They say that here too?

Just a quick note before I resume my mountain of reading that needs to be accomplished...

It is pretty easy to spot the ways in which American culture has been influenced by British culture (i.e. as a whole, we view British society as classy and sophisticated), but while I've been here, I've been pretty hard-pressed to find ways in which American culture has changed British culture (other than giving them amazing dance party music! You're welcome, Great Britain :) ) until now.

As I rounded the corner onto my corridor just now, I overheard a girl talking to someone about one of her friend's relationships.  She didn't know whether or not her friend was actually dating the guy in question, if their relationship was actually "official" because, and I quote [please read the following quote in a British accent for full effect], "I mean, its not on Facebook.  Nowadays you're not really dating until its on Facebook."

I walked into my room chuckling and thinking, Oh my gosh, they say that here too?

Apparently teenagers in this Age of Information are the same everywhere.

Announcing His Royal Highness...

"Dost mine ears deceive me?" [yes, I did just reference the Genie in Disney's Aladdin :) ]

No they do not! Because....

PRINCE WILLIAM IS COMING TO SAINT ANDREWS!!!!!!!!! (say what?!)

Before I left home on this wild adventure, I kept joking about how I thought Prince William and his finance Kate Middleton should come up to St. Andrews while I was in the country, seeing as they studied here together, and without the University, there wouldn't be a wedding in April!  I knew it would be a long shot, but anything can happen, right?  And then, my dream came true.

Last Monday (2/14), the entire student body, as well as faculty and staff, received an email from the Principal of the University announcing the launch of the University's 600th anniversary celebrations.  [Quick side note on the history of the University of St. Andrews:  in February of 1411, St. Andrews received its official royal charter issued by Bishop Henry Wardlaw.  Two years later, Pope Benedict XIII declared the school to be a full University].  I knew when I first enrolled in St. Andrews that 2013 marked its 600th anniversary, and was somewhat disappointed that I would be missing it by only two years (as I said in an earlier post, I absolutely love tradition and the celebration of tradition!).  So what a great surprise it was to find out last Monday that the celebrations would last for two years and that I would be here to partake in them!  The Principal also announced in this email that His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales had accepted the role of Patron of the 600th anniversary, and that as such he would be attending a reception in St. Andrews on Friday the 25th, accompanied by Miss Catherine Middleton!!!!!! [insert a lengthy cheer of excitement here]

[for the full press release of the upcoming event, visit:  http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/600/news/archive/title,64719,en.php]

Apparently, this event is one of the two only public appearances the royal couple are making before their big day in April.  A wise decision, if you ask me.  On Friday, the Prince and his bride-to-be are attending a reception hosted by the Principal and other important University figures and will then head to the Quad (the courtyard of St. Salvator's Chapel) where they will present a plaque commemorating the start of the anniversary celebrations in front of the student body, staff, and faculty.  Well, I should say, a representation of the student body, etc. as any individual interested in attending the ceremony had to apply (that's right, apply) to do so.  Naturally, I submitted my application detailing my personal information (I wouldn't be surprised if security ran a background check on all of the attendees) as soon as was physically possible after receiving the email.  Sadly, I did not receive a ticket :( :( But I know several other JSAs who did!! (As did my super sweet and wonderful cleaning lady, Dawn - be on the lookout for an upcoming post on how amazing she is!)  I'm pretty sure that the American JSAs (specifically female American JSAs) are more excited that anyone else that the Prince is coming....I chalk it up to the fact that royalty doesn't exist in Amurica (spelled phonetically) - and so, we are all obsessed with it!

Though speaking of background checks, the intensity of the security surrounding this shindig astounds me.  Since Monday of this week, all of the classes that usually are held in the buildings that make up the Quad have been relocated to other buildings on campus.  In fact, students are not even allowed to enter the Quad.  All of the entrances are locked, with policemen regularly patrolling every gate (this is easily the most policemen I have seen at any given time since I have been here.  I feel that St. Andrews' police are generally more of a behind-the-scenes force, as opposed to the plethora of police that stake out William and Mary's campus every evening).  Only faculty and graduate students have been allowed to enter the buildings on the Quad.  So crazy!  There are currently numerous rumors circulating amongst the students regarding the increased security, including that even the drains of these buildings are being examined for and secured against any kind of threat.  Even my Scottish history class tomorrow (which is not located on the Quad) has been moved to another lecture hall because our originally assigned room overlooks the Quad.

