Déjà Vu, Semester Two!

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• I have so much to talk about- it keeps piling up because it is so difficult to get myself to sit down and write. Here it goes!

My winter break was very pleasant. It was one of the strangest experiences I have ever had changing from living away to living back at home. It felt as though I had never left, but at the same time like I'd been gone forever. When I would refer to Scotland, it felt as though I were discussing another life, perhaps in a parallel universe. It felt like déjà vu coming back!

Kayaking in SB

I really enjoyed being back with my family and pets (though I was quite sad not to see little Max). Some highlights included going on a hike with my mom, visiting an alpaca farm and the beach with Bridget and our neighbor Lauren, going to a swap meet with my dad, celebrating Christmas/Hanukkah and my dad's birthday, and going kayaking in the harbor. I also enjoyed meeting up with some friends from ballet and high school.

We went on two separate California trips while I was home:

Cousins with a Green Screen Effect

Up North: I had a great time visiting my relatives in Marin, especially exploring around science museums in San Francisco with my cousins Nathan and Owen, watching "The Help" as a family, going to Susan's Store Room, and spending some time with my grandparents. I also liked stopping by Solvang on the way up so I could visit my favorite stores Nathalie's Doll House, Rasmussen's Fabrics, and The Book Loft.

Down South: We went to Los Angeles and explored around the day before my flight. It was interesting because I had been to a lot of the Hollywood attractions in the past, but none in the central city. My dad took us to Chinatown (where he went to New Wave clubs when he was in college), Olvera Street and the oldest surviving house in Los Angeles (the Avila Adobe), and to Union Station. My mom took us to the Stanley Kubrick exhibit at LACMA, which was very interesting- I did not realize how prolific he was!

It was fun to visit the most cliché places of "California culture" before leaving home again.

• My long-haul flight back to St. Andrews was luckily uneventful, but my short flight from France to Edinburgh was one of the most frightening flights I've ever been on. Due to high winds, the plane was having a lot of difficulty landing- we actually had to "take off" in mid-air to increase our altitude to try again. At one point we were almost flying completely sideways. I had been reading a National Geographic: Exploring History article on Amelia Earhart, so I was trying to tell myself to be brave like her- on her solo flight across the Atlantic she flew through a storm with a leaking fuel tank, zero visibility, and a broken altimeter! However, I was unable to stop myself from tightly gripping the arm rests and exchanging terrified glances with the woman sitting next to me. When we landed everyone cheered and applauded the pilot!

Ghostly Image

• I had kind of a magical St. Andrews experience last week- though I'm sure it was just that it meant something to me- not that it was actually that unusual. I finished my lecture and stopped by the bank before heading to the cathedral to try out my new pinhole camera I built from a cardboard kit. It was a genuinely beautiful day- the sky was blue, it was sunny, the air was crisp and cool. When I arrived at the cathedral grounds, nobody was there- no tourists, no people strolling around- I had it all to myself. I have to admit, it was a bit eerie, being surrounded by only the dead, but as I said before, the weather was fine, so I was in good spirits. I took a bunch of experimental pictures, and just as I was beginning to out of film more people starting walking around. I decided to walk down to the pier since I hadn't been since last term, and saw two white swans swimming in the harbor, as well as some pretty ripples created by the wind. As I walked back to town, the sky began to darken. I went to the pharmacy to get film developed, but was annoyed as I saw that there was a technical difficulties sign, and I couldn't drop off the film. So I walked over to Sainsbury's to get a snack, and as soon as I left the store it started snowing. It was that light, ethereal kind of snow, that melts when it hits the pavement- I don't think I've ever seen snow more beautiful. I was really close to Sallie's Quad, so decided to eat under the shelter of a kind of veranda outside St. Salvator's Chapel (see cell footage below).

It was amazing to watch the snow fall in the quad- even more so because of the organ music from the church accompanying it. When the snow began to slow, I went into the church, which I actually had never been in, and I looked around for a few minutes at the wonderful Gothic architecture. When I left the snow had stopped and sky was blue again, so I went to the Old Union cafe to get some hot chocolate and sat in my favorite booth by a window. I think what I liked about the afternoon was the fateful chance of being in the right place at the right time. Unfortunately, none of the images really came out from the photo shoot- Boots didn't even charge me. They are all rather ghostly, the best image is above and to the right.

• Speaking of snow, today it has snowed the most since I have been here- of course, not like the Tahoe snows I know well, but enough to cover everything with a blanket of white about an inch or two thick. It is absolutely stunning! My scratched-lens cell phone photos don't do it justice. Unfortunately, this afternoon it has warmed up, so it is raining instead.

