top 10 update

I have had so many small/random things I have wanted to share but never got around to it, so I have decided to put them all here in a list.

1. I love the gray foggy skies.

2. An old man lost his balance and landed in my lap while I was on the bus to Dundee!

3. Speaking of Dundee, I took this picture there. I love how gorgeous old architecture gets re-purposed here. (This one as an Optical Express.)



4. The lady I spoke with about working on a website for children about the history of Kirkcaldy suggested having people pop out of the graves at their cemetery to talk to the children about the past. Sounds a bit on the scary side for kids!

5. I felt very much like I was back at university when I made fajita pasta with the scraps of food I had in my cupboard!

6. I can now say I have seen Rory MacIlroy play golf.

7. The "mascot" (of sorts) for the University of St. Andrews is a lion named Rory MacLion.

8. Our dryers aren't working so I went to the dorms next door to do my laundry this weekend. It is were Prince William lived his first year studying here, so needless to say, that hall was way more posh than the one I am staying in. I was a bit jealous of how nice it was!

9. Scotland is apparently the only country that has a soft drink that outsells Coca Cola products. It's called Iron Bru-made here in Scotland. It tastes a bit like a mix of Big Red, Orange Crush, bubble gum and medicine. (That mix sounds really weird, it tastes better than I just made it sound!)

10. And finally, I really need to be doing research for a paper I have due October 28, but instead I am making this list. (Keeping you up-to-date is a valid procrastination tool, right?)

The Scottish Fisheries Museum

Today in class we were asked to break into 3 group which will each work on creating exhibits in museums around the area. I chose to work on the Fisherman Folk Art exhibition which I am really excited about! We went to the museum today to take a tour (it is about 20 minutes outside of St Andrews in a town called Anstruther), and I was quite impressed with the museum. We are just getting started, so all the details are really up in the air aside from the subject of the exhibition (mentioned above) and the opening date which will be March 15th. I'll keep you posted on the progression of our project, but for now I'll just leave you with the museum's website =)

Scottish Fisheries Museum

(Also, the town is quite famous for having what is supposed to be the best fish and chip shop in all of Scotland and a tour ship that will take you out to an island where you get to see PUFFINS!!! I am keen on experiencing both!)

2 posts in less than a week! I'm getting better at this =)

Last Friday there was an opening ceremony for the school of arts. (That's why I was hearing bagpipes from my window!) I went to it not really expecting it to be as formal and ceremonial as it was, which for an American was actually quite fascinating since we don't really have ceremonies at that level. There were several speaks, and the last speaker ended by reading this passage as motivation for us as we begin our studies.

You clan of Conn, remember this:
Strengthen from the eye of the storm.
Be at them, be animals,
Be alphas, be Argus-eyed,
Be belters, be brandishers,
Be bonny, be batterers,
Be cool heads, be caterans,
Be clashers, be conquerors,
Be doers, be dangerous,
Be dashing, be diligent,
Be eager, be excellent,
Be eagles, be elegant,
Be foxy, be ferrety,
Be fervid, be furious,
Be grimmer, be gralloching,
Be grinders, be gallopers,
Be hardmen, be hurriers,
Be hell-bent, be harriers,
Be itching, be irritants,
Be impish, be infinite,
Be lucky, be limitless,
Be lashers, be loftiest,
Be manly, be murderous,
Be martial, be militant,
Be noxious, be noisiest,
Be knightly, be niftiest,
Be on guard, be orderly,
Be off now, be obdurate,
Be prancing, be panic-free,
Be princely, be passionate,
Be rampant, be renderers,
Be regal, be roaring boys,
Be surefire, be Somerleds,
Be surgers, be sunderers,
Be towering, be tactical,
Be tip-top, be targetters,
Be urgent, be up for it,
In vying be vigorous,
In ending all enemies.
Today is for triumphing,
You hardy great hunting dogs,
You big-boned braw battle boys,
You lightfoot spry lionhearts,
You wall of wild warriors,
You veterans of victories,
You heroes in your hundreds here,
You Clan of Conn, remember this:
Strength from the eye of the storm.
-Robert Crawford

I doubt I'll have quite as much gusto as he is trying to inspire with his words (especially since it's ment for battle), but here's hoping I have a fraction of it! Meet and greet today and classes start tomorrow!

St. Andrews

Well, just a quick update for all who are interested. I've been in Scotland almost a week now, and I am really enjoying myself! Right now we are in the middle of freshers week, which is basically orientation for all the new students here. I've gone on some tours of the town and gotten some yummy food, but other than that I haven't participated much because it is geared more towards freshman, not post graduates.

So instead, I am spending my time walking around town, buying some essentials (like an umbrella!) and just relaxing. I walked along the pier today, and the sea view here is gorgeous!! I can't get enough of it =) So here is a photo montage I took today. Cheers!

3 weeks!

So I only have 3 weeks til I go off to Scotland. It doesn't seem real yet, but I am sure it will sink in soon once I start panicking with all I have left to do at the last minute. I am more than likely not going to be able to come home at Christmas because finances will be tight. (I didn't get any of the scholarships I applied for, but student loans and the money I've made doing odd jobs for you all have allowed me to find a way to make it work. Thank you!!)

Since it will be an entire year without seeing your lovely faces, it brings me to my main reason for posting: I WANT YOU TO GET SKYPE!!

It is awesome, free and even though there will be an ocean between us, I will still be able to see you (if you have a webcam, if not, hearing your voices is the next best thing.)

My skype address is on my facebook info page, so join and then add me as a friend =)

this image is proof of how awesome skype is.

This is me and my friend Lesmi, who lives in Spain, video chatting.

You can see how excited this make me, and Lesmi taking a photo of me.

haha! =)

Below is a link to the website. Now you have no excuses, so join!

<<<< SKYPE! >>>>