Other non-rumors that I have heard regarding the pending arrival of His Royal Highness:

- The faculty received an email asking that they report anything they hear about students planning to hold protests during the ceremony (information courtesy of my Human Rights professor).
- Likewise, a classmate of mine emailed the University complaining of the inconvenience of the newly heightened security/closed buildings.  In return, a police officer hand-delivered a letter to her flat, asking, almost begging really, that she please, please, please not protest during the Prince's stay.

[Oh goodness, this is turning into a rather long post, now isn't it? (I guess that's what happens when I go so long between entries - I should work on that).  I'll try to wrap this up quickly!]

After the ceremony in the Quad (the time of which they will only disclose to those actually attending the ceremony), William and Kate will probably take sometime to walk around North Street (the main street the University is located on).  As we were not selected to attended the ceremony, Margaret Ann and my new plan-of-action is to stake out a spot on North Street and hope that we see the Royal Couple!  I also think that they should make an obligatory stop in Sallies, seeing as they both lived here, but we'll see if that happens.  Apparently, press and locals have been trying to get in my building all week to see where the couple first met!! Wow - I definitely was placed in the best dorm. :) :) :)

Other fun facts regarding the events on Friday, William + Kate, and other such things:

1. Around 3500 students and 650 faculty and staff members applied to attend the plaque-awarding ceremony this Friday!  They still have not disclosed how many were actually selected to attend.
2. As I said earlier, the University will not publicly say what time the ceremony is to take place.  This makes it very difficult to efficiently stalk North Street in hopes of catching a glimpse of the Prince!
3. No cameras will be allowed into the Quad during the ceremony.  So, even if I had been selected to go, I wouldn't be able to document the event anyways.  Lame.  By not going, I actually have a better chance of getting a picture of him! (provided that I obtain a good spot on North Street!)
4. [The following points are the result of a lengthy conversation with one of the Head Wardens and several other JSA ladies :) ]   When Prince William lived in Sallies, bulletproof glass was installed in the windows of his room.  His room apparently also had a bathroom (which is interesting since the rest of the building has hall-style baths) which could double as a panic room/bomb shelter in case of emergency.  Since his room is obviously a highly desirable room to live in, the assistant warden assigned to that floor gets to live in it.  Lucky her!
5. When Prince William publicly announced that he would be attending the University of St. Andrews, the number of female applicants to the school increased exponentially.
6. The Prince's bodyguards lived in the rooms surrounding his.  They enrolled as full-time students at the University, and most people thought that they were just his close friends.  They all graduated with full degrees in various subjects.
7. When William and Kate announced their engagement in the Fall, several people broke in (or at least tried to break in) to Sallies to try to obtain some kind of memorabilia from when they lived here.  Subsequently, the picture of their class has been removed from the Common Room for safe-keeping.

So, in short... I'M SO EXCITED THAT THE PRINCE AND KATE ARE COMING!!!!!!

* * * *

Oh wow.  That really is a lot of text.  I apologize!  But its about the Prince...so that justifies the length of this entry, right?  (right?!)

Dancing Through Life

Looking back over my last few blog entries, I realize that there are numerous holes (dare I say it, gaping ones at that) in my account of my Scotland adventure thus far.  I apologize!  I will try to remedy this as soon as possible - probably once I am able to wrap by brain around my academic schedule.  For those of you who are interested, here are the classes that I am currently enrolled in:

IR3030 - Human Rights in Theory and Practice
EC2003 - Economics Statistics
SC2004 - Scotland, Britain, and Empire, 1603-2000   (Scottish History!!!!)

