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!