thing is happening here with February. Hopefully things will pick up once I get into golf, school, and hopefully a job!

For those of you wondering about the knee...it is getting much stronger I feel. I've been doing my exercises religiously every morning, and all of the walking I do to get around town definitely helps it to get stronger. Hopefully within the next couple weeks, I will be joining Kate for a short jog on the beach. The sand will help to make the muscles stronger along with being a soft impact on my knee. I never thought I would be saying this, but I have never missed running more!

Missing you all tons and tons! More stories to come soon...till then, cheers.

First days of classes

Our weekend ended by spending the evening with Mared and meeting her friends. We went out to the Vic and just hung out until about 11:30. We watched the pregame and national anthem at the Super Bowl, and Jack, Tobes, and Andy all started singing Loch Lomond. Very patriotic of them. Kate and I then went across the street to the Union and met with some of our JSA friends for a drink and to watch the start of the Super Bowl. We got about an hour into it, and then felt ourselves needing some serious sleep before starting lectures on Monday.

Monday morning was nice, because I did not have class until 3 in the afternoon, so I did some walking around town, but not much, since it was freezing and rainy. I found out that one of my friends, Dan, was in my Scottish History class, so it was nice to have someone I knew in the same class. The class we are taking is called Pirates and Privateers in Early Modern Scottish History. And no joke: when my professor walked in, he looked just like a pirate, complete with short blond hair, tan leathery skin, and an earring! I am definitely looking forward to some of the things we will discuss in the class, but I will admit it sounds pretty intimidating. The reading list for just a week is longer than one for an entire semester of class back at Gordon! The nice thing is that is won't be lecture style, but more discussion. I was very surprised to hear that most of the famous pirates were Scottish, and some of the most famous fictional pirates, like Captain Hook, came from the minds of Scots! I am so looking forward to getting into that mix of reality and fiction, and where the legends and stories' truths come from. After an overwhelming introduction (in which we were also told we would definitely be watching the Pirates trilogy!) Dan and I walked over to the library to check out the reading list. We were only able to find a few sources, so we sat down and started to read, but only got about a half hour through it before we gave up on reading. Something about the day and being in the silent catacomb of a library made us want to take a break (however short a time we'd been reading). The nice thing is that we have all come up with several times during the week to meet in common rooms around University to study for a couple of hours, which will definitely help to keep me accountable.

On Tuesday the sun came out!
That was definitely the best part of the day, so Kate and I met near the castle in the early afternoon after her class got out and just sat outside on a bench to feel the sunshine on our backs and enjoy looking out at the sea. I then went into my creative writing class in Kennedy Hall, which will probably be a nice class, because they will cater to our level of writing, so it won't be an intro class like I was wondering. However it will be different from other writing classes I've taken because we will also do a lot of delving into other books, newspapers, magazines, etc. and writing our take on what was said. We got our tutorial times, and I took a leisurely amount of time walking back to Uni Hall. I just have to mention that dessert at dinner that night was apple cinnamon something or other drenched in a vanilla bean sauce...so good!

Wednesday was even better than Tuesday! The sun was out again, with less wind and clouds, and Kate went on her first run today. I sat on the beach as she ran and got some writing in which was wonderful. I just wanted to capture the moment, so I could look back at that entry and remember exactly the sensation I felt as I sat there. We didn't have classes today, so it was a nice leisurely day, but we had our first study meeting in the Kennedy Hall common room, and got in a good amount of work. Feeling very accomplished, we walked back to the Tesco to get some snacks for the evening because NCIS was on! It was a good episode, and we enjoyed cheese and crackers, chocolate mints, pringles, and lemonade. It was a little disappointing finding out that the next episode isn't being aired until March though. However, we are now sitting here listening to our favorite Narnia radio theatres, and hopefully, the sun will shine again for us tomorrow! (but I think the forecast is for rain...)

Until next time...cheers.

Orientation and Old Friends

Hello again!
The past few days have been a mix of business and fun. Thursday morning, we began our first day of orientation at 10 am in Buchanan Hall, where we met the International Representative, Wendy, who welcomed all of us with an orientation to safety and rules in St. Andrews followed by options to travel around while we were here for very decent prices. After a quick break for lunch, we took a tour of the library to get acquainted with book loans, and then went back to Buchanan for another intro lecture on studying and living in St. Andrews. While studying is definitely the first priority around here, they do want you to get out and have a good time, which we fully intend to do. After a wine reception where we met some of the professors we might be having, I went back to Uni Hall and had a rather nice dinner actually. I sat with a JYA student (Junior Year Abroad) and a first year medical student who were very nice to chat with for a while. We talked about places to visit and such, and after that, the night was free. I went back to my room to do some business before finalizing matriculation the following day. After a movie and some reading, it was off to bed.

