Easter holiday travels, part II: Paris, continued

As promised, here are some more photographs of our time in Paris.  We had a great, if mostly cloudy, day walking around the city.  The Louvre and surrounding grounds were absolutely gorgeous and we saw several interesting characters, including a man making absolutely massive bubbles in front of the building pictured just below; a nice gentleman who was quite set on drawing a portrait of me which we politely declined; and a dispersed group of Africans trying to sell us miniature Eiffel Towers, each of whom was offering them for different prices.

We spent a lot of time walking around outside the Louvre. I was astounded by the size of it all! I only wish that we had had time to go inside.

A close-up of the façade of part of a Louvre building.

Posing in front of the famous Louvre pyramid

Le Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, on the Louvre grounds: every bit as impressive as the better-known Arc de Triomphe in my opinion (and definitely more colourful)!

After the Louvre we found our way to a wee bakery on a quaint side street called Le Pain Quotidien and bought ourselves a good bit of freshly baked French goods.  I am not ashamed to admit that all I ate the entire day was breads and goods from bakeries.  Scott was kind enough to film [another] video of me trying a new food: pain au chocolat!  Here is my reaction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGmcLGUgwkg

We saw several of these bridges around Europe. Couple write their names or initials, and the date, on a lock and throw the key into the river to symbolise that their love will never be broken. So romantic! There were thousands upon thousands of locks.

We visited 3 or 4 churches, and below are photos from two of them.

Scott posing in front of the Eglise Saint-Sulpice. We didn’t realise this was a church until we entered it–it certainly does not look like a traditional Catholic church from the outside. It was built during the reign of King Louis XIV.

This fountain stands outside of the Eglise Saint-Sulpice (Church of Saint Sulpice).

I am 5’5″. The doors are that immense!

A view from the doors, looking into the church; the photograph does not do it justice. I cannot find the words to explain how breathtaking it was.

I didn’t realise that Scott took a photo of me praying the rosary in front of the Lady Chapel. This was definitely one of the most beautiful parts of the church.

Chilling out with my countryman, the great Thomas Jefferson, in Paris! I was pretty excited to come across a statue of one of the first American Ministers to France.

We witnessed the beginning of a pro-regime Syrian protest in the middle of Paris.
The banner reads:
“Syria will always be fortified against penetration
As long as we believe in it.”
There were riot police EVERYWHERE.

The Medici Fountain in the Jardin du Luxembourg

We saw little gardens on balconies (and roofs!) absolutely everywhere in the city. I loved seeing the green giving colour to the pretty old buildings!

Le Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris! One of the most famous cathedrals in the world, but every bit as beautiful as the others that we visited.

One of the chapels along the perimeter–marble statues.

The Chapel of Our Lady in Notre Dame. Can you tell that I really love Mary? All of the stained glass was gorgeous and so detailed.

Paris was absolutely incredible, and it was only the first of many cities we visited!  I have papers to write, but I promise to share more photographs and memories very soon!

In other news, it’s warmer in St. Andrews right now than it is in Due West!

Memories of March (first half)

It is almost impossible to believe that it has been a month since my last blog entry! Granted, my last 2 weeks were spent travelling Europe over the Easter holiday, but even still I am reminded yet again of how quickly my time here is passing.  However, there is good news from this: I have so many photographs and stories from the past two weeks that I will have no problem writing at least half a dozen blog entries.

But for now, there is so much to write about: where to begin?!  I celebrated my 21st birthday on March 10 by spending the weekend with friends in hall and in town.  Though my birthday was Sunday, I stayed up entirely too late on Friday and Saturday nights talking and having fun.  Every college student knows how great late-night conversations are, whether they turn silly, intellectual, introspective, or some combination of those.  Saturday night we also had a party in the Melville MCR (middle common room), complete with speakers for the music and a friend who volunteered to DJ.  After that we went out to the Union and I enjoyed a lovely rendition of the Happy Birthday song in my honor at midnight.

My beautiful friend, Molly! She’s another JSA from the South (by way of Chapel Hill).

AHH! I’m turning 21! I really appreciate that I have friends who are as silly as I am, and I love any chance to goof off with them! (pictured with me are my Polish friend, Martin, and my Scottish friend, Aaron.)

