Time of Reflection

Since being home, I am always asked "how was it?" This is impossible to answer except by saying great or good. It is too difficult in my opinion to answer that in just a few words. Looking back, I do not believe there was anything about my trip that negatively affected my trip in any way. Sure there were times where homework, tests, travel, stress etc... made life a little more difficult, but my experience was very positive.

Part of my reason for choosing Scotland was for Medieval History. At school I have gone through phases where I wanted to study Greek and Roman Civilization, then Early American, then freshman year I took a course on Chaucer and Arthurian Quests. That class got me interested in Medieval History. I could say its been an interest, but I have never had any classes in it before going to Scotland. Scotland was an experiment for me to see whether or not I want to study Medieval history in depth at all. After my experience, I am considering schools in Scotland for my Masters Program. Of course I would look at St. Andrew's again, Edinburgh and Glasgow. I have already started looking at what the programs offer and the cities themselves. People have asked me after hearing this whether I want to try England. I say no. It's nothing against England, I just like the Scottish Culture and society better. It fits me.

I can say that the classes that I took abroad went better than I thought before I left. I got the grade that I would expect in my Medieval Castles class. Latin is what surprised me. The class was really hard for me although it was an intro class. Having no classical language training before hand, Latin is tough.  I was sure that I bombed my final. The format threw me off and the difficulty was really hard, yet somehow the final I got my best test score grade on. So that was a sup rising thing to find out in Feb when I saw my grades. At home I am now in Latin II and still having some issues. However, these issues stem from the different textbooks. In Scotland, I used Wheelock, had to memorize all the vocabulary and the words principle parts, many charts, and I learned all of one declension at the same time. At Bethel, they use Latin for Reading, which takes a theoretical approach. At Bethel, I can use internet and dictionary to find words, I don't have to memorize (more on translating). What is hard for me is how different the books are. The Latin for Reading book teaches students really odd. When I arrived at Bethel, the students knew all of the declensions of nouns, but only in the nominative, accusative, and vocative cases. So I know more about declensions, and I know verbs. It's March, and students at Bethel are just getting into verbs because the book never introduced the basic concept. I find myself going back and fourth between books to get understanding. It does not help that each book uses different terms to describe the same thing.

When I arrived back at home it felt like it was time. Everyone wants to be home for Christmas. I do not believe that I had any major culture shock. I kind of just stepped right back into life at home. It did not even feel that i was abroad for several months and that I was already at home and not traveling anymore. That was strange. At the beginning of Jan, I began my J-term with Covenant Fulfillment and Promise (J-course). Being that classes started so early again, I did not have much time to get used to doing school differently again. It all went smoothly. The only difference is that I spent more time in the library than I normally did. Now I am in my spring semester, getting close to midterms and choir tour. I did feel slightly out of the loop on current happenings at my school. So some stuff changed, but now things seem normal to me.

My study abroad experience has open to job opportunities. I now work in the Bethel Study Abroad Office as a Global Ambassador, where I help students try to find programs, and talk about my own to inspire students. It's really not that hard for me at all. So far it has not been too busy, but I am sure that it will. The second job is with IFSA-Butler as a Global Ambassador. Both jobs are called Global Ambassadors because we are students who promote study abroad programs. For IFSA-Butler, I am supposed to have two events or activities that will promote IFSA-Butler. Recently, I received an email from a potential St. Andrew's study abroad student for next spring. It gives me the opportunity to reach out and share the wealth.

The thing about my study abroad experience that has been and will be the most difficult are the friends that I made in Scotland, and the other IFSA-Butler students.  Most of the students I was with either go to school in the south or the east coast. There was not one other student that was in Minnesota or the midwest for that matter. I try to stay in contact with my friends via Facebook and Skype.  For me, it's sad that there is a high chance that I will never see some of these people again. But that is just the truth about study abroad programs. It will be a challenge to maintain relations, but it can be done, I have no doubts.

Since being back at school, I have done my best to have people experience the Red Hot Chili Pipers and the Baseballs. I have gotten some people to start listening to them, including my Bethel Global Ambassador Supervisor. To me that is really exciting. Part of that excitement came from trying to experience Scottish culture fully by embracing the history, society, music, and food. I tried to find things that were unique and try those things. If you want to know what other things, then just look through my blog and you can find stuff. It is from this experience and fascination with Scotland that makes me want to go back. It will be really interesting to see what I will do with my future education, and find out if I go back. As I said in my last post before coming home, leaving was only the end of the beginning. Coming home and starting again is just another journey. I was given a new perspective and I learned a lot about who I am abroad. I have no doubts that these experiences and perspectives that I have gained will guide me in my ever changing journey through life.

Bethel University Photo Contest

In my last post, I uploaded the pictures that I sent in. Well I replaced two of those other pictures with some of these. For Bethel, I can submit 5 of my best photos, and the office and other judges pick the top 10 best. So hopefully one of my pictures will be able to do that.