Friday morning, I missed breakfast (again). It was rainy and grim, and of course it would be the day I would be out walking around a lot. Finalizing my modules went fairly smoothly. As of right now, I am taking Pirates and Privateers in Early Modern Scottish History (so excited!) and Creative Writing II. This could possibly change within the next few weeks, but as of right now, that is what my schedule is looking like. These classes also allow me a great amount of free time, so I will be looking into getting a part time job with some of my friends. After completing matriculation, it was off to Younger Hall to turn in medical forms, scan passports, and pick up student ID cards. This also went fairly smoothly, except I had to exchange some details with student finance, but they were very nice and accommodating about it. Once Matriculation was done, we had the whole afternoon ahead of us before the Ceilidh. Kate and I went to Costa's and got something sweet and a hot drink, brought our books with us, and sat at the window watching the people walk by and the misty rain falling steadily into the cobblestone streets. Costa also has a point card that we took full advantage of to get a free coffee from time to time.

The Ceilidh was definitely the highlight of the week. We met new friends, Kimberly, Dan, and Natalie. The five of us had a good time hanging out and trying out the dances. We also all tried haggis for the first time...it tastes rather like corned beef hash. It's actually not that bad. I will remember not to judge anything too harshly until I have tasted it. We danced until midnight, then made our way back to our respective halls after a busy day. From the Flying Scotsman to the Virginia Reel, Ceilidhs are definitely my favorite dance ever!

Saturday morning began with sleeping in and then meeting Kate for a quick cup of FREE coffee (love Costa cards!) before heading over to Tesco to meet Mared! What fun that afternoon was! We just stood there for a while catching up and laughing at stories, then headed down to the beach for a walk through the mist. While we were there, we saw a horse galloping through the waves in the mist. Definitely felt my heart skip a beat seeing that. It was so out of a movie or book. When we turned around the head back to town, the fog was so thick that we couldn't even see Sallie's Chapel. Though there was only a light mist falling, we still were fairly damp walking into the Rule pub for some lunch. We warmed up and watched the Rugby game on the telly for a while, just enjoying being out of the cold for a bit and talking. Mared introduced us to Tobes, a Scottish friend of hers studying medicine who worked at one of the stores on Market Street, and he was very nice. We walked into a clothing shop just down the way after that where I got a really cute beanie for 2 pounds. After our short shopping excursion, Mared took us back to her flat (very close to the Byre Theatre) and we sat around with warm cups of hot cocoa and coffee and chatted for another couple of hours. The time got away from us, and before we knew it, it was 6:30. Kate and I headed back up to Tesco for our dinner (since we have to fend for ourselves for the dinner hour over the weekends), buying tuna and sweetcorn sandwiches and little cups of cookie dough ice cream. By the time we got back to our halls, it was too late to join up with Kimberly and Dan for a pub crawl, but there will be plenty of those going on throughout the semester. Tomorrow, we have our welcome service in Sallie's Chapel, and then term starts up on Monday!
Until next time...cheers.

Turmoil and Restoration

Imagine coming home and not even recognizing where you are. That was the experience I had the moment we drove into St. Andrews. After a fairly easy travel day, we arrived in the evening, but it was already so dark, that upon stepping out of the van, I found myself turning around in circles wondering where in the world I was. I did not recognize the street, the buildings...I hadn't even seen the steeple driving into the town. To add onto the confusion, I had to find Kate's hall (in the dark with a suitcase) to give her the rest of her things, and upon finally finding it, the security guard did not believe me when he said I was her sister and I just wanted to drop something off. I finally was allowed to leave it at reception and made my way back to Uni Hall, where I had been greeted and told that there would be a meet and chat followed by a pub crawl.

I arrived late and had no idea where anyone was, so I skyped Kate and told her where I left her stuff and told her to come to my room. (That is a whole other story that she can tell you) Finally after nearly forty minutes wondering where she was, I was waiting in the foyer when several already very drunk students were ready to go pub crawling. I found myself starting to get turned off the the idea, and when Kate arrived looking very dismal, we mutually decided it was a stay in night. We skyped with Mom, watched and uplifting romantic comedy (Sydney White) and since my roommate had not yet arrived, she slept in my room for the night.

I woke up this morning having forgotten how painful being homesick can be. It brought me back to my first week as a freshman at Gordon, when I wondered what on earth I had been thinking deciding to leave home and go so far away. The upside to thinking this was knowing how it turned out, and that once I got busy, it was going to get much better. With the sun shining and a new day before me, I was ready to get out and explore the town. We had a couple of errands to run, and after that, the day was ours.

Kate and I met after lunch at West Sands, and both of us agreed that a huge smile lit our faces the moment we saw that beach. We spent the entire afternoon walking the beach and around town, getting ourselves reacquainted with the town we remembered and loved. It was so refreshing to point out places and the things we recalled happening there. We walked the pier, past the castle, the buildings where we had classes during the summer, countless stores and cafes we remembered, and after a wonderful walk, we stopped into our favorite joint, BeanScene for a warm drink, as it was freezing outside. A long night sleep and walk around town had done the trick. I have just finished dinner at Uni Hall and am about to head out again with Kate for our own pub experience, without a bunch of wasted students. Orientation starts tomorrow, and we are ready to dive into what awaits us in the next few months. Be back soon...