-21 Days: Three Weeks and Counting

In three weeks, I'll be back in St. Andrews. 

I leave Halifax on the 7th and arrive in Glasgow early on the 8th, meaning that by mid afternoon I'll be installed once again in St. Andrews. I'm hoping the jet-lag won't be too severe, as I'm arriving in the middle of Freshers' week and I'll already have missed a number of events, so I'd rather not miss more. It'll be so exciting to do Freshers' week again, this time going to events to see old friends, rather than standing awkwardly at a dozen different 'give it a go' sessions. 

This year will be different. I don't even know how different yet, but I do know that I can't count on it to be all that much like my exchange year. 

For starters, I'm a legit student this time. As in, an honest-to-goodness staying-for-three-years and earning-a-degree student. This isn't a year out, where courses transfer as pass/fail. This time, academics need to be top priority.

On top of that, I'm a legit PhD student. I won't be an undergrad moaning about 9:00am lectures, or madly scrambling to finish a reading, or pretending I'm intelligent because I took a quick look at secondary sources. I'll be heading in to my office every morning setting my own schedule, studiously reading everything I can find in my area, and hopefully contributing articles of my own. My MA gave me a taste of real scholarship, but next year will crank that up a notch.

Most importantly, I'm a legit PhD student at St. Andrews. As in, the third oldest university in the English-speaking world. One of the top universities in the world. 600 years old. The alma matter of royalty. An institute of learning that was already well established by the time Shakespeare wrote the plays I study. Last year, I had the privilege of temporarily belonging to that world-- the next three years will tie me forever to the name of St. Andrews. 

To be honest... I'm terrified. Excited, yes. Exhilarated, that too. But, more than anything, I can't believe my dream is coming true, and I'm both excited and scared for what that means. Getting my PhD from St. Andrews will be both the hardest and the best thing I've ever done. And it all starts in three weeks.

Day 9: Priorities

There are at least two of these in St. Andrew's

As an exchange student, there’re an awful lot of things I’m trying to fit into one short year. If there’s one thing that Fresher’s Week, with all its insane busyness, has shown me, it’s that I’m really going to have to decide on what is important to me this year, because I certainly can’t do everything.

Firstly, I want to enjoy St. Andrew’s as a place. It’s an absolutely gorgeous little town, with beautiful beaches, cute shops, and so many picturesque walks. I definitely can’t neglect the sights right here.

Secondly, I have to take advantage of all St. Andrew’s has to offer as a university. There are at least five societies that I’d like to join, and I’m beginning to realize I simply won’t have time to be an active member of them all. The Christian Union (and affiliated CMAD- Christian Music and Drama) takes priority, but there are also the busy Mermaids, who put on numerous theatre shows a year, the Dance Society, Inklight (the writing society), the Gilbert and Sullivan society, and the Doctor Who society. Who knows… this year could even be the perfect year to take up something completely new, like fencing!

Frencing demo this afternoon. Might get to try it myself
on Monday!

Of course, I’d like to have a social life. I’ll probably spend time with most of my friends in society get-togethers, but I assume that as I get to know people better I’ll spend more time with them outside of organized events. The other Bobby Jones scholars, for instance, aren’t in any of the societies that I am, but I imagine that plenty of hangouts will occur.

Then, I want to travel. I want to see more of Scotland, more of the UK, more of Europe… Yes, St. Andrew’s is a wonderful place, but it’s also a stepping stone to so many other wonderful places. Travel may require a fair bit of both time and money, but I’d be stupid to not take advantage of this opportunity to see so many new cities and countries.

Random church-- old building are
EVERYWHERE around here.

Finally, I do actually need to study. I met another exchange student today who’s in the wonderful position of having her courses transfer as pass or fail, so her marks really don’t matter. Unfortunately for me, I’ll have to forward transcripts directly from St. Andrew’s for all my graduate applications, meaning that my marks here have to be good if I’d like a shot at a sizable scholarship for my MA and PhD.

Right now I feel energized and excited for all the possibilities, but soon it’s going to be time to prioritize and to cut down. I’d like to think that I can do everything, but in reality, that’s not an option. Sadly, I’m going to have to pick and choose.

