Hi again -
The last few days have been very busy, so I'll try to remember everything that has happened. It might or might not work...
Tuesday morning brought the first of my courses, a seminar-ish class about Britain since 1707. There are three different professors who each specialize in a different century (18th, 19th, and 20th), so just when we get used to one, we'll switch over to a different professor! Anyway, I showed up about 2 minutes to 10am when we were supposed to be meeting, and I was the last one to get there. So we're dealing with a bunch of fellow overachievers! I find it not a great idea to show up super early on the first day of class, because then your being early is expected and being on time after that is like being late. I dunno, maybe I'm over analyzing it. Anyway, I finally met Matt in person (we ended up sitting next to each other), and he is extremely nice. Very talkative too. Everyone I've met so far has been pretty talkative, but maybe that's just the week one talking.
Anyway, our fellow classmates are 2 other Americans and a Frenchman... so that'll be different. The professors are all British (English I think, but there's no better way to offend a Scot than by thinking he or she is English), so the dynamic could be a bit interesting. The first session was very introductory; there was no discussion of history at all, but then again, i'm sure we'll get at it quite enough next week.
After class, Matt and I went over to his wife Bailey's coffee shop to meet her and to get some coffee. She is also incredibly nice. She did her Masters in photography/art history last year at Edinburgh University, so now they're in St. Andrew's for Matt's Masters in history. She's working mostly this year at the coffee shop here, but she's also commuting to Edinburgh once a week to continue working at a gallery where she interned last year. Quite a commute!
My second class met at 11am (so I'll normally go straight on from 9am to 1pm on Tuesday, eek!) and it was the Scottish history core module. There are four of us, and that class will go all year. Two of the people are Scots, Claire, who grew up about 10 miles from St. Andrews. She's a returning student having finished her bachelors doing evening courses at St. Andrews, working two years in education, and then deciding to go back to school. She seems super nice; I hope that we can hang out a bit more. And she would say "wee bit more" which is awesome!! The other Scot is Neil, a Glaswegian (i.e. from Glasgow). He also took a year off last year and decided that pension administration was not for him. I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone for whom pension administration was their passion. Jenny is a bit of a different story. She is from Germany and just finished her undergraduate there. Her undergraduate thesis (which apparently is pretty standard here for people wanting to go to graduate school) was about the Darien incident (the failed attempt for Scotland to control trade on the isthmus of Panama. Apparently it failed miserably and is now know at the Darien disaster). She wanted to have an opportunity to live abroad, but she says she is nervous about her English. She sounds very competent to me in English, but with the amount we have to read, it could be a problem.
After our course (which seems to be quite a bit about identity and nationalism), the four of us students we to the pub for lunch (my first visit to the pub). We hung out and conversed for an hour or so, which was really nice. I hope that we will be good friends; from everything I've heard, that's normally how it goes. We have another reception for just the Scottish history students this afternoon, so we'll see!
After lunch, Claire let me copy some of her articles so I wouldn't have to copy them out of the books again. Not that any of us would imagine copying out of books! Apparently the idea of buying books here is very odd. Almost everyone gets all of their books from the library. There are multiple copies of most books; one copy can be checked out for a while (and is usually the one to go first), but the others only for a week! I'm sure I'll learn the system soon enough, but that seems very strange to me.
Tuesday afternoon the history department had a big reception for all of its new students (and the older students came too), so I got to meet quite a few people. The Scottish history phd's seemed keen to bring me into their fold (and Professor Mason, my supervisor, seems to be already trying to convince me to stay for a phd). One of the phd students is also from Tennessee, Morristown actually. We're going to have a biscuits and gravy fest at some point - apparently his biscuits just haven't turned out right since coming to Scotland; I think its the baking powder. Anyway, I also met another Claire who did an MLitt last year and is now doing her PhD. She also did an undergrad at St. Andrews, so she's a fixure of the community, lol. Anyway, after the reception, Claire (phd), Matt, Laura (3rd year phd), Björn (2nd year phd?), Bailey, and a few others went to the Rule, another pub that doesn't pour ale very well apparently. And then we went to the Central pub, where they do know how to pour ale. I met a few other people throughout the course of the night: Beth, a MLitt turned PhD from Maryland, Adam, a 3rd year? PhD student in English history from Yorkshire, and Dan, a 4th year PhD student from somewhere in Britain who is trying to finish his conclusion by Friday. Anyway, it is an interesting cast of characters, about whom I'm sure you will hear a lot as time goes on.
