C'est le moment pour l'aventure!

In a few short hours I will be departing my beloved town of St. Andrews and embarking on an adventure otherwise known as Spring Holiday. (I personally have become quite fond of the British use of "holiday" :) )

This past Saturday marked the beginning of a two week long hiatus from academics (William and Mary needs to catch on to this two week spring break idea...).  After hanging around town for almost a week to tie up some loose ends and watching my friends leave one-by-one on their own adventures, I'm ready and SO EXCITED to start my own!!!  To start off our adventure, Margaret Ann and I are catching the train (by which I mean, sitting on a train for 8 hours) to Bath to see Sarah!  I cannot even begin to describe how ecstatic I am to get to see Sarah after being apart for 8 weeks, which is by far the longest we've been apart in our entire lives.  I can't wait to see everything about her city, where her classes are, etc -- really to see what she's been seeing for the last two months!

After a few days in Bath, the three of us are heading to the Continent for a little rest and relaxation in the forms of Paris and Rome :) [Which, funny story, the majority of my JSA friends here at St. Andrews are also going to Paris and Rome, just on different days that I am.  Honestly, we all should have coordinated that better! I don't know, I just find it incredibly ironic that we all planned essentially the same Spring Break trip for ourselves haha]  Paris has been at the top of my destinations list for quite some time - really since the beginning of high school, so it really is a dream come true to be really going there!  I studied French all throughout high school and for several semesters into college, and for some reason have just never made it to Paris, or anywhere in France for that matter.  After idealizing Paris for so long, I can't believe that I am actually going there in a few short days! Crazy!  I am really hoping that some of my French will come back to me while I am there.  It would be really amazing to speak French confidently in Paris ♥ 

Rome has also been on my list of places to go.  I am excited for its rich history - it's going to be so cool to walk around a city full of ancient ruins (ahhhh!), remnants of the Roman Empire, and absolutely beautiful architecture and art (like the Sistine Chapel!).  Rome was the "center" of the world for a significant part of world history - and I'm going there!  ahhhhhh! (Plus, it's going to be warm there (high 60's/low 70's).  I'd be lying if I said that temperature/climate didn't contribute to our spring holiday destination decision :P) 

Adieu mes chères!  I can't wait to share my stories with you when I return! 

Avec un cœur plein d'amour (c'est très poétique, n'est-ce pas?)

Jessica

P.S. French pop music just came up on my iTunes.  Appropriate?  I think so. (and yes, I do listen to French pop music... :) )

P.P.S. Photo 1:  This perfectly describes what is going to happen when I see Sarah. :) :) [Plus, we both love Heffalumps, so its completely appropriate]

Photo 2: Courtesy of Google Image search :)

Tradi---tion, Tradition!

"Tradition.  Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as... as a fiddler on the roof!" -- Tevye (Fiddler on the Roof)

I absolutely love tradition.  For example, one of my favorite things about William and Mary is its deep-seated sense of history and its many traditions - such as Yule Log, Green & Gold Affair, King & Queen's Ball, singing to the President as Freshmen, Convocation, the Crim Dell Bridge, ringing the Wren Bell as a Senior, the Triathlon, etc.  For me, they are what makes college exciting and part of what creates the amazingly strong sense of community at William and Mary.  So, you can imagine how excited I was (and still am!) to learn about the many many traditions here at the University of St. Andrews!  During Orientation, I took a tour of the campus, and my tour guide (a fourth year Classicist -- and actually, she is the self-described Classicist I mentioned back in February) explained several of the following St. Andrews traditions to us.  Do I plan on partaking in them?  OF COURSE!

1.  Academic Gowns

Upon matriculating into the University, you are encouraged to purchase an academic gown (though not everyone does since a brand new one is about 120gbp and a second-hand one is 60gbp - yikes!).  Academic gowns are like graduation robes, except thicker (made from a heavy felt-like material), red instead of black, and without a zipper in the front.  They are to be worn at formal events (such as High Table, which I will explain further on), church services, the Pier Walk, etc.  The red color is a symbol of one's status as an undergraduate, hence why you are given a black robe to wear when you graduate!  The robe is worn different ways to represent one's academic status.  First year students wear the gown fully on the shoulders like how a coat is normally worn.  Second year students wear the gown so that it sits on the edge of the shoulders.  Third year students wear it off of one shoulder -- off of the left shoulder if one is an Arts student and off of the right if one is a Science student.  Fourth year students wear them off of both shoulders.  Also, apparently it is bad luck to fasten the hooks on the front of the gown.

