Spring has come to St. Andrew’s!
The sun is shining, daffodils are
sprouting, the summer dresses are emerging from the backs of closets… and all I
can think of is ‘April is the cruellest month, breeding lilacs of the dead
land…’ T. S. Eliot does have a way of dampening beautiful spring mornings.
Spring means long walks and campfires on
the beach and walking around without my coat. It means doing readings on the
shore rather than in the library, or meeting a friend for a picnic rather than
in a coffee shop.
The most significant spring event in St.
Andrew’s, however, is our two week Spring Break, beginning next week. You could
say that I’m actually already on break, since my last class of the month was
yesterday. Weird to think that I won’t be back in Castle House until April…
My friends’ plans for spring break vary,
from simply going home and studying to visiting Rome or Marrakesh. I was
considering a trip to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco with some other exchange
students, but eventually ended up saying no because of the money. Since I’ll be
staying in Europe all summer and not getting a job, I need to make my funds
last.
Instead, I’m sticking around in the UK
and visiting a number of friends. On Monday I head down to Southampton, on the
very south coast of England, where I’ll stay with a postgrad friend for a week.
Then I head up to Belfast, visiting a few more friends, before finally flying
back to Scotland and staying in Kirkcaldy for a couple days.
In a way I’m jealous of my friends with
more exotic travel plans. Who wouldn’t want a Mediterranean vacation in March?
On the other hand, though, I’m completely content. I’m more interested in the
UK than in the rest of Europe, and I’m thrilled to get the chance to see more of
it over the break. All I need is a little perspective: if someone had told me
last year I’d be spending Spring Break in England, Ireland, and Scotland, would
I have complained?
Spring break should hopefully be a great
mix of friends, travel, and relaxation. Hopefully I’ll take lots of photos and
manage to blog a bit, so I’ll try to keep the updates coming… but don’t expect
me to be any faster than I was with the January travel posts!
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