Yesterday, I got up late and worked on my intense amounts of reading. If I read all I'm 'supposed to' it'll be 10 books and 5 articles before next Tuesday. I'm already about 2 books behind, lol. We'll see how it turns out.
Later, I met up with Jessica (the girl I randomly met Monday on the bus) for coffee and a chat. I think that we'll be good friends; we might do lunch today and go to Edinburgh on Monday for some shopping. I'll have to see how the homework goes. She's from the greater state of Los Angeles, but did about 2/3 of her undergraduate at King's college London. Apparently in late 2007 the exchange rate (like $2.50 almost to £1) got so bad that she had to go home and finish up at UC Irvine. She's back in the UK working on an MLitt in International Relations. I've heard that degree is a 'party' degree, but I can't imagine it being like that. I only have two course meetings each week (and tons of reading in between), whereas Jessica has two lectures each with a reading group and then a language course. A much busier schedule, but I guess for some that could mean less actual work. The only other person I know doing IR is Surabhi, one of the Bobby Jones Scholars, and she will definitely put any people trying to party their way through that degree to shame.
Rest of Wednesday afternoon - more reading.
Last night I met up with Andy (Tennessee), Claire (straight thru at St. Andrews), Adam (Yorkshire), and Dan (conclusion) for the pub quiz. Its a lot like trivia night in the states, but more competitive I think. I didn't contribute much, but I did know that the only national flag in world without 4 sides is Nepal (its like 2 triangles stacked). Yay for contribution! We were one point out of third place and winning a dvd of Tropic Thunder. But apparently we did much better than they did last week, being one point out of last. I might make a regular thing about it.
Today is going to be more reading and then the Scottish history reception at 5.15. Good times.
A random note: You know how in the states, you could (for example) buy a half pint or a pint of beer, but the pint would be a better value? Not so! My pint of Guinness from yesterday was £3.20, and the half pint was £1.60! How awesome is that!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
First Day in Scotland
Hi all -
So as most of you know by now, I'm now studying at the University of St. Andrews. I'll be getting a Master (of Letters - a particularly British degree, but akin to a MA with a shorter thesis) degree in History, with an emphasis on modern British/Scottish history. My first class is tomorrow, and I have to be done with my thesis by 31 August of 2011. I had been planning all along to do a masters of some sort this year, but I didn't really plan on being in Scotland... But that's a different story for a different post.
At the airport, getting ready to leave.
Some of my luggage (including the now lost silver bag - hopefully they find it soon)
View of Edinburgh from the plane
Anyway, I arrived in St. Andrews yesterday at about 2pm. It was a beautiful (though a bit cold) sunny day, so I spent much of the afternoon walking around town and running errands. I had a bit of lunch at a coffee shop called Costa. The sandwich was pretty good and so was the cappuccino, but the thing that I liked best was that the barisa/coffee making person remembered two of the people in line in front of me and anticipated their orders. It is fun being in a small town.
Yesterday I also attended the "Freshers Fayre" i.e. student activities fair and signed up for the Hispanic club. They had me sold at 'Sangria Night,' which is tomorrow. I'm also planning to sign up for the Fine Food and Dining Club (which is cooking classes, dining out, and discounts! pretty much).
I also got moved in (ish) to my room yesterday.
I'm sharing a flat with 3 other international students, one from California, Deanna, and two from China, Lilian and Bella (not their real names, but they are the ones they offered to me b/c their real names are quite difficult to say). I've hung out with Lilian and Bella a good bit, but Deanna has been out most of the time. Its all good. I don't really anticipate being close friends with any of my flatmates, but they seem to keep pretty clean. 