 Craigsmillar Castle

 Castle and Cattle

 Leuchars Train Station

 St. Andrew's Cathedral 

St. Andrew's Pier

IFSA-Butler Photo Contest

So it has been a while since I have been home. I have not had any issues acclimating back to life back at home and Bethel. I do miss Scotland, but I won't get into too much. I just want to post a few pictures that I submitted to a photo contest. I am surprised how these pictures came out. 

Category 1: Landscape/Buildings

This picture came out really nice. I like how the doorway makes a frame  of the towers in the background. I love the brick detail.

I turned this one into black and white. It reminds me of something that you see in stores or postcards. Lone man on a pier, so artistic I have to say.

Category 2: Tongue and Cheek (Funny things)

These are two things that are quite common. Castles and Cattle. Animals are common sights in Scotland and are very much locals. Castles dot the landscape and make great photo opportunities. So this is just a chance to combine those two great things.

The Red Hot Chili Pipers is pretty unique in my opinion. This picture is not super artistic, but it is strange to those unfamiliar with bagpiping, bag rock, or music for the kilted generation. I have gotten few people interested in the band, so my mission is progressing forward.

Category 3: Daily Life with Locals

 I like this picture a lot. it shows the platform of the train station at Leuchars Train Station in St. Andrews. This is how life is in Scotland. People get on trains and commute, which is what I was doing. I was going to Northern England, not Edinburgh, but it still applies. I like the detail of the platform and the lighting in particular.

End of the Beginning (Dec 17)

Well here it is. It's 7 hours till I take off from Edinburgh Airport and begin my journey home. It is sad leaving St. Andrews and friends that I have met. I am not sad though because I am sure I will stay in contact with my closer friends. My time here has been short, but it is time to get back. I am not homesick, but it just feels like its time to get back to normal life. Life is going to change drastically from what I am used to, for better and worse. But it is a new journey in itself. With my new experiences, I am prepared to take on new challenges.

Today was rough though. I had my 4th regular latin exam (4 throughout the semester) plus the final a half hour after I finished the other test. The 4th exam went well I believe. The final was tough. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be and I really have no idea how I did. But I am not thinking about that now. I am leaving so I have to take care of all that stuff, I want to see friends for the last time, and its Christmas.  Tonight I saw my newest friends maybe for the last time. It is kind of sad. Most live on the east coast or in the south, no one is really near Minnesota. Things will work out hopefully to see them sometime later in life. I would not be opposed.

My experience has sure been grand. I got to take a course on castles and see castles in the flesh. It gives my interest in medieval history and history in general a whole new outlook. It's rather exciting. I found out that I want to go abroad for grad school and study medieval history. This is not for sure, but its a definite option at this point. Throughout the term I also feel that my writing has improved. You may not be able to tell from the blog, but my essay writing has improved. It is going to be strange to walk through a town that is not old at all. St. Andrew's is over 600 years old, with cool ruins interspersed in the town. I won't be seeing that or be able to look out at the ocean from Minnesota. I am truly grateful for the opportunity that I have had to study abroad. I would definitely recommend anyone interested to have this experience. I feel that my experience has not had many obstacles which has been great. Things turned out wonderfully.  I shall miss Scotland and St. Andrews and the people here. I have grown quite fond of it, but not so much so I forget Minnesota. Minnesota is where the heart is.

I am not sure if this will be my last post or not. It depends if I feel like writing some other things. This blog was primarily used as a journal and record of my experience in Scotland. After I return, I won't be in Scotland anymore, thus my blog will most likely come to an end.  Thank you to everybody who glanced, read, or looked at pictures on my blog. It is nice to know that people to care to read up on what I was doing. I hope it was rather enjoyable, because it sure was for me.

Thanks and Farewell
Parker

Fish and Chips (Dec 14)

This afternoon, Callum, Grace, and I travelled to far off (not really that far) to Anstruther. In orientation back in October, I remember hearing about Anstruther Fish n'Chips being voted the best in the UK. So obviously I had to find out for myself. In the time that I have been here, I have had numerous fish 'n chips from various places within St. Andrews, around St. Andrews, and beyond. Where some people have spent lots of money on pubs, I spent it on fish and chips.

The Anstruther Fish Bar is said to have had the best fish n' chips in the UK. It was also fitting that I got there with only two days left in Scotland.  I am making this my last fish and chips while abroad. I am ending while on the top. And I have to say, they were quite delicious. I have liked all of the fish and chips I have gotten here, but Anstruther does stand higher in the rankings. I won't go into much detail, and this might sound goofy, but I would rate fish and chips on the batter, cripsy-ness, flakiness and so on.  For example, I like the Tailend Fish and Chips, but you can't pick it up with your hands without it breaking apart. Anstruther was able to be picked apart and picked up with relative ease, so I liked that about it. The fish is extremely fresh, as the bar sits on the harbor and fresh catches are brought in twice a day. I would like to think that you say you want a fish and some guy jumps in the water to catch one.