One of my best friends here, Vyome. He really never fails to make me smile, and although he loves to joke around he often surprises us with very introspective questions or observations. I will never be able to hear an Indian accent without thinking of him.

Although I have spent the last few years away from home on my birthday, it was still a bit difficult to be so far away from my family on a big day like that.  I think the first homesickness I felt was a few days before my birthday when I was just sitting down to lunch in the dining hall.  I had picked up 2 cards from my post box on the way up to eat and decided to open them at the table.  Seeing my families’ handwriting and reading their words sent a pang straight to my heart and I couldn’t help but shed a few tears.  Of course, as a result of this my friends inquired and upon realizing that my birthday was soon, made plans to help me celebrate.  Despite being away from home, I was surrounded by people that I love and who love me and I wouldn’t trade this for anything.

Another fantastic part of my birthday: it snowed!!  Okay, so there were really only flurries on my birthday, but the next morning we woke up to several inches of gorgeous white covering.  It continued to snow throughout the day, which was glorious.  On Sunday, though, the weather was … well, there’s really no other way to describe it than “crazy.”  There were clouds and there was sun.  It snowed, hailed, sleeted, and precipitated little white balls that reminded all of us Americans of Dippin’ Dots.  We walked into town and were covered in snow by the time we arrived, yet in town it was sunny and no one had snowflakes covering their coats and hair.  The wind was quite lively that day as well.  Every time I looked outside I got giddy like a child.  This Southern girl loves snow (and experiencing unusual weather patterns)!

Going back in time a bit, the weekend before my birthday was quite enjoyable as well.  Friday night (1 March) I was feeling quite blue because I received an email telling me that I was not accepted for a summer internship that I was really hoping to do.  One of my best friends at St Andrews saw me looking sad and decided that I needed to come have fun that night, so we went with a group from Melville to the Geek Bop at the Student Union.  The Union hosts a Bop every Friday night, sometimes themed and sometimes not.  Let me tell you: St Andrews students are some of the biggest geeks you will ever meet, and they are quite creative at coming up with costumes.  I danced for probably 4 hours that night and had a really great time.  I am amazed that I was able to do so, considering that the night before I had gone to an event hosted by Swing Dance Society and danced there for about 6 hours straight.  One of the things I miss most when I’m at Erskine is being able to dance a lot, so I am grateful for every opportunity here to dance (and there are SO MANY!).

BATMAN! taken by my friend Cory Faniel.

Saturday I spent the afternoon exploring the Cathedral ruins with my friend Aaron and two adorable little boys that we met there; we then continued along to Castle Sands, which is the beach below the Castle ruins.  I accidentally got my Toms soaked in the North Sea–it was frigid but worth it!  (The water was freezing, but it was less than 10°C that day and I was quite warm in just a sweater.  This Southern girl is acclimating to the cold quite well!) We then returned to Melville and made possibly the best enchiladas I have ever tasted.

I just like this picture, and I love the Cathedral.

This gives you a slight idea of the massive size of this Cathedral; I’m so glad that some of it remains standing even today. I get chills walking along where the aisle would have been, imagining hundreds gathered to worship our Saviour.

I just think this is a cool picture; Aaron and I had fun clambering around and on the ruins and exploring.

taken looking up through the branches at St Rules tower, the oldest part of the Cathedral. It’s staggering to think about how much history happened in the footsteps where I now walk.

I’ve truly never seen anything that compares to the skies of Scotland; this view from the Cathedral is no exception. What a gorgeous masterpiece–thank you Lord for your artistry!

I wear my Toms everywhere, and I know that countless Erskine-ites do as well. Here is proof that they have walked through ancient ruins.

That is probably most of the main highlights from the first half of my March, albeit somewhat out of order.  I am amazed and grateful each day for the opportunities and experiences I have had here, the ways that God is challenging me each day, and the friendships that I have made and continue to strengthen.  I enjoy looking back and realizing the random circumstances that led me to different friends, but I cannot imagine my semester without any one of them.  I truly believe that I have learned more about myself in the past 2.5 months or so than I have in my first 2.5 years of college, which is saying something!  It breaks my heart to think about leaving in a couple of months and to remember that I will not be returning in the fall, but I try to avoid thinking about that if at all possible.