This morning I woke up fairly early on my own at about 7:30. I had an alarm set for 8, and I was thinking I would probably sleep through it. But I guess not. Its probably better that way. I made some breakfast, got ready, and then headed into town. I had to have my visa checked out and registered (which I did) and then met my advisor. The history building, St. Katherine's Lodge, is on a street called The Scores, and backs up to the library. I went to the library to get my ID and then went to look for the history building. I didn't know which way to turn on the Scores, so I turned right. When I didn't find the building, I turned around. When I walked past the building "St. Katherine's West" going west, I figured I had missed it again. I stopped in St. Katherine's West and asked for directions, and the people were super nice. I eventually found the building and realized that, had I turned left instead of right, it would have literally been two doors down. It drives me nuts that nothing is numbered here!! The address is literally St. Katherine's Lodge, the Scores, St. Andrews, Fife. Uggh. Very frustrating for a pedestrian.
Anyway, Professor Mason was very personable and nice. We talked a bit about my visa troubles, and he mentioned that his wife (who is American) still struggles to sort through the immigration bureaucracy. I have class with him tomorrow at 11am. I have another class on Tuesdays that will normally meet at 9, but, thanks to Professor Mason, I now know that it doesn't meet tomorrow until 10. I would have gone to the wrong place at the wrong time! But now I know. Professor Mason also introduced me to Elsie Johnstone, the history postgrad secretary. She was very nice and sounds very Scottish. She reminds me of the department secretary at Emory, who ended up being a good friend. So maybe I'll make another history secretary friend.
Back way out of St. Katherine's looking at the library and to the main parish church
After that, I went back to the library, where I ran into Surabhi Agrawal, a former Oxford kid who was a year behind me. I was her SI (Supplemental Instructor) for Poli Sci 101, and now she's doing an MLitt in International Conflict Resolution. I like to think I played a part in her pursuing political studies... yeah, right. Well, a girl can dream... Anyway, Surabhi is here on the Bobby Jones Scholarship, which is an exchange of Emory and St. Andrews immediate graduates. Had I thought last year that I wanted to study at St. Andrews, I definitely would have applied, but it was the wrong timing for me. Anyway, I was walking into the library, and I heard someone say, "Leslie??" which was quite funny. I guess I hadn't mentioned to her that I'd be in St. Andrews too. Oops. I forget whom I've told and whom I haven't sometimes. Oh well. Hopefully she and I will get together soon for coffee/tea/de-stressing/Oxford reminiscing.
After that, I had a quick lunch at this salad/smoothie place, so I definitely got a good serving or two of veggies. I'll probably go back. It was fairly expensive, but I hate making salads (mostly it is the lettuce tearing). We'll see.
I also popped into the Student Store this afternoon and got some notebooks for class tomorrow. It was really busy, and there were lots of undergrads there. They are so young!! I didn't think I'd look any different that they do, but I definitely think I do.
Anyway, after the student union, I decided to head over to the big supermarket, Morrison's. It is a good jaunt, so I decided to try to take the bus. As I was standing at the bus station, trying to figure the bus route, someone asked me about the bus to take to the David Russell Apartments (the big Clairmont-esque complex on the other side of town). I guess I gave off the appearance of knowing what was going on. But then I had to tell her that I honestly had no idea. But anyway, we got to talking and ended up on the same bus and exchanging phone numbers, so I'm hoping we'll hang out soon. Her name is Jessica, and she's from California. She's doing an International Relations degree too, I think, so maybe she and Surabhi are in some of the same courses.
Oh yeah, I have a new phone number, as the above paragraph implied. Send me an email if you want it. I don't really want to post it all over the public internet... I'm weird I know.
So, I spent about £80 at Morrison's and had a ton of stuff to carry. I should have planned ahead and gotten the phone number for a taxi, but I didn't. So I went to wait for the bus, thinking that I could figure it out. The woman who was waiting at the stop asked me where I was headed, and then helped me figure out how to get there. I ended up getting on the perfect bus, and only had to walk about 100 yards with my boat-loads of stuff. I had quite a few run-ins with very nice people today. It definitely made me realize that I'm in a close-nit small town that has made its peace with the university students. I guess having the university there for about 600 years probably helps with the adjustment.
