Kirkcaldy

Douglas Strachan war memorial, St. Bryce Kirk

Old Kirk Kirkcaldy

Looking down from the belltower

Up on the parapet (scary!)

Views from the parapet

 

Another class trip. I like to pretend I spend all my time in Scotland climbing church towers...

All Will Be Well

 

 

Whenever I speak to someone at home, they ask, How are you doing? And I answer, Things are good. And things are good, in the same sense as when you say to someone All will be well. It is more a knowledge than a feeling. I am where I am supposed to be, there is growth and experience to come of this, I have friends, I have things to do, and so Things are good.

But I think what some people (ahem... my mom) really mean when they ask that is Are you happy? Ah, but that is different. I am not unhappy. And there are moments when I feel content, or comfortable. And there are moments when I walk out of my front door and think, God, it really is beautiful here isn't it? How lucky I am.

But happy?

I spent one of the happiest weeks of my life in London, about two years ago. But it was not London, the city itself, that brought the happiness. It was what the city represented, which, at that time, was escape.

And I am beginning to think that perhaps, that is part of what St. Andrews was to me when I decided to come here. An escape. But I am learning that an escape is not a home. And a change of outward circumstances does not necessarily bring change to the things that really need it. And perhaps it is not happiness I should be seeking. Not happiness but Joy.

Because it is Joy that acknowledges that All will be well, even if it isn't yet. That knows good things are to come, even if I don't know what they are. Knows that I am being led, even if the road is dark.

This post doesn't have an ending, really, because the thought is still being processed. But I am learning a lot here, you guys. And I am very excited to be coming home in six weeks.

living "in halls"

Dear drunk people in the corridor,

SHUT UP AND GO TO BED. I REALIZE IT IS HALLOWEEN BUT IT IS ALSO WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SAVE IT FOR THE WEEKEND.

Love,
Jane

Life

Sorry for the silence on the blog. The fact is, life has been rather slow around here as of late, in the best possible way. I no longer feel like a tourist in this place anymore, I really do live here, and with that comes a certain forgetfulness in terms if taking photos or noting differences from home. I am in a rhythm, and there are times when I have to physically stop and take in what I'm doing, where I am, the moment I'm experiencing and tell myself, Remember, remember, these little moments that make up the grander whole, they are significant. This is what your whole time here comes down to. Do not forget.

All that to say, here is a little glimpse of my life here right now, a few moments if you will, courtesy of instgram of course (because what else is instagram good for than capturing those moments?)...

[Left] I don't think this even needs a caption

[Right] Finally found my way to the used book store in St. Andrews, had to stop myself from buying up the whole shop

Attempting my coursework (and not getting very far, as can be seen on the left)

[Left] Coffee dates with girls I've know for what is really only a month and half, but feels like much longer

[Right] Having to wear my hair up most days (thank you wind and rain)

 

Visiting a friend at home in her village, about 40 minutes outside St. Andrews

I am so excited to see you all in person in December!! I hope you are all well...

Sunday Night Playlist

I've just learned how to embed Spotify playlists so this might become a thing, you never know.

And if there happen to be any random UK people reading this who have been officially traumatized by recent events in Downton Abbey, I recommend The Paradise as a quality, fluff filled panacea.

National Museum

Last Saturday a couple of my fellow postgrads and I were lucky enough to be able to tag along (aka be in charge of) a group of undergrads who were being taken into Edinburgh to the National Museum. A really lovely day... Edinburgh is one of my favorite cities and it was so nice to get out of St. Andrews for a while and to walk around a proper city. After the museum we visited St. Giles Cathedral and the Dovecott Tapestry Studios, all though unfortunatly I have no pictures of either.

 

Hoping to visit again soon...

 



we definitely ate lunch here:)

Reading C.S. Lewis instead of doing my course work

"If ever the book which I am not going to write is written it must be the full confession by Christendom of Christendom's specific contribution to the sum of human cruelty and trechery. Large areas of "the World" will not hear us till we have publically disowned much of our past. Why should they? We have shouted the name of Christ and enacted the service of Moloch."