2.  Pier Walk

Every Sunday following service in the St. Salvator's Chapel, many students (wearing their academic gowns of course!) walk from the Chapel along North Street to the harbour and then down the Pier by East Sands beach.  The North side of the Pier is lined with a fairly wide wall, so according to tradition, one walks down the Pier on the lower part and then back on the top of the wall (trust me, it can get a little windy up there, especially in February!).

3.  Pier Jump

While on the subject of the Pier, there is the related tradition of the Pier Jump, where you and your 20-some closest friends jump off the Pier together into the North Sea (no worries, you jump towards the Harbour, not towards open sea, otherwise it would be a really bad idea. haha and there is a staircase a few yards from the edge of the Pier, so it is really easy to climb back out).  Sallies hall had a Pier Jump the very first weekend I was here (a lovely way to welcome the JSAs in my opinion!).  Unfortunately, I came down with a cold the day before, and I knew that if I jumped in the North Sea with a cold I would come out with pneumonia.  BUT, I have vowed that I will complete this daring feat before I leave St. Andrews (so I'm thinking Sallies needs to organized another one soon.....)!

Also, the Pier Jump isn't a complete-it-only-once activity - many of the participants in the Sallies Pier Jump in February were experienced Pier jumpers.  I guess it's addicting?  To get an idea of what the Pier Jump is really like, here's a few pictures of the Sallies Pier Jump on February 6th (also fun fact - there were families out walking on the Pier when this occurred.  They all thought that we were crazy):

          

Everyone gearing up for the Big Jump!

Round 1 of jumpers swimming as fast as they can for the stairs!

Fearlessly jumping in the North Sea!

Please note the "No Swimming" sign :P

Some of the spectators walking back along the top of the Pier -- note the red academic robes (among other things they are known for their warmth! :) )

4.  Dousing Fourth Years with Water

In celebration of the achievements of fourth year students, it is tradition for the friends of each senior to dump a bucket of water over him/her (preferably at least one bucket per friend) as soon as he/she has finished their last Spring final exam.  Why this is a tradition, I have no idea.  But, I thoroughly support it and am now thinking I should dump water on my friends back at William and Mary when we finish our Spring exams next year....

5.  RIP Patrick Hamilton

A very long time ago (meaning 1300's/1400's), a man named Patrick Hamilton was burned at the stake for his Protestant beliefs.  The place where he was burned is now marked by at "PH" in the cobblestones outside St. Salvator's Chapel.  Stepping on the "PH" is supposedly bad luck -- bad luck that one can only be rid of by participating in the May Dip.

6.  May Dip

May Dip is pretty much just what it sounds like -- a little dip in the North Sea in May, specifically at dawn on the 1st of May (due to Scotland's fairly Northern location, this usually occurs around 4:30 or 5 am).  The majority of the student population participates in the May Dip every year -- gathering on one of the three local beaches.  May Dip is said to be the only way to cleanse oneself of the academic sins (tardiness, turning in assignments late, not doing well on exams, and the like) as well as non-academic sins, namely stepping on the "PH" in front of St. Salvator's Chapel.

May Dip really reminds me of William and Mary's Christmastime tradition of the Yule Log Ceremony, where we throw holly on the Yule Log burning in the Great Hall to cast off any bad "karma", if you will, and ensure that we do well on exams.

7.  High Table

High Table has to be second favorite tradition here at the University (second only to May Dip of course :) ).  Most dormitories hold High Table a few times throughout the semester, but Sallies, as another sign of how AWESOME it is, has High Table every Thursday!  What is High Table you ask?  Well, in the Sallies Dining Room, there is one table that sits up on a platform at the head of the hall.  Usually this table is reserved for the wardens, but every Thursday 18 students are asked to join them and an honored guest for dinner (usually a faculty member, etc).  High Table is a formal event, so academic gowns are definitely part of the attire (though not mandated since not everyone owns one), and even those who are not invited to High Table take the opportunity to wear their academic gowns to dinner anyways.  For those attending High Table, the evening begins with sherry served in the reception room.  After some socializing with the guest of honor, the wardens lead the students into the dining hall (which seriously looks somewhat like the Great Hall out of Harry Potter).  Everyone else in the hall stands as they enter and remains standing until those at High Table have found their seats and one of the Head Wardens has said grace (in Latin!) over the meal.  Those at High Table are then served their meals (the rest of us commonfolk have to go through the serving line to get our dinner haha), complete with an abundant supply of wine.  After eating and drinking their fill, High Table participants retire to the reception room for port, more socializing, and a short talk given by the guest of honor.  Many students then join the Wardens and the guest of honor at the Byre Theater for a jazz concert, but it is not a required part of High Table.