I got a locker in the library today, so I had to leave my apartment again to go get my stuff out of it. I think it'll be a convenient thing to have. I might even leave a pair of shoes there so I can wear my walking shoes to town and then change for class or meetings or whatnot. My apartment is about a 10 minute walk or so from the town center. Yesterday it was beautiful and so a very pleasant walk. Today was cold and rainy (and much more typical, I'm afraid), so not as much fun. I think I have the buses figured out a bit, so I might take them if the weather is really cold.
Anyway, this evening I have to put away the stuff I got a Morrison's (don't worry, I put all of the food away already) and then do some reading for class tomorrow. Its not required, but I'm going to have to do it anyway, so I may as well get a head start.
Oh, also, one of my bags didn't arrive, so I'm trying to figure out the deal. It was supposed to have been delivered yesterday. Its not a huge deal, but all of my other pairs of jeans and my towels were in it. So I'm hoping it gets here soon before I get too stinky! Just kidding, I bought a towel today, so I'm going to take a shower. But I would rather have my nice US ones instead.
That's it for now. I'll hopefully be somewhat consistent with writing, but we'll have to see.
Thanks for reading!
p.s. My feet and shoulders really hurt from all of the walking and carrying stuff. Hopefully I'll get used to that. And not make any more £80 Morrison's runs.
So as most of you know by now, I'm now studying at the University of St. Andrews. I'll be getting a Master (of Letters - a particularly British degree, but akin to a MA with a shorter thesis) degree in History, with an emphasis on modern British/Scottish history. My first class is tomorrow, and I have to be done with my thesis by 31 August of 2011. I had been planning all along to do a masters of some sort this year, but I didn't really plan on being in Scotland... But that's a different story for a different post.
At the airport, getting ready to leave.
Some of my luggage (including the now lost silver bag - hopefully they find it soon)
View of Edinburgh from the plane
Anyway, I arrived in St. Andrews yesterday at about 2pm. It was a beautiful (though a bit cold) sunny day, so I spent much of the afternoon walking around town and running errands. I had a bit of lunch at a coffee shop called Costa. The sandwich was pretty good and so was the cappuccino, but the thing that I liked best was that the barisa/coffee making person remembered two of the people in line in front of me and anticipated their orders. It is fun being in a small town.
Yesterday I also attended the "Freshers Fayre" i.e. student activities fair and signed up for the Hispanic club. They had me sold at 'Sangria Night,' which is tomorrow. I'm also planning to sign up for the Fine Food and Dining Club (which is cooking classes, dining out, and discounts! pretty much).
I also got moved in (ish) to my room yesterday.
I'm sharing a flat with 3 other international students, one from California, Deanna, and two from China, Lilian and Bella (not their real names, but they are the ones they offered to me b/c their real names are quite difficult to say). I've hung out with Lilian and Bella a good bit, but Deanna has been out most of the time. Its all good. I don't really anticipate being close friends with any of my flatmates, but they seem to keep pretty clean. 
This morning I woke up fairly early on my own at about 7:30. I had an alarm set for 8, and I was thinking I would probably sleep through it. But I guess not. Its probably better that way. I made some breakfast, got ready, and then headed into town. I had to have my visa checked out and registered (which I did) and then met my advisor. The history building, St. Katherine's Lodge, is on a street called The Scores, and backs up to the library. I went to the library to get my ID and then went to look for the history building. I didn't know which way to turn on the Scores, so I turned right. When I didn't find the building, I turned around. When I walked past the building "St. Katherine's West" going west, I figured I had missed it again. I stopped in St. Katherine's West and asked for directions, and the people were super nice. I eventually found the building and realized that, had I turned left instead of right, it would have literally been two doors down. It drives me nuts that nothing is numbered here!! The address is literally St. Katherine's Lodge, the Scores, St. Andrews, Fife. Uggh. Very frustrating for a pedestrian.
Anyway, Professor Mason was very personable and nice. We talked a bit about my visa troubles, and he mentioned that his wife (who is American) still struggles to sort through the immigration bureaucracy. I have class with him tomorrow at 11am. I have another class on Tuesdays that will normally meet at 9, but, thanks to Professor Mason, I now know that it doesn't meet tomorrow until 10. I would have gone to the wrong place at the wrong time! But now I know. Professor Mason also introduced me to Elsie Johnstone, the history postgrad secretary. She was very nice and sounds very Scottish. She reminds me of the department secretary at Emory, who ended up being a good friend. So maybe I'll make another history secretary friend.
