Inside the Katedrála St. Víta (St. Vitus’ Cathedral), the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. I keep using the same adjectives to describe the cathedrals of Europe, but each of them is truly magnificent. Work on this one began in 1344. What history!

There was an entrance fee to go past where the rope is, just before the pews begin.  This broke my heart, because I’ve never heard of their being an entry fee to a house of worship.  This opened my eyes to the lack of widespread, strong faith in the Czech people.  I’m not certain why this is, but I’m glad that there is still a Christan presence and that the government is still committed to preserving this magnificent cathedral.

I was stunned by the view of morning sunlight streaming through this stained glass window in St. Vitus, overlaying the wall next to it with vivid colours.

Bazilika Sv. Jiří (St. George’s Basilica). I don’t think I have ever seen a church painted such a vivid colour before; I love it! This was originally built in 920, expanded in 973, and rebuilt following fire in 1142.

This was the street sign for a pedestrian crossing; every time we saw one I grinned, because it reminded me of Billy Joel’s song, “Piano Man.” All I can see when I look at it is a man dancing on giant piano keys!

The next place we explored was the Karlův Most, or Charles Bridge, which was built in 1357!  This is the most famous bridge in Prague; dozens of beautiful old statues, many of saints, line the entire bridge for pedestrians.  Local artists and craftsmen dot the entire length, displaying and selling their work.  I stopped at many of them to admire the jewelry, paintings, or other pieces, and everyone I talked to was quite friendly whether they spoke English or not.  Fortunately, I at least know how to say hello, good day, please, and thank you in Czech [thanks to my wonderful voice teacher at Erskine, Ms. Svatonova, a native of Prague]!

A collage of a dozen of the statues that line the Karlův Most.  Scott laughed at me because I spent several minutes in front of every single statue admiring it.

This bridge had a place specifically for lovers to add a lock, just like the bridge in Paris. I love seeing symbols of love like this!

Despite how little sleep I had the previous two nights, how long I had already been awake, and how cold I was, I was still so excited to see everything! This is at one end of the bridge, near a super old tower.

This was my favourite part of the bridge. It dates to 1628.

A series of plaques in English, Hebrew, and Czech beside The Calvary explains the Hebrew on the statue:
” The addition to the statue of the Hebrew inscription and the explanatory texts from 1696 is the result of improper court proceedings against Elias Backoffen, who was accused of debasing the Holy Cross. The additon of the Hebrew inscripton of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “Holy, holy, holy is our Lord of the multitude,” which represent a very important expression of faith in the Jewish tradition, was intended to humiliate the Jewish community.”

A detail of the crucifix. This photograph brings tears to my eyes nearly every time I see it; I can’t explain why but it really touched me.

This was my second favourite part of the bridge.

The Latin inscription underneath this reads,
“O vos omnes, qui transitis per viam, attendite et videte, si est dolor sicut dolor meus.”

We finally made it to the other side of the bridge! It probably took us an hour in total to make it across, mostly thanks to me taking so much time to look at everything. It was entirely worth it though!

Scott and I had a late lunch at Lokal, which gave me heart-shaped sugar…cubes?…with my drink. The waiter was super friendly, recommending good combinations of traditional food. I had fried cheese with homemade tartar sauce and a side of buttered potatoes. Sounds like an odd combination but it was delicious!

This is the restaurant we ate at, Lokal, which boasts of being the narrowest restaurant in Prague. I believe them! I took this standing several metres in from the front door, looking toward the back.

The façade of a building in Prague (not certain which one, though I know where it was). Almost all of the older buildings were ornate like this and often quite colourful.

I have so many more photographs and stories to share with you, but I need to spend some time revising before our hall’s Valedictory dinner this evening.  I was sort of nominated to give a speech, so that will definitely be improvised.  We’ll see how it goes!  I am looking forward to it though.  I also want to wish a huge congratulations to all of the 4th year students at Erskine who finished their last undergraduate classes today!  I wish you all the best as you finish out your semester and take your final exams.  Less than 10 days left! I am praying for you all.