(I'm sure from this list you can tell which ones I love and the one that I don't particularly enjoy... :) )  After being in class for a little over a week, I've decided that there are many strange and inexplicable things about the British education system:

     - Firstly, the more advanced a class (or as they say, module) is, the more academic credits it's worth, BUT the less amount of time you spend in class!  For example, my human rights class is worth 30 of my total 60 credit course load, yet there is only one 1-hour lecture a week and one 1-hour tutorial (basically, a smaller discussion section of the class).  Who decided that that was the way it should work??
     - Secondly, professors do not willingly assign reading in lower level classes, taking the approach that we should be reading anything and everything we can about the subject.  No particular textbook is set for the class, and no guidelines as to what to read for each lecture/class meeting are distributed.  Yet, you are still expected to be reading something!
     - Thirdly, the word "mandatory" is consistently replaced with "compulsory."  Just an interesting difference in terminology.
     - Fourthly, there is not a set period of time between class periods to allow students to get from one classroom to another.  Each professor has the right to teach right up to the end of the hour (though most classes so far end with about five minutes to spare).  So if you have back to back classes....well then lucky you.  (Thankfully, everything in this town is about 5-8 minutes away from everything else - unless you're a physicist, chemist, mathematician, biologist, you like to exercise frequently, or you live in an apartment.  Then everything is more like 20-30 minutes away.  Also - fun little tangent:  you do not 'major in' subjects here.  You 'read' them.  And if you are reading, for example, the Classics, you would refer to yourself as a Classicist.  I'm not sure if that phrasing pertains to all fields of study or just classical ones, seeing as the only person I've heard use the term was, in fact, a self-described Classicist and also made reference to the Latinists among the Classicists.)
     - Fifthly, the grading system here is something else.  While most British universities graded on a percentage basis (90% = A etc), St. Andrews decided to be different and grade everything on a 20 point scale.  And the professors grade way harder than they do at home, so much so that a 7/20 = passing....that's a 42% instead of our usual 50% passing grade!! Weird.

I'm sure there are other aspects of the British system that are equally as bewildering, though none are particularly coming to mind at the moment.  :)  My Human Rights professor even commented after class last week how certain things in the education system just do not make sense.  Granted he's American, but it still makes me feel more justified in making this comparison. :) :)

I apologize for the large amount of text in this post!  So to break up the monotony of 12pt Georgia font...

The beautiful sunset out my window on Valentine's Day

So why the title of this post? (besides that it's a lyric from one of the best songs ever from the musical Wicked)

The University of St. Andrews does not offer any fine art classes as part of its curriculum, but it does have a large and thriving Dance Society!! (another fun note - we do not have 'clubs'.  We have societies. i.e. the Fine Wine and Cheese Society, the Harry Potter and Gin Society....you get the idea).  As most of you know, I absolutely love dancing!  I take classes at William and Mary and am a member of Orchesis, the College's modern dance company (so much orkdork love!!!).  The Dance Society here at St. Andrews offers classes throughout the week in all styles of dance (from tap to breakdancing to highland to ballet and everything in between!) -- so I stopped by the Sports Centre this evening for a jazz class and a ballet class!  It was so wonderful to take class after not dancing for 2.5 months and not rehearsing for Orchesis for 3!  Wow - I'm sure I am going to feel it tomorrow.  :)

It was amazing to see the universality of dance during classes today.  Even though everyone (in both classes) clearly had different levels and styles of training, we all innately understood the various movement combinations and the corrections given.  It's like dance has a language of its own. :)

It was particularly interesting to take the jazz class since jazz dancing is an almost strictly American style.  Ironically, I think I was one of the only, or the only, American in the class! :)  The Dance Society also puts on a show at the end of Spring term in one of the theaters in town, and each class performs a choreographed piece (participation of class members is optional) -- which totally reminds me of my dance studio days before college!  And of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to perform (performing in Scotland?!  How on earth could I say no?!) :) :) So, now I have something to look forward to in the beginning of May besides exams! :) :)

Now, my dear friends and family, I do believe it is time for me to retire - though I have so many things that I am just dying to tell you!  Be on the lookout for more coming from me soon - including an updated list of things I have learned on this trip (i.e. that American colleges simply do NOT know how to throw a good dance party).
.

Until then,
Cheers!

