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