The next leg of our holiday travels was an overnight bus–yes, the second in as many days–from Paris to Prague.  This bus was through a company called Student Agency.  We dozed off and on through the evening and into the night; it was fun hearing all of the announcements in three languages.  I think the worst part of the trip, though, was arriving in Prague almost an hour earlier than scheduled.  So instead of arriving around 6.30 AM, we arrived at 5.40 AM at a rather ugly bus station.  I won’t speak for Scott, but I was half asleep, freezing, and hungry; and between the two of us we still spoke few words of Czech.  To be honest, my first impression of the city was not a very positive one.  This was exacerbated by our first adventure in the city.

Our first goal in Prague was to find our way to the train station to store our luggage for the day.  Unfortunately, we had but a faint idea of how to get to the train station.  Using that faint idea, we set off in that direction.  It was still well before 7AM and there were few people on the streets, but we came upon a kindly looking older woman.  She spoke no English but we pointed to the map and asked the name of the train station (pronouncing it as well as we could).  She smiled broadly and started talking excitedly in Czech, pointing the way for us.  We thanked her as best we could and set off again.

After walking for awhile, we spotted in the distance a building that looked like it could possibly be a train station.  We headed toward that, our spirits somewhat lifted.  Upon getting closer, however, I became a bit uneasy.  We crossed the tram tracks and neared an old, pale green building behind what appeared to be an abandoned fairground.  Beside it was the edge of a wooded park which was silent except for the footsteps of a passing runner.  Despite a protestations from me, we started up a long drive around to the building.  As we got closer, we realised for sure that we were in the wrong place.  The green building was the zoo, not the train station.  The entire situation honestly seemed like the opening scene of a horror film, and I was quite glad to be getting back to civilisation!  We stopped to re-consult the map at the nearest tram stop and realised we had veered off at some point in the wrong direction.  Luckily, we found a kind young man who spoke English and pointed us along the right way.

After we finally got our luggage stored and some money converted, we headed up the hill to the Castle and Cathedral.  We got there  before 8 AM, in perfect time to see the changing of the guard at the hour.  We were the only people on the square apart from those working in the Castle and surrounding buildings and the sun was still coming up!

I will tell about the rest of the day in the photographs below as well as in the following blog post.  A few of the photos were taken by Scott.

The sun was still rising as we walked the last bit up the hill to enter the Castle gates. This is looking toward Katedrála St. Víta, or St. Vitus Cathedral.

The courtyard of Pražský hrad, or Prague Castle. It was so peaceful, cold, and beautiful!

We spent a good bit of time in this area in front of the Castle gates, just taking everything in. I have seen few sunrises as pretty.

This is the best photo we got of the flag that flies over the Castle.

Of course, I had to pose with one of the royal guards! We later heard one that was off-duty giving directions to some tourists. Scott and I were trying to imagine how cold they must be, standing there for an hour at a time in literally freezing temperatures. We were so cold ourselves, and able to move around! Their noses were quite red by the end of the hour, bless them.

Scott and I spent about an hour walking around Castle Hill, admiring the buildings and views and finding so many interesting places along the way.  I couldn’t tell you how many photographs I took, and it was quite difficult deciding which to share.

This was probably my favourite view of Praha the entire day! I love everything about this picture, from the red roofs and bits of snow to the church steeples and the hills in the distance.

One of the churches in the area around Castle Hill. The Czech Republic as a whole is not very religious, but Scott and I enjoyed spending a bit of time in every church we visited praying. It was an awesome experience!

Vojenský kostel sv. Jana Nepomuckého (military church of St. Jan Nepomuk);
This was a smaller church but quite lovely. It was early enough that Scott and I were the only ones in there, which was nice. This is perhaps one of the most peaceful churches I have ever been fortunate enough to spend time in.

I think this post is long enough, so look for more photographs in the next post! xx

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!

The first leg of our trip began around 7.30AM on a Saturday (horrid time to be awake, I know) when we left our hall for the bus station.  We took a double-decker bus down to London [front-row view on the top deck!] and as we neared the English border we saw the first of a lot of snow on the trip!  This Southern lass was quite excited.  One exciting part of travelling with Stagecoach is that their buses have free WiFi access for passengers.  Chatting with friends and tweeting (and revising, of course!) make the time go much faster.  We truly are 21st century university students…

Me and Scott on the double-decker to London, early in the morning. We look much more awake than we felt!