Well, I have lots of homework to do, and a ridiculous number of photos to sort through so that I can share holiday sights and stories with you in future posts!  My first  holiday blog will be about Paris, just to get you excited.  Until then, God bless and happy Easter season! Christ is risen–Alleluia!

St Andrews: photos of February

Every day I spend in St. Andrews I thank God for the beauty of this place.  I see the creative work of His hands in every sunset, every building, every person.   This town is filled with history and memories, filled with the experiences of the countless souls who have lived, loved, and died here.  I have taken well over a thousand photos in a little over a month, but I wish I could capture moments.  I was sitting in the Cathedral ruins with a friend the other day, and I remarked that I wished I could paint the moment we were in.  It’s more than the hues of the clouds against the texture of the stone, more than the colors.  Moments are so precious, and memories are made by taking in each detail, each sensory experience.  Pictures can never encompass the exact feeling of the breeze on your skin, the sunshine warming your skin, the smells in the air, or the feeling of an ancient kirk (church) beneath your fingertips.  Pictures cannot capture emotion the way your heart can.

You may notice over the semester that I post a lot of photos of the sky.  For some reason, the sky here is so much more beautiful to me even than that of home.  The clouds have a different quality that I can’t explain, and the colors never fail to delight me.  It’s simply mesmerizing in a way that even the most perfectly-timed picture cannot fully express.

Below are some moments and sights which have stuck in my mind from the past month.  Some descriptions are longer than others, but I have included in the captions the reason why each moment is stuck in my mind.

This is a close-up of a gorgeous old piano in one of the residence halls, St. Regulus. So much history!

As I was walking back to hall after an afternoon in town, I was literally stopped in my tracks by this gorgeous sight before me. I have never seen the Old Course more resplendent! The picture does not do it justice.

You know you’re in Scotland when you get whisky with your haircut! This barber shop makes me laugh every time I pass it.

This row of buildings is just next to the old pier and it reminds me of Charleston, my home, every time I pass it. East Sands is always so alive with color and sound!

Every time I pass through the cemetery at the Cathedral, I am struck by the profound peace and stillness present there, even amid the sounds of the surrounding town. Cemeteries always make me feel poetic–I can’t help but think of all of the beautiful souls who were born, made countless memories, touched lives and loved deeply, and who now find their bodies resting forever in an achingly beautiful place.

St. Salvator’s Hall, where Prince William lived during his time here. I love walking by the hall just to admire its beauty.

Here is another gorgeous sky that made my face light up. No watercolors can compare to what God paints on His canvas!

This is on The Scores, the street in St Andrews that runs along the coast. I was walking home from church one night and was distracted by the quiet beauty of this moment. Even in the dark St. Andrews is incredible.

I went to a pub trivia night with some JSA friends a few weeks ago. This round, the category was game shows. Obviously, 5 Americans knew nothing about British game shows and so we decided to dedicate the round to 2 of our favorite Scots.

I love walking through this archway to get to the psychology library or to class. How many famous (or unknown) historical figures have passed through the same gates? I am living history here! I also love the reminder: In principio erat Verbum. In the beginning was the Word.

The snow swirling about on this morning made it exceptionally difficult to concentrate in class. When it snows here, I feel even more like I am living in a wonderland!

I was looking for dinner in Tesco (a grocery store) one evening and received more than a few strange looks when I started cracking up at these sandwiches. Silly Scotland! Leave fried chicken to the American South.

The first several times I visited the Cathedral it was blanketed in snow, which only added to the tranquility and mystery.

I went for a walk around town with my friend Sarah when it snowed; we decided to make snow angels on the Old Course. This photo looks out toward West Sands in the distance. How many people can say they’ve played in the snow on the Old Course?

Cold, wet, hungry, and very happy! This is my JSA friend, Sarah. I am incredibly blessed to have met wonderful people such as her! (Yes, it was Ash Wednesday.)

 

An Ode to Ranch Dressing

One of the most important and bonding characteristics of any culture or society is food, and Scotland is no exception.  I have tried many different dishes and drinks since I have been here with varying success.

