Donnerstag, September 29, 2005
Many small white worlds with dimples
"Anyone seen leaning out of, or hanging banners from bedroom windows will be severely punished.
Remember: TV cameras don't lie.
Enjoy the Dunhill cup!"
Remember: TV cameras don't lie.
Enjoy the Dunhill cup!"
Today the Dunhill Links Cup has started. Many amateur golfers, quite a few professional golfers and celebrities like Catherine Zeta-Jones and Micheal Douglas, will be playing towards the 18th hole of the Old Course of St Andrews in the next four days. And because Hamilton Hall has such a nice position being about 10m away from just that hole, we are made aware of the fact that TV teams are likely to try and catch students on camera...
The police is having meals with us, there is increased security at our entrance door, parking has become impossible and foreign accents more common again. And all I want to do is to sit here without having to be afraid that some TV camera will show me changing live on national TV ;) .
"Golf is golf. You hit the ball, you go find it. Then you hit it again." ~Lon Hinkle
"There is one thing in this world that is dumber than playing golf. That is watching someone else playing golf. What do you actually get to see? Thirty-seven guys in polyester slacks squinting at the sun. Doesn't that set your blood racing?" ~Peter Andrews
Although I quite like golf, I have to say that they do make a point there ;) .
Current Song:The Cranberries - Hollywood
PS: I now found proof that golf is a sexist sport :D . I bought an "experienced", ie second-hand, golf ball from a random shop yesterday. No brand name on it, nothing, except a 70s picture of a girl in a miniskirt. Thought briefly about smuggling it into the Dunhill Links, but then decided not to "attract attention" ;)
Montag, September 26, 2005
Bagpipes and the Tunnock's Caramel Wafers Appreciation Society
Hmm... I've been here since Sunday now, and a lot has happened. Not nearly as much as I would have imagined to happen in Fresher's Week, but a fair amount anyways. Or maybe it's just that I don't feel like going to half the things that are "recommended", such as how to deal with being away from home, how to deal with academic writing and the like...
That basically sums up what it is like here. There are so many people who are away from home for the first time and just don't know how to react to that at the moment... But I guess all that will settle once we start having actual classes.
My room is gorgeous, and the town is beautiful as well. You have to imagine St Andrews like a medieval 17000 people town, with the university being all over the whole town. It is right by the sea with its own harbour and port; it even has its own cathedral (although only remains of that are left standing). It is quite stunning, walking through the old town which is populated only by two groups of people; the 7000 students and elderly people, who have moved here because playing Golf is cheaper then. That is the other characteristic feature of St Andrews. The city has 6 golf courses, all of which are in one spot. The Old Course is the oldest course in the world, hosting for example the British Open every five years and the Dunhill Links Championships with many celebrities every year, the next time being in a week :D . Which brings me on to talk about my room ;) ...
I live in an old hall, one of the most recognisable buildings of St Andrews. This is the last year that Hamilton Hall will be a student residence, because it has been sold for 29 Million Pounds. And that price is justified by the huge old building, right by the Old Course and the Sea... I should post a link to a picture one of these days, because on most pictures of the Golf Course you see the hall in the background. And I was lucky enough to get a tower room... So now I am sitting in a reasonably large room with 6 large windows, overlooking the last hole of the Old Course (maybe the most famous golf hole in the world ;) ), and the sea... I am very happy with the room, I should take a proper picture of it one day as well.
So otherwise, Fresher's week has been as I expected it... a three-legged pub crawl, meaning being tied together with someone else on one leg, touring through 7 of St Andrews' 50 (!!) pubs and doing dares in each of them, a Ceilidh (traditional Scottish dance), many receptions and meetings with pipers and their bagpipes, a poker round in the hall and a barbeque at the beach. Today we then chose our societies, and as usual I think I signed up for way too many things. I keep forgetting that I'll have four whole years here to do so many things, and that it's only been a week. But I did resist the temptation to join the Tunnock's Caramel Wafers Appreciation Society however, a society dedicated to eating these traditional Scottish candy bars and visiting the factory once a semester...
Tomorrow I will have my first classes, or rather, officially enroll for them. And then on Tuesday maybe I'll have my first real lectures... I'm very excited :D . Just that I still don't know exactly how Film Studies will work, we have a weekly screening, and then we talk about it I think. Well, it sounds exciting anyways.
I better be off now to get some sleep, because even though I'll only start at 10.00 tomorrow, I need to sort out my documents in the morning and I better get some breakfast as well.
Oh, and I have started drinking milk in the evenings with my roommate... it's a bit unusual, but very calming and I've realised how much I miss my glass of milk with every meal in Kantina ;) . But what's even better is coming back from a jog on the beach in the evening, being all exhausted and sweaty, and having cool Milk from a Thermos-mug while having a refreshing shower. Sounds sick, but is so refreshing...
Shall post more once I've understood what my classes are all about...
Current Song: Sonata Arctica - Replica
That basically sums up what it is like here. There are so many people who are away from home for the first time and just don't know how to react to that at the moment... But I guess all that will settle once we start having actual classes.