I guess this is a good problem to have. Yes, it’ll be sad to give up certain societies I wanted to join, or places I wanted to go. But, in the end, I’ll be left with just the best of the best.

I’m ready for an unforgettable year.

Not sure if it's socially acceptable to just take photos of people's houses, but it was just so cute!

Little pathway that winds near my house

Flowers growing out of the stone wall

Artsy sunshine

More flowers!

The roofs of St. Andrew's

Day 7: And So It Begins

This one's for my dad. :)

The (in)famous Fresher’s week has started.

Frankly, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I’ve been to three universities, and this is the first time I’ve every actually done orientation week. I had no idea if it would be a lot of games, or information, or drinking, or meeting people… or what.

To my relief, I’ve really been enjoying it so far. While Fresher’s Week technically just started today, the past three days have been a bit of a whirlwind with near constant activities. There has simply been so much to do and so many people to meet that when I go to bed each night I only have enough time to write in my journal: “So tired, but today was fantastic.”

I had to visit a bookstore-- so weird seeing
the UK covers on all the books!

Last week, I was still adjusting. I was getting used to being independent again, and I was trying to figure out what life would be like here. It was a good week, but one filled with a lot of mornings where I just really didn’t want to get out of bed and face all the paperwork (bank, phone, etc…) ahead of me.

But that’s all taken care of, now. I am officially a matriculated student of the University of Saint Andrew’s, which is rather cool, and I have a British bank account (with plenty of British money) and a British phone, and British friends… I’m even starting to develop a British accent, which is lovely.

I think I might prefer these to the North American covers.

Sometime soon, I should write a proper Fresher’s Week post, outlining some of the events I’ve been to so far and others I plan to attend. But right now my brain is a little too scattered… As soon as I’m done writing this post I’m going to head off to a pub to go hang out with some of the other Bobby Jones scholars for a few hours, then run to Toastie Bar (where toasted sandwiches are just 50p), then return home and sleep to prepare for another busy day tomorrow.

And this one is for Uncle Marty. :) Still haven't found the
church where he preached, though...

For the record: I’m a fan of Fresher’s week so far. Maybe it’s because I arrived early, or maybe it’s because the Christian Union is just so welcoming, but I don’t feel overwhelmed at all. I feel like I’ve been here for much longer than a week, and I’m really looking forward to term. So far, despite all my nervousness before coming, St. Andrew’s has been wonderful.

Little creek/river thing that runs through St. Andrew's

Day 4: Settling In

It’s now been several days since I arrived in Scotland, and I think I’m satisfactorily settled in. My suitcases are unpacked, my posters are up, I have a phone, I’ve got a bank account with money on the way, and I’ve met a number of new people. I have a good feel for the town, and I don’t think I’m likely to get lost again any time soon. :)

Tomorrow, things will start getting properly busy. Until now, the only students in town have been the ones who live off-campus, like me. Halls (residences) open tomorrow, so the vast majority of students will show up then. I’ll hopefully get to see the other Western students tomorrow, and maybe meet some new people at a big welcome party in the evening. There’s also a Christian fellowship kickoff tomorrow morning, which should be a great place to meet new friends.

I’ve already met a few people, mainly postgrads, thanks to my fantastic flatmate. She’s doing her PhD at St. Andrew’s, and so she’s introduced me to a number of her friends. I’ve been to a lovely little bible study, which is going to grow like crazy whenever most of the students show up, and tonight I met an exchange student from Nova Scotia. Funny how special it is to meet people from so close to home.

I think I’m ready for the craziness of Fresher’s week. The past days have been wonderful for getting settled in, and having very little on my to-do list meant that I could sleep in, or just wander around. I’m not the kind of person who likes to throw myself right into something unfamiliar, so I’ve really enjoyed having a few days to adjust.

But now I’m ready to meet people, and join societies, and stay up late, and become a real St. Andrew’s student. I’m ready for life to get a little busy. Fresher’s week: here I come!

P.S. Is it sad that my big happiness of the day was finding a grocery store that was so much cheaper than Tescoes? I know Tescoes is a big thing here, but Aldi is less crowded and the prices are way better (similar or cheaper than in Canada). Basically, I’m just happy that I’ll be able to eat well without spending more than I would back home.