Picture This Readers of my Sporadic yet Determined Blog(Or merely look to the right of this paragraph... There is a visual for you) : Sean Connery standing up and lecturing to you (in all his Scottish greatness) for two hours straight; on the nearly forgotten, yet still used, language of SCOTTS. Oh yes, it fulfills dreams doesn’t it? Well, to my tearful enjoyment THIS is exactly what my Monday lecture consisted of: A younger, yet just as lovely sounding, Sean Connery lectured to us about Scotts, Scotland, and assorted Scottish things. Needless to say, I left what COULD have been a very dull lecture, quite happy!

As anticipated, this weekend was a relaxing and calming one. We decided to have a quiet weekend & stay in St. Andrews to perhaps explore it more, and we were very successful. After picking up our good friend, Josh Hannah, from the bus station we decided to just walk around town & figure out where it took us. Erin and I have been sticking to the three block radius that is the center of town, so we decided to finally walk the beach that is just outside my window. I know, it is quite sad that I live off of a beach / the north sea & yet never found time to trek that beach. The beach follows the multiple St. Andrews golf courses, (7 of them) including the “Old Course” – Which is the first Golf course ever made.

I must say, that after about a mile on the beach, to turn around and gaze back at the city of St. Andrews is.. (cliché as it may sound) BREATHTAKING! It looks like such a classic, GORGEOUS, old Scottish town put upon a cliff. The time of day we went (just as it was getting dark) and watching all the lights of St Andrews turn on amongst the fog, just forces one to stop and realize that YOU ARE HERE! In Scotland. Staying at one of the oldest and most prestigious schools of Europe. Walking next to the North Sea, staring at such a beautiful and historic city. WHO is given his opportunity? I mean REALLY! Being caught within the three blocks of St Andrews, trekking back and forth from lecture, I tend to forget my true circumstance and pure LUCK to be here. So plainly, standing on the beach looking back at such a beautiful city allows one to regain perspective. So I have decided, whenever I lose that perspective (after a stressful week or what not), I will force myself to walk that mile of beach & look back. To rediscover just where I am, and how lucky I am to be here.


Our walk ended at a local pub, The Whey Patt, which students do not usually go to. It is therefore, filled with “the locals”, aka: A bunch of old Scottish/Irish men having a pint and bickering about one thing or another, all in their assorted accents. Yes, I was in heaven. Being a sociology and English Major, my fascination is in human beings. Simply, I can sit somewhere and just people watch ALL day. The Whey Patt served to be the PERFECT place. Living within St. Andrews, many say you are living within a bubble (As explained earlier). So, you do not get exposed to as much Scottish culture as you may like to. So, sitting there watching these Scottish Old men, just gave me the TRUE Scottish culture I needed. My Scottish-fix you may say. (: Sadly, this little piece of Scottish heaven was disrupted when a group of American & English students stormed in & started screaming and becoming quite belligerent in their need to consume alcohol.

That is another thing that I have learned, and my dad may be thankful for: Drinking is a social thing. People begin drinking here at age 12, not to develop a country full of alcoholics, but because that is the social thing to do. To have a pint with your father is to socialize and simply bond. That was a huge shocker when I first arrived here. They say that American’s drink to get wasted. They guzzle as much as they can in the shortest period of time. NOT saying that I was slamming them down as good as the rest of them, but I have learned (Father, don’t be judgmental) that having one beer while sitting amongst friends is for the mere experience of it and NOT at all to just become wasted and belligerent. Therefore, these annoying, screaming, and chugging Americans/English were very much hated by the locals and nearly asked to leave by the bartender. They obviously have yet to learn the Scottish ways of alcohol. Tehe.

My father has explained to me moments in his life or certain places that force him to just stand there, arms spread out, eyes shut, face to the skies, just SOAKING IN the moment. It is a hard thing to explain the feelings going through you or the reason that this posture becomes a necessity. But, I am proud to say that on many occasions, Scotland forces me to take up this position. In my lame attempts to try to explain the reasons behind it, I can simply say that I am my father’s daughter.

After the Whey Patt, In the dead of night, I was walking home and stopped by the hill in front of my dorm, overlooking the water . Just…the feeling of the night and the pure environment hits you hard when standing at such a high and exposed place, and you have NO choice but to stand there, trying to it ALL in. it occurred another time, when I went for a run in the rain. With the mixture of the wind, hills, music and rain, I felt… ALIVE. I felt like sprinting, signing out loud, climbing a hill and standing there in the wind. The feeling is one that cannot be explained so I am going to stop trying and failing, but I hope that one day everyone gets a chance to experience it. Perhaps it can be explained as being “surreal”. I don’t know. My father understands at least, and for that I a grateful. <3 size="1"> [PS: I googled that stuff right quick & the CAVANAGHS have a tartan! I am amazed & Giddy]


1) See the Highlands: I am reading novels about it. (Which is one of the CRAZIEST parts! I am reading Scottish fiction novels in which the places described are either BLOCKS away or miles away(!)) These novels, and the personal accounts have made me realize that I MUST see the highlands as soon as I can. They sound SO unlike anything I have experienced! Just… GAH!

2)See a real Glasgow Football (Soccer) game! : The backstorybehind the two Glasgow teams is too much for me to attempt to explain here. It is a religious and blood driven rivalry between the Celtics and the Rangers. And I mean LITERALLY blood driven. Fans of each team LOATHE the other because both teams represent two different religions: the Catholics and the protestants. And within Glasgow, it is not uncommon for one to be stabbed in the street for merely wearing the other team’s colors. For this danger, fans of the other team must be patrolled in the stadium a half hour after the game ends in attempts to ensure no riot within the streets. I suggest you look up the history/ truth of all this. A blog just IS NOT enough space to begin to explain the animosity between these two teams!

3)Find a Mexican restaurant: Yes mother, the cravings for Mexican food amongst this bland Scottish cuisine has become TOO MUCH! I am honestly considering skyping you for recipes and detailed instructions to try and make my own version of your delicious food! AAH! Its torture!



Our plans for the upcoming weekend:
Friday – The PRINCE is coming to St Andrews. YES, the soon to be wedded Prince William and his lovely bride are to appear at the place of their meeting: St. Andrews University. Erin and I have attempted to get tickets to this historic event, but are now waiting in a lottery to see if our names will be drawn and we will be allowed entrance into the event.

ALSO: I made a new friend and she is having a little birthday celebration & I WAS INVITED! Sorry, I am quite proud of myself for this little fun fact.<3>

Sun-Sat – TRIP TO EDINBURGH! Scotland’s capital and the location to the biggest and most awesome castle within Scotland! It doesn’t need to be said, but I am beeeeeyond ecstatic to see a real life castle and one of the most gorgeous and historic cities within Scotland! Finding an open hostel that is not already booked is proving extremely difficult, BUT I am not above camping out on a bench in front of the castle, if need be. It’s all a part of the traveling abroad college experience isn’t it?!