Back way out of St. Katherine's looking at the library and to the main parish church
After that, I went back to the library, where I ran into Surabhi Agrawal, a former Oxford kid who was a year behind me. I was her SI (Supplemental Instructor) for Poli Sci 101, and now she's doing an MLitt in International Conflict Resolution. I like to think I played a part in her pursuing political studies... yeah, right. Well, a girl can dream... Anyway, Surabhi is here on the Bobby Jones Scholarship, which is an exchange of Emory and St. Andrews immediate graduates. Had I thought last year that I wanted to study at St. Andrews, I definitely would have applied, but it was the wrong timing for me. Anyway, I was walking into the library, and I heard someone say, "Leslie??" which was quite funny. I guess I hadn't mentioned to her that I'd be in St. Andrews too. Oops. I forget whom I've told and whom I haven't sometimes. Oh well. Hopefully she and I will get together soon for coffee/tea/de-stressing/Oxford reminiscing.
After that, I had a quick lunch at this salad/smoothie place, so I definitely got a good serving or two of veggies. I'll probably go back. It was fairly expensive, but I hate making salads (mostly it is the lettuce tearing). We'll see.
I also popped into the Student Store this afternoon and got some notebooks for class tomorrow. It was really busy, and there were lots of undergrads there. They are so young!! I didn't think I'd look any different that they do, but I definitely think I do.
Anyway, after the student union, I decided to head over to the big supermarket, Morrison's. It is a good jaunt, so I decided to try to take the bus. As I was standing at the bus station, trying to figure the bus route, someone asked me about the bus to take to the David Russell Apartments (the big Clairmont-esque complex on the other side of town). I guess I gave off the appearance of knowing what was going on. But then I had to tell her that I honestly had no idea. But anyway, we got to talking and ended up on the same bus and exchanging phone numbers, so I'm hoping we'll hang out soon. Her name is Jessica, and she's from California. She's doing an International Relations degree too, I think, so maybe she and Surabhi are in some of the same courses.
Oh yeah, I have a new phone number, as the above paragraph implied. Send me an email if you want it. I don't really want to post it all over the public internet... I'm weird I know.
So, I spent about £80 at Morrison's and had a ton of stuff to carry. I should have planned ahead and gotten the phone number for a taxi, but I didn't. So I went to wait for the bus, thinking that I could figure it out. The woman who was waiting at the stop asked me where I was headed, and then helped me figure out how to get there. I ended up getting on the perfect bus, and only had to walk about 100 yards with my boat-loads of stuff. I had quite a few run-ins with very nice people today. It definitely made me realize that I'm in a close-nit small town that has made its peace with the university students. I guess having the university there for about 600 years probably helps with the adjustment.
I got a locker in the library today, so I had to leave my apartment again to go get my stuff out of it. I think it'll be a convenient thing to have. I might even leave a pair of shoes there so I can wear my walking shoes to town and then change for class or meetings or whatnot. My apartment is about a 10 minute walk or so from the town center. Yesterday it was beautiful and so a very pleasant walk. Today was cold and rainy (and much more typical, I'm afraid), so not as much fun. I think I have the buses figured out a bit, so I might take them if the weather is really cold.
Anyway, this evening I have to put away the stuff I got a Morrison's (don't worry, I put all of the food away already) and then do some reading for class tomorrow. Its not required, but I'm going to have to do it anyway, so I may as well get a head start.
Oh, also, one of my bags didn't arrive, so I'm trying to figure out the deal. It was supposed to have been delivered yesterday. Its not a huge deal, but all of my other pairs of jeans and my towels were in it. So I'm hoping it gets here soon before I get too stinky! Just kidding, I bought a towel today, so I'm going to take a shower. But I would rather have my nice US ones instead.
That's it for now. I'll hopefully be somewhat consistent with writing, but we'll have to see.
Thanks for reading!
p.s. My feet and shoulders really hurt from all of the walking and carrying stuff. Hopefully I'll get used to that. And not make any more £80 Morrison's runs.
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