Hi to everyone, I hope everyone is doing well back home in Santa Barbara, DC and the Bay Area. I have finally arrived at St. Andrews and am just settling into my dorm here. I arrived in Edinburgh on Saturday afternoon after what seemed like the longest series of flights in the history of mankind. The man in the seat next to me slept through the entire 11 hour flight from San Francisco to London, which was probably a good thing because he was catching a flight in Heathrow to get to Cairo.
Edinburgh is such a beautiful city no matter how much the locals were complaining about the weather. Less than one inch of snow ad practically the whole city was in an utter frenzy.I met up with my group after about a day and a half of wandering around the city by my self and sleeping away my jet lag. We did all sorts of great touristy things like go to the castle and see the Scottish crown jewels as well as the Stone of Scone.
We arrived in St. Andrews yesterday and it is an amazing town. I don't think that I am going to have to worry about getting lost, though, because there are basically only three streets in town. I met up with some friends this morning to go to an orientation thing and sort of introduction from different members of the St. Andrews community. Then we all went and checked out the town while buying a few necessity items like the blanket I was in desperate need of because it is SO COLD at night...the Scots would make Dad proud with their aversion to heating their residence halls.
Afterwards there was another introduction party where new JSAs (Junior Study Abroads) were invited to a wine reception to meet professors from each department. I had a nice talk with a professor from the IR department and one from the film studies department.
Dinner was a bit of a mystery but I figure it is probably just better if I work off of a don't ask, don't tell policy. It was nice to sit and chat with hall mates, though.
I send my love to you all!
Steffi
P.S. I went to The Elephant House where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter and it is amazing...and no, I did not feel like a complete and total dork for going specifically for that reason.