The sky views we were treated to along the way (when it was not precipitating) were breathtaking!

We arrived in rainy London for a late dinner and then had a couple of hours to walk around before catching our next bus.  Scott, who used to live just outside of London, led the way to Buckingham Palace, which is quite impressive even at night.

Buckingham Palace at night–massive and beautiful!

posing in front of the Victoria Memorial, across from the palace.

That was about all we had time to see before we had to make our way back to the bus station.  The next leg of travelling was an overnight bus (single deck this time) to Paris.  Scott and I managed to get the front seats again (more leg room!) and spent the first quarter hour or so laughing because the bus driver was sarcastic and quite the joker.  After we settled in and set off, we tried to get some sleep.  Unfortunately, buses stop every few hours.  We also had to cross the Channel, which ended up being a bigger adventure than anticipated.  We arrived in Dover after 23.00 and, after going through border control (another passport stamp!), found out that we had to wait an extra couple of hours to cross on the ferry.   We all hung around in the terminal or on the bus in varying degrees of sleepiness.  Finally, a bit after 2.00,  we boarded the ferry.  Whatever idea I had in my head of the ferry was shattered when I realised how absolutely massive the ship we were on was.  There were hundreds of people on board; we all found a couch or window seat to curl up and nap on.  A couple of hours later we arrived in Calais, re-boarded the bus, and were on our way.

We arrived in Paris fairly early in the morning and Scott and I set off to explore Paris!  The fact that it was cloudy and a bit drizzly just added to the romance of the beautiful French city.  Our first stop was the Arc de Triomphe, then we stored our luggage in the train station and continued our wanderings.  Following, and the next blog entry, are selected photographs from our day:

Le Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile on a rainy day. So impressive.  There is no way to cross the massive roundabout above ground, so there is a tunnel under the street to get to the centre.

Looking up…so many details over every bit of it!

Tomb of the unknown soldier, with an eternal flame. I was happy to see so many flowers and wreaths placed in memoriam.

Le Porte Saint-Denis in the middle of Paris; we saw so many gorgeous old detailed arches.

The Conseil d’Etat (Counsel of State)–a very impressive government building.

Time flies when you’re having fun; there’s no other way I can describe the past month! Several of my friends are on the hall committee, and consequently I’ve been involved in helping with some hall events recently.  I also spent the first three weeks of April rehearsing for a performance with the Gilbert & Sullivan Society, which was an amazing experience.  I met dozens of fun, interesting, and incredibly talented people and got to formally sing for the first time this semester.  Though it was a bit hectic learning over a dozen songs in about 2.5 weeks, every moment was worth it.

The performance itself went so well–I was struck several times on- and off-stage by the energy and joy radiating from everyone in the cast.  I challenged myself musically, as I had previously sung very little G & S.  In addition to being a member of the chorus, I was Marta in “Do Re Mi” from The Sound of Music, Mona (“Lipschitz”) in “Cell Block Tango” from Chicago, and Edith in “Climbing Over Rocky Mountain” from Pirates of Penzance.  My biggest challenge, though, was getting ill a couple of days before dress rehearsal.  I woke up the morning of the performance with a cough and barely any voice; I proceeded to spend the entire day drinking tea, eating spoonfuls of honey, and trying not to talk.  It turned out so, well, though, and the audience was incredibly receptive and engaged.  Owl Eyes, the student magazine of St Andrews, published some photos here: http://www.owleyesmagazine.com/gallery/night-musicals.

A few days after the performance, I had a paper due for my Scottish Music module.  The day it was due was one of those gorgeous Scottish summer days that make all of the cold, rainy ones entirely worth it.  Unfortunately, I was stuck inside sick and trying to write a paper.  My academic dad decided that I needed a break from my essay, so he came over after dinner and brought Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and some excellent music.  We went outside and swing danced barefoot in the grass for about an hour, taking a break to enjoy some ice cream.  It was by far the best study break I’ve ever had!

