Day 1

Day 1

Monday was a great day. After being very homesick on Sunday, I realized Sunday night that I was in Scotland!! Crazy! Monday was very productive. I first went to the phone store to get a UK phone. I waited in line for over 30 minutes. Apparently, every international student, from outside the UK and EU here (about 30% of the school) all want UK phone’s too. I got a prepaid phone; everyone has one over here, for 40 pounds complete with SIM card and a few minutes on it. I get ‘4 p’ (4 pence) per minute to talk to a US phone and 40p per text. But, it is a lot more expensive to call/text a uk phone with mine…the problems continue, around 40 p to call. Another problem I had was my credit card. The bank froze my card when I bought the wi-fi in Sweden, thinking my card was stolen. When the “fraud and protection agency” called me, I said that yes in fact that was me and I will be out of the country studying for the next 3 months. The lady said she would put a note in my file saying that so it would not happen again. I said thanks, even though I had already told the bank that before I left! Also, my internet was not working in my room. I called the IT department and said I it was loading the login page for about 30 hours. I then went to town and about 6 hours later I returned to my room and it was fixed! Yes, score one for me. I later got an email asking about their service to me, I was so impressed, a that they fixed the problem and b that they cared enough to ask… KU would not have done a or b. After the internet, I said I went into town… on the bus. It is a very very nice bus, like greyhound, but nicer. It costs about 1.5 pounds one way from DRA to town. But if you get the unlimited weekly one it is 5.5 pounds, however it is just to DRA and town and you have to have your student ID, which I picked-up today. It was very nice just to walk in and they give it to you. You do not have to pay and you upload a picture of yourself beforehand. I will say, St. Andrews seems to be a little disorganized. I was supposed to get my card at the library, but they are redoing it and it is closed… not that anyone told me, I just wandered around until I saw a paper sign saying “ID Cards.” They do have students in blue orientation shirts in all the orientation buildings to help you, they are very helpful but you have to find the buildings they are in. I got off track a little. So, after the internet, bus, phone, stop for a sandwich at Boots (like a drug store), I went to get my gown!!! It is red with maroon shoulders and upper back and no sleeves, but fabric over the arms, it is very heavy and well made. I can picture a little old man sewing them in a shop in the countryside. Everyone has one of these gowns and you wear it to formal events and the pier walk (see next Sundays entry for that), or every day, as I saw a kid on day 2 wearing his around town. I got there 2 hours after they opened for the first time this year and they were out of used ones. So, I had to buy the 135 pound new one. They also sell little stuffed bears with gowns and sweaters on…. Very cute. I was told you never hook the 3 clasps it has on it, which are on the maroon part in the front. Also, depending on what year you are and what “faculty”- arts or medicine or whatever, you wear it differently. Because I am a junior in arts I wear it off my right shoulder… or is it left? Freshers just wear it on both. I think it is called something like academic stripping.

I also got a ticket to the opening ball, which takes place on October 8^th at a nearby estate. It is black tie and put on by the Kate Kennedy Society… a really preppy all guys club. They said we would be picked up in carriages, I am not sure if that is a horse or a bus…
On day 1, I also learned about the mail box. There are outside the front door to the building and each flat has a key… that is in the kitchen. I later learned that “parcels” get delivered to your kitchen. I am not sure if that is nice or creepy because they have a key to our flat. I also finished organizing my 2 night stands- only draws I have and my desk--- well, it is still a mess.

You forget what you really need for dorms/school. I thought I packed everything that I would need…. Not even close. You forget little things like tacs for your bulletin board and such. You really see the true value of money here, in that, I had to buy all this stuff today and the exchange rate kills you. I am glad I bought all of the big, expensive things, because I think I spent like 400 USD today.

I went to the “Bistro” today for dinner- the dining hall, which is in the main building- one building away from me. It was okay food. The call yogurt pudding, which was very disappointing because I really love vanilla pudding. They also had fish, shocking… It is a very small area, about 1/3 of the size of Mrs. E’s at KU. You can have salad, soup, one main dish (2-3 choices) 4 sides to choose from, dessert and a little glass of something to drink; there are no seconds.

The event for tonight in my hall was Pub Quiz. I have always wanted to take part in one of these! I went with like a group of 15 so we split into 2 teams. There were 4 rounds, 1 live question, and a sheet of about 50 people on it and we had to write their names under their pictures. I knew one of the picture ones. The live question I had no clue, it was about when was the town founded or something like, when was golf founded? The rounds were ok, but with 10-20 questions each it got old after a while. One of the rounds was 19 snippets of songs and name then… I had no clue, and then they played the snippets again… so long. I did know like 2 of the questions about the US. One was about movies filmed in Las Vagas and the other was about sports teams in philly. My team was one of a few to not win anything.