A Scottish Beginning

Hello from Scotland!

I've been here four days now. I'm pretty much settled in, but I'm definitely still working on the jet lag. I think. Or I'm just tired.

My roommate is wonderful, as are all of the people in Sallies (my hall). When I moved in bright and early on Saturday, another student and her father helped me carry my suitcases up to the top floor even though she was on the first. And because I'm on the top floor, I have a fantastic view of the castle ruins and the sea. Apparently this side of the hall is colder. I don't really want to find out. Ha. But the view is totally worth it. I also love my room. It's way less hospital-esque than dorm rooms at Belmont, and the whole building itself is absolutely gorgeous! It's only 80 years old but it is modeled to look like it belongs to the town of St. Andrews. That means that it is completely stone and has this fantastic roofline (meaning that my room has slanted ceilings!). We have a common room, a dining hall with long wooden tables, a reading room, a wooden central staircase, and cubbies for the post! I love living here!

The town is adorable. Seriously. It's tiny and quaint and perfect.

Sallies gave me quite a comforting welcome. My first couple of meals had dishes reminiscent of Greek food (bread and nutella, spanakopita, and stuffed peppers).

So far, I've had my face painted to look like the Sallies' shield, I've danced at a Scottish Ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee), tried Irn Bru (a soda that's famous in Scotland but that nobody likes because it tastes like liquified bubble gum), and I've fallen more in love with the Scottish and English accents (I didn't think it was possible).

I can't believe that I'm living here! It doesn't really feel like a foreign country. I go off wandering around town on my own all the time. Nothing is more than a 15 minute walk away. There are always people around. It's quite fantastic. I already know that December is going to come way too soon, and I'm not going to want to leave this place.

By the way, I've seen more rain in the past 4 days than I've seen in the past 4 months. Texas, I'm trying to send it your way!