I love the family atmosphere of the Melville dining hall.  We all go through the same line and sit at long tables together.  One great thing about Erskine is that they have a lot of different options at meals, whereas here there tends to be a red meat option, a poultry or fish option, and a vegetarian option for the main dish, followed by 3 choices of sides and a dessert.  Of course there is the small salad bar, fresh fruit, and sandwiches or baked potatoes if you prefer.

I think one of my absolute favorite things about the Melville dining hall is the hot drinks machine: you put a mug under it and press a button indicating the beverage of your choice (hot chocolate, with water or milk; coffee, cappuccino, mocha, latte, tea, hot water for tea bags, or several other options) and it automatically fills the mug.

I also like the fact that there are fewer meal options; I am much more willing to try an unknown dish because I don’t have the option to stick with a safer or more familiar option.  As with any kitchen, sometimes dishes are a success and sometimes…they’re not.  But I never go hungry and mealtime conversations are always incredibly enjoyable and involve lots of laughs.  When the staff kicks us out of the dining room, we tend to carry on our conversation in the foyer downstairs until gradually we all realize that we have some place to be or homework to do.

I have recorded several videos of me trying different unique foods, and as I cannot upload them directly onto the blog site I have put them on youtube. Links are below:

You may recall me mentioning that I attended a ceilidh my first Friday in St Andrews in honor of Robbie Burns day; while at the ceilidh we had a traditional meal involving haggis.  Here is my reaction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgzlSYemaqs&feature=youtu.be

The second strange food that I tried was Marmite.  In my right mind I may have been a wee bit more wary of trying something advertised with the slogan, “love it or hate it,” but in my defense I was still half asleep (I have yet to become accustomed to waking up at 7:30) and agreed before I realized what I had agreed to. Here is the Marmite test. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O6pVrlyf6k&feature=youtu.be

At the Six Nations rugby game there was an abundance of haggis, various kinds of pies, and alcohol.  I chose to indulge in one of those, namely Scotch pie.   I figured, what better time to try another traditional Scottish delicacy than at a national rugby match?  My experience was recorded and you can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1Rt7L7phUM&feature=youtu.be

speaking of haggis….
we passed this bus on North Street one night. only in Scotland.

- – -

Now, you may be wondering why the title of this post refers to Ranch dressing. Well, let me tell you why:
There is no Ranch dressing in Scotland.

I’ll give you a moment to let that sink in.

It astounds me that the number one salad dressing in the United States is all but impossible to find in the UK.  It has also been an adjustment for me, because I am one of those annoying people who eats ranch dressing with everything : salad, chicken, vegetables, bread, French fries, pizza, pretzels…you name it.  And the Brits unfortunately like to eat everything with vinegar, which means that now I dip my fries–or chips, rather–in mayonnaise because that is one of the only options that I like.

However, I have some wonderful friends, and I am now a very happy American.  My friend Scott had an interview in London a few weekends ago; while he was there he searched around until he found a Whole Foods store that sold Ranch dressing and brought me back a bottle. Granted, it is not Hidden Valley, but it’s delicious nonetheless and the bottle is over half gone already.

But wait–there’s more!  About a week ago I received a care package from a friend in the States; inside was SIX packets of Ranch mix, Hidden Valley style, which means that I am set on dressing for the remainder of my time here and I have plenty to introduce it to friends who have suffered their entire lives without experiencing the delicious taste.

My care package also included, among other things, a box of Cheez-Its and 2 bags of cheddar Goldfish, neither of which can be found in the UK (except perhaps at specialty stores, but who has time to find one of those?).  They taste of home and it’s wonderful.  I have introduced several European friends to both goodies so far, and they have been a hit all around.

I think that is enough talk about food for now (are you hungry yet? I am! I’m heading off to dinner), but I have tons more pictures to post and lots of exciting adventures to tell you about.  Until then, have a wonderful week and God bless!

getting my toes wet

(This post continues where my previous entry left off.  Corny title, I know.)