I’m not sure that I’ve explained academic families yet, so let me do so now.  Academic families are a St Andrews tradition; upperclassmen (some starting in 2nd year, others in 3rd or 4th) “adopt” incoming freshers during the first weeks of classes.  JSAs and JYAs (Junior Semester or Year Abroads, aka study abroad students) often get adopted as well.  Some people adopt singly, others choose to adopt with a friend of the opposite sex like my “parents” did.  My mum is my English friend, Laura, who is going into her 2nd year as the president of Swing Dance Society.  She’s so wonderful!  My dad, as I mentioned above, is my Belgian friend, Lawrence, who is treasurer, and now vice president, of Swing Dance Society.  He’s pretty great, too.  I met both of them through dancing, and most of the time when I see them that’s what we’re doing!

Lawrence and Laura, my academic parents, swing dancing outside of the Library

another angle; we were selling tickets for our ’600 Minutes of Swing’ Speakeasy.

Another highlight of April: I cooked, by myself, for the first time!  Though I’ve done a good amount of baking in my life, I never did much cooking before I came to St. Andrews.  But we have to fend for ourselves every Saturday and Sunday evening for dinner, so we do a lot of cooking in the hall together.  In the middle of a paper for psychology, I decided that my break would be to challenge myself and cook solo.  A friend picked up some groceries for me while in town and I made myself some chicken fajitas.  I was so surprised–they were delicious!! I wish I had access to more spices here, but I thoroughly enjoyed it (as did a few friends: I made way too much for just myself!).

My first time ever cooking by myself was a success!

I’m off to go meet with a professor, but I have so many more stories to tell you (like dancing for 10 hours straight)! And don’t worry, I promise I have not forgotten about sharing photos and stories from my Easter holiday travels.  I will write soon; it’s week 1 of revision and I know I will want study breaks!

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!

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.)

If there’s anything that tends to turn our eyes toward eternity, it is experiencing some sort of acute discomfort or suffering here on this earth. Whether our trial is emotional, physical, spiritual, or relational, a situation that causes us to—at least for a short time—feel that earthly happiness is simply unattainable is an incredibly effective tool that the Lord often uses to cause us to long for heaven. With regard to this truth, Colossians 3:1-4 is a verse I’ve been meditating on lately: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory.”

For the believer experiencing a trial of some sort, such verses provide both comfort and great hope. When I find myself responding to hard things with bitterness, asking the Lord, “Why, why?” I know both that He is big enough for me to ask the honest, emotionally raw questions and that such a response, though natural enough, does not honor Him if it’s where I remain. It’s easy to become comfortable and complacent when our lives seem to be going just as we’d planned and we feel fairly in control of our circumstances. Such a state of apathy and illusory self-sufficiency, however, is not one with which the Christian ought ever to be content. We are called to something higher, greater, and richer, by the grace of the One who is faithful never to leave us where we are.

I love this quote of Elisabeth Elliot’s: “Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering. The love of God is of a different nature altogether. It does not hate tragedy. It never denies reality. It stands in the very teeth of suffering. The love of God did not protect His own Son. The was the proof of His love – that He gave that Son, that He let Him go to Calvary’s cross, though ‘legions of angels’ might have rescued Him. He will not necessarily protect us—not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process.” How I resonate with her words! I recognize in myself that limited vision of which she speaks, but I am also inexpressibly thankful for the God of comfort who is loving and compassionate, even as He molds and shapes us (II Corinthians 1:3-5).

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.

Once last semester, and once this semester, I have—to my dismay, mind you—found myself in tears upon answering a professor who kindly asked how I was doing. Certainly, the usual response when asked, “How are you,” is to smile cheerily and say, “Quite well, thank you!” regardless of how exactly one’s day is going. When, however, a variety of factors and struggles combine to make a person (in this case, me) particularly emotional, a profoundly sincere, “How are you doing?” may be all it takes to unleash the floodgates. Case in point being the two aforementioned conversations, which were not entirely dry-eyed on my part.

Rachel enjoying some pleasure reading before French class begins.

What I so appreciate about my Erskine professors, though, is that, confronted with the admittedly awkward experience of having a student begin to cry while talking to them, they responded with great grace and compassion. I was left without a doubt that, rather than being anxious to extricate themselves from a conversation turned suddenly more serious than they’d anticipated, the professors to whom I was talking truly cared about my well-being as they listened to my sniffled explanation with genuine concern. I love being part of a learning community in which it is safe to have such a meltdown, not only in front of a fellow student, but also in front of a professor. It’s just one of the things that makes Erskine special.