What Depths of Peace

First off, I apologize for my serious lack of blogging this past week!  With classes starting, etc, I have no idea where the time has gone!  I promise to update and fill in on the events of the last week soon.

Just a quick update on today....

After attending St. Salvator's Chapel last Sunday morning, we decided to head a few streets south and check out St. Andrews Free Church for morning worship - and oh my goodness, I am so happy that I did.  I literally left the church beaming.  The service was very much like a service at McLean Pres or Grace Covenant - a nice mix of traditional and contemporary (and actually, I just found out that the Free Church of Scotland only recently voted to allow musical instruments and contemporary music in worship services. crazy!).  The traditional songs we sang were actually Psalms set to commonly-known hymn melodies (what a cool idea!) and the contemporary songs were all ones that Margaret Ann and I knew from home.  There was just something so incredibly meaningful about singing "Here I Am to Worship" and "In Christ Alone" (two good classics) in a room full of complete strangers in a foreign country and knowing that we were all there for the exact same reason, and that no matter how different we are, we believe in the same God, in the same Gospel.  I don't even know how to describe it.  It was just so wonderful to know that we were all worshiping together and to feel the Spirit working in that congregation.

I was actually surprised by the large number of University (or "Uni" as they say here) students/young adults that attended the service -- many more than I expected.  It was so encouraging to see so many of them - the majority of the congregation seemed to be around my age!

Also, on a completely unrelated note, I know that it isn't Valentine's Day back home yet, but it is here - so HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!!! I love you so much and hope you have an absolutely fantastic day!  :)

and I'll be in Scotland afore ye...

ceilidh  [kay-lee]

-- n  (esp in Scotland and Ireland) an informal social gathering with folk music, singing, dancing, and storytelling.

(courtesy of dictionary.com)


I went to my first ceilidh tonight!  As a final welcome to the new JSA's (I finally learned what that stands for - Junior Study Abroad), the Student Services office put on a ceilidh for us and the returning students in the Student Union (think University Center - though we did have to buy tickets for it :( but it was well worth it!).

First off, what is a ceilidh???  Please see the definition above minus the storytelling.  Basically it is a party with Scottish folk dancing (similar to contradancing and American folk dancing - aka the Virginia Reel, though a tad bit more complex).  So much fun, and what a workout!  We did a variety of dances (the names of which escape me), including their version of the Virginia Reel!  (It was different from the Virginia Reel that I've done back home, so I guess there are several different kinds?)  And boy, was I thankful to have two SinfoniContras under my belt! :)

The wonderful folk band that taught us to dance!

Dancing!

Midway through the party, they served us traditional stovies, which actually was pretty okay!  It tasted like corned beef mixed with mashed potatoes.  Now, I don't know if that's what it actually is comprised of or not, but hey, when in Rome! :)  During the second round of dancing, one of the band members asked me to help him demonstrate a Swedish court dance - which was so much fun even though I had absolutley no idea what I was doing at first!

The folk band ended the dance (after about THREE hours of dancing!) with "Loch Lomond" -- one of my favorite traditional songs.  I feel in love with the song after hearing the Gentlemen of the College (one of WM's male a cappella groups) sing it during my freshman year.  An absolutely beautiful song - and it was the perfect end to the evening!  The band then asked all everyone who was still there (by this point in the night, most of the students had left) to join hands in a circle and we all (meaning those who knew the words - I personally stumbled through the words that I did know) sang Auld Lang Syne, which is apparently the traditional way to end a party/gathering.  AHHH!!! I LOVE TRADITION!!!

Taking a break and eating some stovies!

P.S.  Just a little fun fact -- I have only been in-country for 5 days, and I am already beginning to acquire an accent.  It only happens with certain words (usually random ones in the sentence) and is certainly stronger after I have been around Scottish people.  For example, while writing this entry, I was thinking most of the words with an accent.  Talk about weird.  And its not just me!  My friend Bess has also begun developing an accent.  CRAZY!  If it's starting after five days, I can't imagine what I'll sound like when I leave here in four months!

By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes

Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond

Where me and my true love will ne-er meet agai

On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomon'.

Chorus:  O ye’ll tak’ the high road, and I'll tak' the low road

And I’ll be in Scotland afore ye

For me and my true love will ne-er meet again

On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomon'.