We dropped my luggage off in my room and then headed to Joanna’s room for some proper British tea.   I met quite a few people along the way,  including my new friend Rebecca from Sarah Lawrence College.  After tea, the three of us walked to Tesco in town to buy some dinner.  Rebecca and I decided on frozen pizza (typical college student meal, I know, but we were too tired to cook properly).  As we were looking at the different options, one caught our eye because it looked like it had noodles on it.  Rebecca and I asked Joanna if it was a British thing to eat pasta on pizza and she gave us a very confused look, then looked at the pizza and started laughing at us:  it was margherita pizza.  What we thought were noodles was actually cheese!  We laughed about this the entire night.

the pizza that we mistakenly thought had noodles on it when we saw it on the shelf. that’s what jet-lag does to you!

When we returned to Melville, we realized we had no plates, cutlery, or cooking utensils, so we improvised with what we could find in the kitchens.   It took us a little while, but we figured it all out on our own and the pizza was delicious!  As we were finishing up, a few guys came by to invite us across to K1 to meet people, but the group quickly became too large so we made our way to the middle common room, 1 of 3 in the hall.  (Melville has 3 kitchens, labeled K1, K2, and K3.)  There were so many people in the common room!  Everyone was incredibly kind and welcoming and I surprised myself by how many names I managed to remember.
After staying up MUCH later than anticipated, I finally left and went to sleep around 2 AM (which is 9PM for the Eastern United States).  I did not wake up until lunchtime the next day, and only then because I needed to eat.  Lunch was great though!  I spent the afternoon at an informational session for new students and then attended a reception with all of the JSAs (Junior Study Abroad students) where we had the opportunity to meet and talk with professors. I met so many people and learned a lot about the psychology department, which is the best in Britain.  I also found out that the psychology building is in one of the most beautiful locations in town.  Tough life, I know.

On Friday I managed to wake up for breakfast, which is 8-9 every day, and then I went to matriculation at 10AM.  There are a lot of JSAs here this semester!  They had a very helpful team directing us to where we needed to be and answering questions.  Staff members checked our passports and finances and advisers from each department helped us register for our course modules.  Everything worked out really well, thankfully.  Friday evening, in honor of Robbie Burns’s day, I attended my first ceilidh [pronounced Caley] with my new friend Scott (from Scotland).  If you have ever done English country dancing, it is somewhat similar.  We danced for several hours straight, and I even tried haggis for the first time; surprisingly, I really liked it!  I talked to the two callers after and they told me I should come to the weekly intermediate ceilidh lessons.  I have added that to my list of potential clubs to join!  I learned later that it is compulsory for all Scottish primary school students to learn ceilidh dancing.  A member of the Celtic society read Robbie Burns’s famous poem, Ode to a Haggis, before we ate and then we enjoyed a traditional meal of haggis and neeps & tatties.  Neeps and tatties are some kind of turnip-like food and mashed potatoes–different but good.  On the way home, Scott gave me a tour of St Andrews and told me loads of stories about the history of the uni and the town.  After dancing all night and then walking for an hour my feet were extremely sore, but it was entirely worth it!

I am standing on the Swilcan Bridge between the 1st and 18th fairways of the Old Course in St. Andrews. this bridge is at least 700 years old!

When I woke up for lunch on Saturday, I met a group of JSAs who invited me to come explore the town with them.  We spent all afternoon being touristy, taking pictures, sharing stories, and getting to know each other.  It was so beautiful outside but the wind here is so cold, especially along the shore!  I shared with them all of the stories and tidbits that Scott shared with me about the town and uni the night before.  My next blog entry will be entirely photos from our adventures.

Saturday evening I finally started to unpack my suitcases!  My first couple of days were so full of excitement that I neglected to set up my room.  But it feels quite cozy now and Melville truly is like home.  I have my own sink in the room, but I have to go up- or downstairs and through about 4 doors for the toilets or shower.  Our hall is built to resemble a ship and we have 5 blocks of rooms; it’s a very interesting setup.  Melville is not very pretty but it certainly has character and the people more than make up for it!