 

-C.S Lewis, The Four Loves

The Cathedral

Walking through the ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral is a strange and haunting experience, not because the grounds have been converted into a massive graveyard, but because the building itself is something of a skeleton, a hollow shell of what was once a thing of grandeur and majesty. So little is left of the Cathedral it is almost impossible to imagine what it would have been like to worship inside its walls.

The cemetery aspect evokes another feeling in of itself. I am not one to find graveyards frightening, in fact I find them rather beautiful, and only sometimes sad. In the Victorian era it was considered romantic for young lovers to meet in graveyards, something about new life coming out of death, I think. I understand that, to some extent. As you walk among the dead, you become keenly aware of your own life, the blood pulsing through your heart, your ability to run and laugh and love.

 

I hope all of you at home have been able to escape the hot weather. It's starting to get colder here... the days are shorter and your hands freeze when you walk out at night. The season of 3pm sunsets is almost upon us...

Love to you all xx

Food, Glorious Food

A lot of you have asked me about the food situation over here, so I decided to write a post detailing a few of the observations I've made about Scottish food. Below are just the few I could think of right now, I'm sure I'll have many more to share with you as time goes by...

Since my arrival in Scotland, I've...

-attempted to describe American biscuits to a Scottish person as "savory scones."

-asked same Scottish person what "tattie and leek soup" was, a question at which she proceeded to laugh and not tell me the answer to, assuming I was kidding. (This conversation later led to her asking, "Do you have soup in California?"...speaking of soup, I'm beginning to realize that it might be one of Scotland's culinary strong points.)

-eaten the WORST Mozzarella cheese I have ever tasted. I don't know how you mess up Mozzarella, but Scotland managed to do it. Turns out the only inexpensive cheese worth eating here is Cheddar.

-discovered that haggis is not a myth, or just a traditional food only brought out on special occasions, oh no, haggis is served as a regular menu item in many restaurants, including the Thai restaurant in St. Andrews (haggis dumplings, anyone??)

-realized that if it was possible to die from an over consumption of biscuits and tea, I would not be long for this world. Also, basically anywhere you go you will be asked if you would like a cup of tea. (Best to just say yes... even if it means having to ask "where the toilets are" a la Bridget Jones every twenty minutes...)

Also...

-Butter on sandwiches instead of mayo. To this I saw YES.

-Also, you guys, TABLET. Google Scottish tablet. Just do it.

To be continued...

Ah well...

 "She hoped to be wise and reasonable in time; but alas! alas! she must confess to herself that she was not wise yet." -Jane Austen, Persuasion

 

:)

Settling in...

5:00 rainbow

some of you will understand the significance of this name

Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures, my UK phone was all I had on hand! I had a pretty picture post to share, but I decided I need to space out the picture posts, or soon I won't have anything left to show you. Life is good but slow here in St. Andrews, all though between school, church, housegroup and meeting up with friends my calender feels quite full.

I'm having a bit of trouble motivating myself to do my school work. It's the same thing that happens every year... you spend the whole summer doing nothing and then suddenly you're thrown back in to lectures, readings, papers, and it's hard to adjust. Doubly so, in my opinion, after you've experienced that great sense of accomplishment after graduation, only to remember that you're not actually done, after all.

The first week, which was orientation ("freshers" week they call it) was nice but at the same time I'm glad it's over. I feel more centered, more at home now that I can start to establish my routine. Even though I only have class once a week, being in a lecture really helped me feel like I was actually here to do something, not just floating around like some kind of live-in tourist.

Anyways, off to do some reading. Hope you are all well...

Wine and Cheese Event > Castle

main food groups

So I had this really great blog post planned for today, my last free day before classes start. I was going to go to the castle and give you an amazing picture post. But instead I slept in, ate yogurt and a chocolate bar for lunch, watched YouTube videos and went to a wine and cheese event.

Whatever.