My room is gorgeous, and the town is beautiful as well. You have to imagine St Andrews like a medieval 17000 people town, with the university being all over the whole town. It is right by the sea with its own harbour and port; it even has its own cathedral (although only remains of that are left standing). It is quite stunning, walking through the old town which is populated only by two groups of people; the 7000 students and elderly people, who have moved here because playing Golf is cheaper then. That is the other characteristic feature of St Andrews. The city has 6 golf courses, all of which are in one spot. The Old Course is the oldest course in the world, hosting for example the British Open every five years and the Dunhill Links Championships with many celebrities every year, the next time being in a week :D . Which brings me on to talk about my room ;) ...
I live in an old hall, one of the most recognisable buildings of St Andrews. This is the last year that Hamilton Hall will be a student residence, because it has been sold for 29 Million Pounds. And that price is justified by the huge old building, right by the Old Course and the Sea... I should post a link to a picture one of these days, because on most pictures of the Golf Course you see the hall in the background. And I was lucky enough to get a tower room... So now I am sitting in a reasonably large room with 6 large windows, overlooking the last hole of the Old Course (maybe the most famous golf hole in the world ;) ), and the sea... I am very happy with the room, I should take a proper picture of it one day as well.
So otherwise, Fresher's week has been as I expected it... a three-legged pub crawl, meaning being tied together with someone else on one leg, touring through 7 of St Andrews' 50 (!!) pubs and doing dares in each of them, a Ceilidh (traditional Scottish dance), many receptions and meetings with pipers and their bagpipes, a poker round in the hall and a barbeque at the beach. Today we then chose our societies, and as usual I think I signed up for way too many things. I keep forgetting that I'll have four whole years here to do so many things, and that it's only been a week. But I did resist the temptation to join the Tunnock's Caramel Wafers Appreciation Society however, a society dedicated to eating these traditional Scottish candy bars and visiting the factory once a semester...
Tomorrow I will have my first classes, or rather, officially enroll for them. And then on Tuesday maybe I'll have my first real lectures... I'm very excited :D . Just that I still don't know exactly how Film Studies will work, we have a weekly screening, and then we talk about it I think. Well, it sounds exciting anyways.
I better be off now to get some sleep, because even though I'll only start at 10.00 tomorrow, I need to sort out my documents in the morning and I better get some breakfast as well.
Oh, and I have started drinking milk in the evenings with my roommate... it's a bit unusual, but very calming and I've realised how much I miss my glass of milk with every meal in Kantina ;) . But what's even better is coming back from a jog on the beach in the evening, being all exhausted and sweaty, and having cool Milk from a Thermos-mug while having a refreshing shower. Sounds sick, but is so refreshing...
Shall post more once I've understood what my classes are all about...
Current Song: Sonata Arctica - Replica
Sonntag, September 18, 2005
Soon to be a Scot
I'm off to the country of Kilts, real Whiskey and Highlander. In a few minutes I'll leave here, get to Hamburg, then hope they won't say anything about the 20kgs hand luggage I have and the (slightly more than 20kgs) normal luggage, then meet the first orientation volunteers at Edinburgh Airport and then be off to the ride...
More to come once I'm not as tired, and once I've actually arrived ;) .
Goodie goodie...
Current song: Madonna - Sky Fits Heaven
More to come once I'm not as tired, and once I've actually arrived ;) .
Goodie goodie...
Current song: Madonna - Sky Fits Heaven
Freitag, September 16, 2005
Getting there...
Woot Woot! In just more than two days by this time I'll be in Scotland... It seemed so far away just a week ago, when I had all of those big plans of what I wanted to do in the meantime. Now I've already started packing (early, for once...). I had to sacrifice my driving theory test because of lack of practice, but so be it then. I knew my disorganisation would show somewhere ;) .
But anyways, soon I'll be off. I found out about the fresher's week evening program today. There's a party on pretty much every night... And there's an opening ball sometime soon as well, which sounds interesting. It might be just another society event. But then they say there will be a chocolate fountain where you can dip strawberries and marshmallows into flowing warm chocolate. Now if that isn't something to look forward to :D .
But until then there's one more intense day of shopping and getting everything ready, and then one day of packing and wrapping up the election campaign before the election on Sunday.
Why oh why can't aeroplane operators give students more than 20kg luggage allowance...?
Current Song:The Sounds - Fire
PS: Does anyone know whether Blogger supports a "current song" feature?
But anyways, soon I'll be off. I found out about the fresher's week evening program today. There's a party on pretty much every night... And there's an opening ball sometime soon as well, which sounds interesting. It might be just another society event. But then they say there will be a chocolate fountain where you can dip strawberries and marshmallows into flowing warm chocolate. Now if that isn't something to look forward to :D .
But until then there's one more intense day of shopping and getting everything ready, and then one day of packing and wrapping up the election campaign before the election on Sunday.
Why oh why can't aeroplane operators give students more than 20kg luggage allowance...?
Current Song:The Sounds - Fire
PS: Does anyone know whether Blogger supports a "current song" feature?