As I have no class on Fridays, I will post pictures soon and try to write down some more stories.  Every day is filled with exciting things to talk about–the difficult part will be deciding what to share with you!  Until then, God bless and keep you and know that I am sending my love and well-wishes from Scotland. Cheers!

looking out to the North Sea and the night glow of Dundee to the north

crossing the Pond

I am officially in St Andrews, Scotland.  I have known about this trip for about a year, and I have been so excited to plan it, but it never truly became real until I was hugging my mom and dad goodbye at the airport.  It was so difficult to not start crying as I passed through security (and got randomly selected to undergo extra screening…guess I can’t complain that they were profiling)!  Everything went smoothly, though, and my first flight–to JFK–was only half-full so most of us spread out and had an empty seat next to us.  My layover in New York was 5 hours, with no free internet, so I spent the time reading, eating dinner, and walking around the terminal.  Everyone was so amiable!  Whoever says that New Yorkers are not friendly or nice has obviously never been to JFK.

I was able to watch the sun set over the water as we neared NYC. it was breathtaking!

the outskirts of the city covered in snow and bathed with the light of the setting sun

My second flight, to Amsterdam, left around 11PM and they served us a snack, dinner, AND breakfast.  For about a 6-hour transatlantic flight, it was a lot of food and it was quite good, too.  Eating pasta at 12:30AM while flying up over Canada and across the Atlantic is a pretty unique experience.  I watched Brave while eating dinner: I figured it was an appropriate choice for heading to Scotland and it’s also something I really wanted to see. It was fantastic!  Unfortunately, I only managed to sleep off and on for about 3 hours of the flight.  However, I did have an entire row of 3 seats to myself, so I was able to stretch my legs out.  It’s the little things!

my dinner on the flight to Amsterdam. it was so good!

Everyone in the Amsterdam airport was quite kind, which was good because I had a 4-hour layover there.  My last flight was only about an hour long and then I arrived in Edinburgh and made it through Customs easily.  I saw so many smiling faces in all 3 airports!  Coming from the friendliest city in America (Charleston), it is heartwarming to know that there are countless kindhearted souls all over the place. When I found my checked bag at baggage claim, I discovered that somewhere along the way one of the wheels had been broken off.  Bad luck!  I had to drag around a 47-pound suitcase with only one wheel, which was not the easiest thing in the world.  I easily met the other students that I would be sharing a shuttle with and we waited less than an hour for the shuttle to arrive.  The driver was very friendly–imagine that!

It got dark as we drove but I was still amazed to be driving around in a different country–and on the wrong side of the road!   I cannot tell you how many times my heart leaped as we rounded a corner and I saw headlights coming at us on the right: I was so sure we were going to be hit!   We passed over a beautiful old bridge, through several quaint towns, and saw lots of snow.  (NYC, Amsterdam, and Scotland were all covered in snow!)  I was so tired by this point that I dozed off several times, but woke up literally as we passed the Welcome to St Andrews sign a bit before 18:00.  A few minutes later and we pulled up at Melville, my new home.   We received a very warm welcome from some of the wardennial team (Warden = RD for you Americans) and I made it my room.

As you can probably tell, I had a very busy first couple of days…and that wasn’t even the whole of it! My night did not end until probably close to midnight, but I will write about that next time as it is currently after midnight and I have my first class in the morning.  Thank you to all who sent prayers and well-wishes my way.  I definitely felt them in my travels, and they are still working now.  Cheers!

home sweet home!

I have a home! Well, I actually have multiple homes; to be more specific, I have a home in Scotland! As of last Monday I was still emailing back and forth with the St. Andrews office of accommodations and had not received another offer. My mom and I decided it would be a good idea for me to call the office directly and speak to someone about it, so I [eventually] figured out how to successfully make an international call to Scotland with our calling card. I talked to a wonderfully kind woman named Mary, the same woman I have emailed back and forth with over the past month. After introducing myself and explaining my situation, she remembered me and seemed surprised to find out that I had not received another offer. Mary assured me that they would send me an offer within the next couple of days and told me to keep checking my student portal.
When I woke up Tuesday morning, I checked my portal and found an offer! (Mom said she knew right away because she heard me running downstairs.) My home at St. Andrews will be in Andrew Melville Hall, a co-ed hall of single rooms that houses about 230 students from freshers to 4th years (all of the accommodations at St. Andrews are co-ed). Also exciting to me: the hall is only about a mile from where my classes will be, I will get 19 meals/week, and it is the least expensive housing option on campus! I know of at least a half-dozen other JSA [Junior Study Abroad] students who will be living here as well.