I have yet to be invited to a High Table, though I hope I will be soon!!  The semester is only half over, so I figure that I still have some time to receive my invitation (which they hand-deliver -- how cool is that?!)  Other halls may do High Table differently than Sallies, I'm not really sure, but, obviously, I think I am a bit partial to Sallies' traditions... :)

8.  Tea Time!

When I first came to Scotland, I thought that it would be absolutely fantastic if Sallies had some sort of tea party / tea-drinking event, and lo and behold, we did!  The very first Sunday that I was here (ironically the same day as Sallies' Pier Jump :) ), the Hall Committee hosted a hall-wide tea time to welcome us all back to (or, for the JSAs, simply to) the University.  The following Sunday the Wardens hosted another tea as a way to get to know them better.  Personally, I think that there should be more tea parties.  Before I went abroad, I was a staunch non-tea-drinker (which is ironic given that half of my family really enjoys drinking tea).  However, after experimenting with a few sugar + tea combinations at the first tea party, I can honestly say that I now enjoy drinking tea!

Much love to everyone at home!

The University's only been around for 600 years....you know, nbd

HAPPY MARCH!  I apologize for my long absence from the internet world.  I have no idea where the time has gone -- I can't believe that I have been in the UK for seven weeks already!  On one hand, it feels like I just arrived here, somewhat daunted by the idea of learning to adapt and fit into a completely new, yet foreign, environment.  But on the other, I am now completely at home here and cannot imagine what it would be like to study anywhere else other than St. Andrews.  Every day I become more and more convinced that I am supposed to be here right now, that God has always wanted me to be here.

I have so much to fill you in on, so bear with me as I somehow systematically (meaning chronologically) work through the last two weeks worth of adventures! (oh goodness, I am SO behind....)

Friday, February 25th, 2011
Okay. So. On Friday the 25th day of February, I awoke to find this outside my building:

The view of North Street from my window

That's right: Police. and lots of them.  I mean, increased security is to be expected when a prince is visiting, especially when the prince is the future King.  Since Sallies is the former home to Prince William and Miss Middleton, and therefore more likely to be a target of the media/crazed fans, my hallmates and I received emails earlier in the week detailing the temporary security procedures, i.e. to enter the building while the Prince was on campus, we would be required to show our school IDs to an officer.

Even though I had not merited a ticket to the official start-of-the-600th-aniversary-celebrations ceremony, I knew several other study abroad students who had (yay!).  They were required to be seated by 10:30am (even though the ceremony wasn't going to start for at least an hour after that), so most of them left Sallies around 9am to secure good seats. [For example, my friend Bess snagged a seat in the 3rd row! Pretty impressive!].

Unfortunately, Margaret Ann and I had class at 11 - which meant we missed the ideal time for staking out excellent Prince-spotting places on North Street.  Prior to their arrival, the Prince and Miss Middleton had announced that they might walk along North Street after the ceremony -- so of course the entire town showed up just in case they might catch a glimpse of the Prince or shake his hand.  [In the instance, "entire" even includes kindergarden-aged children on field trips from local schools.  I am not kidding - when I looked out my window and saw the above picture around 9am-ish, I also saw single-file lines of five year olds led by their teachers pass in front of the gate.  Ridiculous]  Here's an idea of what North Street looked like at about quarter til 11 (keep in mind that the official ceremony on the Quad hadn't even started yet):

Crowd-control barriers like these created a complex maze spanning the majority of the length of North Street, meaning that I had to find a semi-roundabout way to get to class because, of course, the easiest and most direct route was blocked off.  Go figure.

North Street was completely blocked off from incoming traffic

Not even 11am, and the crowds are already starting to line up.

The little blue sign in the picture above marks St. Andrews' police station which reminds me - the town was so intense about the Royal Visit that they closed they temporarily closed the police station.  Who closes a police station?!  That is one of the few state institutions that I would prefer to always stay open.  However, if there were need to find a police man, it wouldn't be too difficult.  I am convinced that every police man employed in St. Andrews was stationed either at 10 yard intervals on North Street or along the Scores (which  runs behind the University) or at the various entrances to the Quad -- besides the fact that cops here apparently don't believe in blending in with the crowd and insist on wearing neon colors.  So even when the Prince is not coming, they aren't exactly hard to find. :)

As I turned down an alley to head to my 11am stats lab (who wants to do stats when royalty is in town?!  Apparently the majority of my class thought the same thing because class was severely underpopulated that morning), I spied several news trucks parked outside the library with reporters typing away on their computers providing real time coverage of the event.