The West Sands

 St. Andrews actually boasts two beaches- the East Sands and the West Sands. The view I showed you guys last time was of the East, and yesterday I went to explore the West.

The West Sands is arguably the "better" beach of the two, if your criteria includes the long stretches of sand and rolling dunes desired by most tourist beach goers (notably, the West Sands is also home to many of St. Andrews' famous golf courses).

Personally, I prefer the smaller, quieter and somewhat melancholy East Sands, with its working harbor, fishing boats and nearby Medieval ruins. Interestingly, it was rather cloudy and slightly rainy when I visited the East Sands, while the sun shown out bright yesterday over my journey west. The two climates rather fitting, I think, the character of each of St. Andrews' famous beaches.

Side note: I will eventually get around to taking pictures of something other than the seaside (meaning the actual town), but given that the town is both home and school for me, the coast has much more of a draw when it comes to exploring and taking pictures. When I walk in the town I am usually on my way somewhere, when I walk to the sea I have no agenda except to just be.



the west sands



  



it's true

the town from afar

Romance, Disillusionment, Joy

On Sunday I forced myself to wake up in time to attend church. I'm glad I did... I met lots of lovely people and even ended up being "adopted" by one of them as her Academic daughter (more on that later...) We then moved on to some sort of a (British excuse for a) Barbecue in a park near the building. I'm continually surprised by how nice everyone is here, the Scottish especially seem so friendly.

After I came home and rested for a bit I decided to walk beyond the main streets towards the coast to see what I could find. And let me tell you, the pictures below in no way do the coastline of St. Andrews justice. That first time walking the coastal trail was an experience I'll never forget... the sea looks timeless and magical and I don't think I've ever felt as free and alive as I did in that one hour of exploration.

I've always read that there are three stages of culture shock. First you are delighted with everything you see because it's new and different, then you begin to get sick of it all because it is harder/not what you're used to and you begin to get homesick, and then eventually you accept the new place in its reality and can experience it for what it is. My friend put it in a more succinct way that I like better: Romance, Disillusionment, Joy. She said that with any new thing, whether it be a relationship or moving to a new place, there comes a "honeymoon" stage where everything seems magical and perfect, then a stage where you begin to see flaws that you resent all the more bitterly for having experienced the "Romance" just before. But if you can push through the Disillusionment, there comes a Joy with accepting a place/person as they are, and loving and delighting in them anyway.

I am definitely going through the "Romance" stage of my time in St. Andrews. And I know that the Disillusionment will eventually come. But I also know, that if I can push through, and get to the Joy, my experience will be all the more sweet for having been through the pain. You can't know what light is without experiencing the darkness.

And now, on to the pictures...


far view of the castle

the harbor





the sea



the beach

rock and sand

the coastal walk

A Room With a View

out my window

I am finally in St. Andrews, after what felt like a week of traveling and with nothing to show you all for it except this picture taken from the desk in my new room.

I have been very lucky thus far in that since I landed in Edinburgh on Thursday, I have been surrounded by people willing and able to help me get what I need, where I need to go and to settle in. Friends of the family, friends of those friends, all handing me off from one to another until I was firmly established in my dorm. The result of which is that I'm feel quite safe and confident here already. Everyone has been so kind.

Now I am off in search of food. Having no dishware or cutlery and having no idea how anything in the kitchen works, I am a bit short on food options, but I did manage to sneak little tubs of peanut butter into the country, so I figure if I can at least find bread and water I can make enough of a meal of it to tide me over till tomorrow.

I'll be posting again soon once something of interest happens, hopefully with more pictures and in a more coherent (less jet lagged) manner. Missing you all already...

The Beginning

the packing room

Less than twenty four hours till I'm on the plane and Scotland bound. I still don't entirely believe it's real. How amazing it is when something you've dreamed about for so long finally comes to pass.

Anyways, I'm hoping that enough adventures will befall me to keep you all entertained and to keep this blog going. When I studied in Italy for four months I blogged a total of three times, so at that rate, you should get at least nine posts by the end of my program.

But seriously, guys, make me blog?

Here we go...