‘Twas there that we parted in yon shady glen

On the steep, steep sides o’ Ben Lomon'

Where in purple hue, the hielan hills we view

And the moon comin’ out in the gloamin’.

Chorus

The wee birdies sing and the wild flowers spring

And in sunshine the waters are sleeping

But the broken heart, it kens nae second spring again

Tho’ the waeful may cease frae their greetin'.

Chorus

What a beautiful sunny day! Oh no wait, it's raining.

Hark upon the gale!  Literally.  Today was the first day it actually rained in Saint Andrews since I've been here.  There has been lots of misting, drizzling, sputtering, but no actual rain until today.  Of course the day began with a fresh, crisp blue sky and a dazzling sun.  It was cloudy by 2pm and raining by 3.  And it was still raining, I believe, when dinner ended around 7 or so (that's another thing I'm having to get used to - set dinner times!  Breakfast is only served for 1/2 hour in the morning, Lunch for 15 minutes at 12:30, and Dinner for 15 minutes at 6pm.  Talk about strict!).  The wind hasn't still stopped, and was beating relentlessly against my window until just recently (my room is in one of the dormers on the top floor, so I think it attracts the wind :) ).

Tomorrow I finally find out what classes I will be taking!  YES!!  and I will get to turn in my final paperwork so that I will be a fully registered student of the University of St. Andrews!

Much love, hugs, and kisses to all :)

Another Blustery Day

Hello from St. Andrews!

I arrived here safe and sound around noon (or 6AM EST) on Monday after 2 flights, a layover, and taxi ride. :)  We (my sister Sarah, our friend Margaret Ann - who's also studying at St. Andrews!, and I) flew out of Dulles around 6:30pm Sunday night and landed about an hour ahead of schedule in Amsterdam, a little after 7 their time (So just after 1 in the morning back home!  Talk about way too early to be functioning - especially after not sleeping on the flight.  I tried to sleep for about 3 hours of the flight and it just didn't happen; though I did discover the wonder of earplugs.  What a genius invention!)

Sarah and I waiting for our flight to Amsterdam in Dulles Airport.

Margaret Ann and I on the plane ready to start our European Adventure!

After a much needed stop at Starbucks and a 2 1/2 hour layover, we boarded our separate planes:  Sarah destined for Bath via Bristol, and Margaret Ann and I heading to Edinburgh.  Through extra gate security and onto the plane we went, where we sat for another half hour due to technical repairs, and then we were flying high on our way to our bonny castle in the highlands (okay, St. Andrews isn't in the highlands; it's on the coast of the North Sea - which is breathtaking by the way - but you get the idea).  We were met in the airport by our wonderful cab driver who took us and 3 other JSAs (non-graduating, study abroad students) - all from the States - to St. Andrews.  He pointed out interesting landmarks (such as areas related to Andrew Carnegie) and local customs as we drove along, as well as some history and fun facts about St. Andrews.  And before we knew it, we had reached our beautiful castle upon the Sea:

St. Salvator's Hall (affectionately known as "Sallies")

Well, bed time quickly draws near, but I hope to share what I have seen and learned about St. Andrews and the University with you tomorrow!  But before I close, here's a quick list of things that I have realized in the past few days:

1.  The University is way too excited about energy conservation.

The heating systems in the residence halls are turned off at night (from 11pm to 6am) and during the majority of the day (from 9:30am to 5pm).  In my opinion, personal comfort comes before saving energy, especially when it is freezing.

2.  There are not enough stores that sell blankets in St. Andrews.

Given the problem stated in point 1, you'd think that there would be a lot more of them.  But, we could only find one store that sold them, and only wool tartan ones at that (which I'm not complaining about :) ).

3.  The wind should be considered its own element of nature here (it is constantly beating against my window).  And consequently,

4.  People with long hair (such as myself) should be either prepared to deal with impossibly tangled hair, or should cut it before arriving.

5.  And finally, William and Mary needs to learn how to cook dorm food, because the meals here have been particularly good lately :)

Until tomorrow then, Cherrio!