I didn't even know NBC existed in the UK!

Class ended around 12:30 -- about the same time that the ceremony on the Quad was wrapping up, and by that point the crowds on North Street had multiplied significantly.  I managed to shove my way to the front of the crowd on the west side of the Chapel, camera-in-hand, ready for my first Prince-sighting!  Here's some of the pictures that I took as I waited (ever so patiently of course!):

I mean, if I'm waiting, I might as well take pictures of the sky, right?  Especially when the sky looks like this!

The clock/bell tower of St. Salvator's Chapel.

Look at that blue sky!  The Royal Couple certainly

picked a lovely day to visit St. Andrews!

Every window of every student apartment had at least 2 girls hanging from it

Looking after the Royal Couple as they sped away

Thankfully, I had a few very tall guys standing next to me who could see over the crowds to the entrance to the Quad and were giving their not-as-tall friends a play-by-play of what was happening (which I found to be very helpful!) - such as "Oh look! The ceremony just ended ....William and Kate just came out of the Quad ... They're walking ... Oh! oh, they decided to walk the other way" [aka away from where I was standing :( ] After talking with the crowds, shaking hands, and being just generally awesome, Will and Kate hopped in their Royal Ranger Rovers and sped away (supposedly to lunch somewhere in town - and (fun fact!), according to the Sallies rumor mill, the Sallies Senior Student got to go to said lunch with the Prince!).  So, while I sadly didn't get to see either Will or Kate :( , I DID get to see their Royal Range Rovers!!!!!!

While I wish I had been able to see them, I still think that its amazing that they came to visit while I was here!  Royal visits don't happen every day - and to even have been in the same town as them is enough for me! :)  Several of my JSA friends, however, did get to meet him.  Those that were invited to the ceremony ran to the correct end of North Street (haha) at the end of the ceremony and were able to shake his hand!!!  Another one of my friends, while he didn't go to the ceremony, was able to get some great video of his sightings of the Prince, including William and Kate walking by Sallies on their way to the ceremony on the Quad!!!! (the groundskeepers had been manicuring the flowerbeds in front of Sallies for several days leading up to the event - just in case the Royal party came by :) ) Another fun story -- apparently when William and Kate walked by Sallies, the building's housekeeping staff came out on one of the balconies of the buildings to see him - and he waved up at them! so. cute. (especially since they probably were the ones who cleaned his room while he was here! :) )

The whole town of St. Andrews celebrated the arrival of the Prince and his bride-to-be.  For example, several of the bakeries in town (which are fantastic might I add :) ) commemorated the event by screening the faces of William and Kate onto various kinds of cookies and cakes.  Strange?  Perhaps.  But cute :)  I wish I had a picture of them to show you -- however, I sadly did not get out to the bakeries until after they were all gone.  Sad day :(

That night, Sallies had planned to celebrate the Royal visit with a "Royal Pub Crawl", but cancelled it due to lack of interest (which I personally don't understand since most of my JSA friends and I were planning on going....), SO we created our own pub crawl! :)  We hit up some of the popular pubs in town, starting our night off with the most intense Foosball game ever at Ma Bells and ending it with amazing nachos at Whey Pat :)  (seriously, if you ever come to St. Andrews you have to try their nachos -- so. good.)

Foosball at Ma Bells

(the guys were getting a little, um, intense when it became clear that they could possibly

lose to a bunch of girls...)

In conclusion (hahaha, I just had to write that in honor of the papers I've been writing :P), I did not get to see the Prince, BUT the excitement surrounding the Royal Visit in both the town and the university was totally worth it!  I am so happy that I was here for the kickoff of the 600th anniversary celebrations for the University (as well as the excitement of the Royal Engagement!!!!!!).  Here's to another 600 years! (wow - and I thought William and Mary at 318 years was old!)

In the words of Hagrid from Harry Potter: "It's not every day that your [university] turns [600]!"

(okay okay, so I modified it a little :P )

P.S. If you want more info on William and Kate's visit/want to see his speech at the ceremony (which I am told had a little bit of pomp and circumstance lol) / etc, check these out:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-12578449
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCpyziJpPpI  (yes this one is from a Golf site -- I mean, it's St. Andrews hahaha)