Simplicity and Fanfare

In the morning I woke up in my dorm still feeling pretty sick, so I decided to sleep in a bit and skip breakfast. At around 9:30 I got up and took a shower, then went to meet my dad at the apartment to go visit the careers counselor about my interest in designing museum exhibits. We were hoping we could see someone to advise us on a "path" of classes to take, but unfortunately the center was only open for fourth-year students until November. They sent us off with a book about jobs in museums and some informational flyers.

After that, we went to a restaurant called Con Panna for breakfast and I had a very nice plain scone and some orange juice. Next, I walked over to the Union to check out the Baking Society. I got a cool year-long membership card, which entitles me to 10% discounts a several food and cooking stores. I think it will be fun in the future to make items for the many bake sales around campus!

I went to Blackwell's Bookshop next, and purchased my Italian textbooks (I would have purchased my other textbooks too, but I have a list of about 95 sources and am not sure which off the list I'm supposed to buy, and which I can check out at the library). Then I went back to the apartment and sat outside reading through the books for a while, as my dad was not there. When he came back, we decided to have me ride my bike to the dorm and then go for a walk. I absolutely love the bike! After a while, we went past the golf course to visit the aquarium.

Me with my bike (with a cold/nervous for riding on the left side of the street smile)

I liked the aquarium- it was actually larger and had more exhibits than I thought it would. It had a bit of a zoo element to it also, with exhibits featuring tortoises, lizards, spiders, and randomly meerkats! I have found they really like meerkats in Scotland, I'm not quite sure why them in particular.

Meerkat

Piranha

Bagpiper

Next I went over to the traditional Opening Ceremony for Arts in Younger Hall. You can watch a filmed version of the ceremony here: Opening Ceremony Video. At the doors we were welcomed by a bagpiper in full Scottish garb. Many students were wearing their gowns, but I unfortunately did not have mine with me. When everyone was settled, they began with a speech which described the student agreement:

Sponsio Academica

Nos ingenui adolescentes, nomina subscribentes, sancte pollicemur nos preceptoribus obsequium debitum exhibituros in omnibus rebus ad disciplinam et bonos mores pertinentibus, Senatus Academici auctorati obtemperaturos, et hujus Academiae Andreanae emolumentum et commodum, quantum in nobis sit, procuraturos, ad quemcunque viate statum pervenerimus. Item agnoscimus si quis nostrum indecore turbulenterve se gesserit vel si parum diligentem in studiis suis se praebuerit neque admonitus se in melius correxerit eum licere Senatui Academico vel poena congruenti adficere vel etiam ex Universitate expellare.

Academic Procession

Translation:

We students who set down our names hereunder in all good faith make a solemn promise that we shall show due deference to our teachers in all matters relating to order and good conduct, that we shall be subject to the authority of the Senatus Academicus and shall, whatever be the position we attain hereafter, promote, so far as lies in our power, the profit and the interest in our University of St Andrews. Further, we recognise that, if any of us conducts ourselves in an unbecoming or disorderly manner or shows insufficient diligence in their studies and, though admonished, does not improve, it is within the power of the Senatus Academicus to inflict on such students a fitting penalty or even expel them from the University.

Next came the procession and the presentation of the four university maces by the Head Janitor and volunteers along with the Gaudeamus, a song about the brevity of life and the importance of learning. When everyone was in place, there were a series of speakers including the Principal, the Dean of the faculty of Arts, and the Vice Principal. My favorite speaker was Dr. Sara Lodge, a lecturer at the School of English who described the magic of knowledge. The chorus also sang a couple of songs- I particularly liked hearing The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond (a nice version here: Bonnie Banks), a song I have always loved. At the end of the ceremony, there was a procession out of the hall accompanied by organ music.

The Wee House

I met up with my dad and ate a snack, then we went over on a footpath we wanted to explore called Lade Braes Walk. The path was really beautiful. We thought we had seen most of St. Andrews, but the walk proved us wrong. Most of the area was covered by forest and it had a brook running alongside the trail. There were a couple of spacious grassy parks and ancient buildings as well. My dad and I were quite astounded when we saw a huge heron land right next to us in the river. We like to associate herons with my late grandmother (she loved them very much) and took it as a symbol of good luck.

Lade Braes Walk

We eventually got to the Botanic Gardens, our main destination, and bought a yearly pass for me (the same price as single student admission!) so I could do my homework there in the future. The gardens were really impressive, there were many greenhouses and lots of trails. My dad really liked the cactus garden and the plants he described as "dinosaur food". I really liked the herb garden and the wildflower garden, as well as the carnivorous plants.

The Heron

Thistles at the Botanic Garden,
the national symbol of Scotland

In the evening, we went back to the apartment and relaxed, then went out to dinner. As it was my dad's last night at St. Andrews, I decided to spend the night at the apartment instead of the dorm.

Daisy chain I made at the Botanic Gardens

biking ceremonies exploring freshers week traditions walking