Andrew Melville Hall- my home for Spring 2013!
(photo by Corey Faniel)

I accepted the offer almost immediately and joined the Facebook group for Melville. I adore these people already! Everyone has been very welcoming, helpful, friendly, and funny! Through the group, I met a student from France, Joanna, who will be flying into Edinburgh at about the same time as I am. She offered to share a taxi to St. Andrews and then go get dinner with me when we arrive. She has given me a lot of helpful information about the hall and the school.
I am very grateful to those who joined me in praying about this situation, and I am so thankful that God answered our prayers in this way! I have a bad habit of overthinking and over-worrying about everything, and it truly is a relief that everything is falling into place this way. So much stress and worry has been replaced by genuine excitement! Moments like this help teach me that God truly is in control and remind me to put my faith and trust in Him. He’s got my back, praise the Lord!

a bump in the road

I was recently thrown a curve-ball concerning my upcoming trip to Scotland, which begins one month from today.  On Thursday afternoon, I received an email from St. Andrews about my accommodations for next semester:  I was offered a single room in an apartment which I realized is about a 25-30 minute walk from where the majority of my classes will be.  (The apartments are owned and run by the university, but from what I have found there is no public transportation that far from campus.)  I would have fewer meals per week covered, and the fees for this option would be quite a bit more money than I was anticipating.  Though I would not necessarily mind sharing an apartment with four people for the semester, I was looking forward to living on campus in a residence hall much closer to the heart of the city and campus.

It is not customary for the university to amend offers of accommodation, but I emailed their office that night outlining my hesitations regarding the offer and to inquire whether there is any other room available.  I received a kind reply the following morning from a woman in the office letting me know that she brought it to the attention of her manager and that they would respond to the matter as soon as possible.  (I have always been impressed by the University’s prompt and friendly replies to any inquires I have had.)  Unfortunately, they are now closed for the holidays until January 3, so I will not know for a while yet.  I am keeping my fingers crossed and praying that this will all work out for the best.  I have faith that I will end up where I’m meant to be, and I know I will make the most of the situation however it turns out.  If I do have to walk an hour or two every day, I will certainly become accustomed to the cold weather much more quickly, and I will never have to worry about lack of exercise!

I will keep you updated on the situation; I will also be writing more soon about the whole study abroad process thus far as well as my fall semester at Erskine.  God bless and enjoy the Season!

Introduction

Hello!

I’ve never done a blog before, but here I am!  I hope that I will improve with time, because right now I am hopelessly lost in trying to figure out how this website works.  Obviously, I’m not very tech-savvy.

I do enjoy writing, though, and I hope that you will find some of what I have to say interesting.  I am getting closer to embarking on the most exciting journey of my life thus far, which begins January 22, 2013.  I will be spending Spring semester at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. I am so excited, despite having to say goodbye to the wonderful friends at Erskine that God has blessed me with.

So that you can get an idea of who I am, let me introduce myself:

My name is Christine Dumouchel and my hometown is Charleston, SC. I am a junior at Erskine and pursuing an honors major in psychology with a double minor in Spanish and family studies. (No, I’m not an over-achiever or anything.)  I’m interested in the connection between spiritual health and mental health; I also see great potential in alternative/arts therapies (art, music, dance/movement, writing, mindfulness meditation, yoga, etc.).  After undergrad, I plan to apply to both Master’s and PhD programs in therapy/counseling and clinical psychology.

I love singing, dancing, acting, and performing in general. I also enjoy reading and writing: books are my best friend.  I am quite active on Erskine’s campus: I am an SLA (Student Life Assistant) in Carnegie Hall, the residence hall for freshmen women, and I lead SI (Supplemental Instruction) for one of the sections of General Psychology.