Just look at this fish... you can see that it looks crispy and yummy, which I can assure you it was indeed. For all those who are coming to Scotland at some point in their lives, this is a stop that you should stop and eat at. It's worth the trip. 

Haldane Flat 2

It only took me to the end of the semester to realize that I have no pictures of my flatmates. I suggested we all take a picture together as a group so we can remember what we all look like. All of them are great people and I wish them the best with their future endeavors.

We are a very diverse group of people and come from very different parts of the world. Yukiko is originally from Japan, Ivan is from Bulgaria, Alberto from Italy, Sabrina from Texas (another world in itself :p and I hail from the frozen land of Minne-snow-ta. It was interesting for me to meet people from all around the world in such a small timeframe. 

From left to right: Yukiko Kishimoto, Ivan Damgov, Alberto Micheletti, Sabrina Triola, and myself.

I am unsure if I described the set up of my apartment. I am on the ground floor of Haldane, which sits next to the main building. Each flat has around 5-6 occupants. Behind the main door is a hallway with several doors and rooms attached, with the final room in the hall leading into the kitchen living room area. It is a different set up than I am used to at home where the main door would open into the living room, but it worked.  Each occupant had their own bedroom, desk, closet, and bathroom which was nice.  David Russell Apartments are rented out during the summer season to golfs visiting St. Andrews and are in need of a cheaper room than the ritzy golf hotel. 

Thanks for being awesome flatmates. Maybe our paths will cross in the future down the road. Until then, so long. 

St. Andrew's Oldest Tradition: Pier Walk (Dec 11)

The final Sunday before I leave, and the final Sunday service for Salvator's Chapel this year, I partook in the worship at Salvator's Chapel followed by one of the oldest traditions, the pier walk. The service was normal, and rather odd. The sermon started talking about politics and fat cats. It was a weird comment and I was lost for a few moments. Anyway, after the service it is normal for students to don their red gowns (I borrowed one) and walk to the pier and back. This happens every sunday except when bad weather threatens to throw students off the pier into the ocean.

This excerpt is from a website describing the pier walk:
The origins of the Pier Walk are veiled in obscurity though most people believe it was started to commemorate the heroism of John Honey, a student of the university. In 1800 he rescued five men from a ship sinking in St Andrews Bay. Five times he swam out and each time he returned with a rescued man.

Whatever its origins, the Pier Walk is one of the oldest traditions in St Andrews. Every Sunday, after chapel service, students in their gowns walk down to the end of the pier, climb up the ladder and walk back along the top. Doesn't sound too interesting, does it? Try and picture the scene - the wind is howling in off the sea, your gown is flapping, whipping back and forth, pulling you around, and a drop onto rocks (or, if you're lucky and they're not, onto your fellow Pier Walkers) awaits if you make a mistake. All in all, the Pier Walk certainly adds spice to a Sunday morning stroll.

Did I mention yet that the highest part of the pier is also the narrowest part? In the past, students have been blown clean off the pier and never seen again. Hmmm, that might be a slight exaggeration. What isn't an exaggeration is that no one leaves St Andrews without doing the Pier Walk at least once (be it on the Sunday morning or not).

It was very fitting that I participated in this momentous occasion the last weekend I am here. It was an excellent way to end my experience in St. Andrews

 left: Chelsea White, right: Me

The robe is a very important part of University life. It is often donned during important and ceremonial occasions. The robe symbolizes academics as does the way one wears the robes. First years where the robe complete closed around the next which symbolizes the students eagerness for learning. Second years wear it open, starting to show some relaxed state as compared to the previous year. Third years wear the robe on the lower shoulders for a more relaxed fit. Seniors only wear the robe on one shoulder, cause they don't care anymore cause they are graduating. I am wearing mine like a second year. I am a third year back at home, but I did not feel like wearing lower on my shoulders, especially considering its not my robe and it did not fit that well. The robe itself (the one I am wearing) was my flatmates, who is smaller compared to me. It would not shut nor was it the right size, but it worked for this occasion.

 The iconic photo for all golfers around the world. The little stone arch bridge and the Royal and Ancient in the background.

 Chelsea on the Bridge

 Robust

 Aww inspiring

Classy

This week is going to be interesting. I have a final for my honors medieval history class tomorrow morning at 930. I have one hour to write an essay out of 4 questions. I am not too worried about it though. My latin final is what is worrying me. The Latin class has 4 regular exams throughout the semester. The 4th exam is on friday. I also take the final (2 hours) right after the class. So after Monday, the rest of the week is going to be used revising for Latin. Fun stuff. I then get on the giant steel bird to cross the icy sea at 855 in the morning, which means I leave here around 6 am. Fun last days in Scotland. But the good news is, I am coming home.