The Study Abroad Blog

When In Rome…And Barcelona

Traveling from Barcelona to Rome during St. Andrews reading week

Barcelona Beach From Barcelona To Rome — The beach in Barcelona

The title’s pretty lame, but anyways, I finally made it out of Scotland for the first time since I came to St. Andrews. It might have been one of the greatest weeks of my life. I went with a group of guys from Holy Cross, and the five of us spent Saturday through Tuesday in Barcelona and Thursday through Sunday in Rome. Wednesday was a travel day, nothing really too interesting. It was my first experience dealing with international airports, customs, and Ryanair, but overall I would say we were pretty successful in our travels.

I Ate The Best Fish And Chips In The World

Some salty sailors and the best fish and chips in the world

Seriously. My anthropology class went on a field trip to the fisheries museum in Anstruther on Wednesday. The museum itself was pretty sweet. We got a short history of the last 100 years of the Scottish fishing industry, learned some knot tying and navigation, and heard some stories from a couple guys who have been out on the ocean fishing since the end of WWII.

Halloween Abroad Helped Me Realize I Still Love America

Halloween abroad and a little bit of homesickness

Halloween Studying Abroad Homesickness — Halloween

This week was probably the first week since I’ve been in St. Andrews that I realized I missed America. Going to school in Massachusetts, I think I tend to take for granted some pretty basic stuff that I don’t have here in Scotland. Although I can follow sports online, it’s not the same as on live TV. Although the Red Sox tanked it in the playoffs, it would have actually been nice to watch the games. Not to mention, I’m probably going to miss the entirety of the both the Patriots and the Celtics seasons.

A Tour of St. Andrews

A photo tour of the town from my time studying abroad at the University of St. Andrews

I knew I wouldn’t have too much to write about this week, so instead of boring you with uninteresting stories, I figured it would be a good time to post a few pictures of St. Andrews. This is really just a glimpse, so hopefully I will be able to get a full album up in the near future. On another note, I actually spent a few hours at the library this week, and for the first time in three weeks, I went to both of my classes. Also got in 18 on the New Course – that’s five courses down, and two to go.

I Went For a Swim…In Loch Ness

My first study abroad trip to the Scottish Highlands

standing on Loch Ness rocky beach — Loch Ness

So this week was pretty ordinary. On Thursday, I was able to get in nine holes on the Strathtyrum course. Had my best round yet and didn’t lose a ball – a victory in itself. In my anthropology practical on Wednesday, I learned how to make rope out of reeds, and weave baskets from willow branches. Needless to say, I’m beginning to like that class. My class on the Mongols was cancelled for the second week in a row. Just in case anyone has been keeping a tally, I have only been to that class once in the last three weeks. And I finally had the chance to catch up with my best friends from Holy Cross – skype is proving to be very valuable.

An Unexpected Post-Orientation Vacation…

Maybe my study abroad orientation vacation isn’t over – golf, raisins, and balls

St. Andrews Academic Family — My academic family

Due to the fact that one of my classes was cancelled last week, and the other was moved to Monday, I had from Tuesday through Friday off. It gave me time to catch up on a little work and run some errands in town. I had my haircut on Friday, which seems boring, except for the fact that I got a free glass of whiskey with the cut. You know you’re in Scotland when you get a glass of whiskey while having your haircut.