4 of the 5 Carnegie SLAs (Tiffany, Leighton, Me, Heather) and a former Carnegie SLA (also Heather)

I sing with the Choraleers and Chamber Choir and also take private voice lessons.  This fall I played Elaine Harper in the fall play, Arsenic and Old Lace;  joined Erskine’s new improvisation group, ImproVfessional; and [successfully] rushed Erskine’s chapter of Alpha Psi Omega, a national theater honor society.  I am a member of Alpha Chi (a national academic honor society) and Omicron Delta Kappa (national leadership honor society).  I serve as the secretary of the Erskine Society of Psychology, which is in the process of forming a local Psi Chi chapter.  I enjoy working with Dr. Norman (Erskine’s president) and his wife as much as I can, and one of my favorite evening activities is babysitting their 3 wonderful boys-Noah, Asher, and Ezra.

Faith is one of the most important parts of my life.  I am Catholic but never feel out of place at Erskine despite its affiliation with the ARP church.  I am abundantly blessed by God’s grace and mercy, and I thank Him for that every day.  One of my favorite things about Erskine is seeing the way that He works in and through my friends, classmates, professors, and everyone that works to make Erskine the great place that it is.

It was difficult to have to say goodbye during exams, knowing that I will not be back at Erskine in the spring.  However, my friends and I made the most of the time; some of them even had a few surprises for me!   I look forward to challenging myself and learning all that I can while I study abroad.  Over the next several weeks, I will be posting about the study abroad application process, reflecting on my semester, and sharing about my preparation to cross the pond.

Happy Advent, and may God bless and keep you!

my friends threw me a surprise going-away party last Friday. I’ve never had a surprise party before and it was wonderful!

Exam Time

The cake Admissions got for me…yum!

Whew—what a whirlwind the weeks leading up to midterms were! By about this time in the semester, everyone starts spending less time socializing at meals and rushes off to finish reviewing for that next big test that’s looming. One often sees students walking around with a book or flashcards, or people off in corners intently reciting history facts or Spanish vocabulary. I, for one, ended up regaling friends with History of the English Language notes while we waited in the lunch line. (Guess who’s going to avoid me the next time they see me coming with a notepad in hand?)

Another notable event of the week—at least in my grandmother’s eyes—was my twenty-second birthday. Unfortunately, I spent most of the day in frenetic study, and when friends asked me what I was doing to celebrate, a sort of garbled, “Please don’t throw me a party or anything that might take time away from studying” escaped my lips…but the day was special, in spite of all the homework, because of all the sweet notes, phone calls, and happy birthday wishes. One friend also made me sugar cookies, and another gave me a pair of earrings. The Admissions Office even got me a delicious cookie cake—I was so impressed that they remembered my birthday! ‘Twas a special day because of the wonderful people God has put in my life.

Hannah and Amanda enjoying a night of cookies and fellowship in Robinson kitchen a couple weekends ago.

During the intense couple of weeks leading up to Fall Break, the social life of most people on campus tends to effervesce into the realm of the wished-for-but-currently-nonexistent. Unless, of course, study groups count as socializing. Studying in a group can be extremely helpful—not least when the participants keep from devolving into bouts of hyperventilation (not that I would ever do that). But in all seriousness, especially in the midst of exam season, it’s important for me to step back and ask myself why I’m studying or working hard in the first place.

A lesson I seem to learn again and again is that, if my aim is to bring glory to self and to earn the praise of men, I just won’t be able to continue when my stamina is running low and I’m exhausted by the rigors of academic life. If self-aggrandizement is the goal in view, either failure will lead to despair or success will lead to disillusionment and pride, because nothing apart from Jesus Christ can ultimately satisfy. A challenging round of exams and essays often reminds me of this truth. Consequently, I Corinthians 10:31 is a verse I try to keep in mind continually: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Who ate all the cookies?

Though hardly on par with Scripture, a couple of Inklings quotes were also a help to me last week amidst the exam-craziness. Gandalf’s words to Frodo are, I think, quite relevant for the college student juggling massive amounts of reading and writing: “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” In The Weight of Glory (an incredible book of essays that is a must-read), Lewis states that “the present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace received.” Especially for those believers with perfectionist-tendencies, it’s important to be reminded that all we can do is seek to wisely the time we have, for the glory of the One who has called us. And for those of us who tend to be lazy or lackadaisical in our approach to the work God has placed before us, it’s important to remember that our time is not our own and that we serve a great King. If we really believed that, how would the way we spend our time look different?