•Last weekend, I went on a trip up North to visit Dunnottar Castle and Stonehaven. It was another wonderfully clear day, and I had a lovely and relaxing visit to the castle- which definitely makes one of the top positions on my list of favorite castles. The views were incredible, I cannot tell you how much I love dramatic seaside landscapes. The castle itself is positioned on an outcrop of land which juts into the sea, and so it has a kind of natural moat, as well as rocky barriers. I walked from the castle to Stonehaven via a coastal path along the side of the cliffs. At several points there were areas where the land had eroded into the sea, so it was a bit frightening to walk past- but elderly locals and people with young children were walking across, so I figured I'd be alright. In Stonehaven I realized I had run out of cash, and the boat I was taking to the seal cave was in 10 minutes, so I made a mad dash to the main square to go to an ATM and made it back to the pier just in time to get on the boat. The boat ride was really nice- I liked being able to see the castle from a whole different perspective, and get a better view of the amazing cliffs and sea caves. The seal cave was very impressive- they had their own private waterfall! Many seals were inside, and a lot of the younger seals came out to inspect our boat. I have associated seals with the British Isles ever since I was young- I love tales of selkies, especially in the story in the movie/book The Secret of Roan Inish (which I thoroughly recommend- one reviewer accurately commented, "Photographed by Haskell Wexler on Ireland's rugged northwestern seacoast, it is a cinematic tone poem in which man and nature, myth and reality flow together in a way that makes them ultimately indivisible"). When I got back to town, I caught the train to Dundee, then a bus back to St. Andrews. It was an excellent day!

Basilica

• I've worked out housing for next year! I'm going to live in a flat with my friend Sarah from Canoe Club, a little ways away from the center of town. We were really glad to get housing secured for next year before the "mad rush" of students looking for homes. It is very nice- it was just refurbished and has a wonderful kitchen, two bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom- all furnished. It is on the second story, so we will luckily be able to get heat rising from the flat below- definitely a plus here in Scotland. If I get permission, I am hoping to do some gardening in the small plot outside featuring herbs, vegetables, and native plants. In my dorm I currently have a small basil plant I've nicknamed "Basilica" which I've had a lot of fun taking care of, though I miss my garden box at home. I had to nurse Basilica back to health (see pictures to right) after I was gone for winter break- I used a water feeding system while I was gone, but he drank all of it by the time I got back.

"The Thinker"

• My classes this term are going well. I am taking Sustainable Development, Reasoning and Knowledge, and Great Ideas. They are a nice mix, especially because I am noticing threads linking each to the other.  The most complicated class is Reasoning and Knowledge- I have a very difficult time wrapping my head around many of the philosophical arguments despite how much I enjoy learning about them. My favorite concept so far is the regress argument for skepticism- that in order to know something, you must be justified, but then you must be justified in your justification, and so on (like a child asking, "Why?" over and over again), so therefore you cannot truly know anything. In Great Ideas we are learning about everything from Cosmology to Rights and Justice- I'm happy to have a class that is very interdisciplinary. In Sustainable Development we are working on a report and plan of how to change our carbon footprint, something I'm pretty sure I have done in school before, but still enjoy.

• I'm getting closer and closer to finishing my Fair Isle gloves that I have been working on for a long time. However, I keep taking breaks to work on other knitting activities, especially for KnitSoc. I'm making a food item (top secret!) for a KnitSoc contest this spring and also completed three hearts for our Valentine's Day yarn bombing. I just finished my clay miniatures for Easter, so those should be up on Etsy soon!

• I have been participating more in the Ents (Events) Crew lately, and I'm very excited to be back in a technical theater activity. Last week I helped set up lighting for a talent show- it was nice to hang and adjust lights again, as well as use the lightboard. Next week, I'm helping deconstruct a Shakespeare set and get ready for a band show in 1 hour! I still hope to do more sound stuff in the future!

Human Pyramid

• Canoe Club has already been off to an exciting start, with many activities over the past two weeks and many more planned for the future.

Weekly Pool Sessions: I am very excited because I have finally managed to roll in a kayak! I can do a c-to-c roll, which is not the best for rivers, but is useful for building up confidence to do the slightly more difficult screw roll.

Social Events: Last Wednesday we had another crazy canoe escapade for Sinner's Sport (a big gathering of all the athletic clubs for a giant party). We met in the evening at the "Castle" and divided into teams (Picts, Greeks, and Egyptians) to go on a photo treasure hunt. I was dressed as an Egyptian (can't see costume in picture due to jacket), so joined that group and got my official name written across my face- "Ramses III". We had a large list of activities to accomplish and take pictures of, including building a human pyramid and playing leapfrog down a street, as well as certain fun phrases we had to react to (for example, if our leader said "the Nile is flooding!" we had to make crocodile motions with our arms). It ended at the union where the large dance party was taking place. My group didn't get much of the list done, but we still had a great time!

• In Design Team we've been trying to re-market ourselves, as few people know about our services. We're hoping to have a public display during On the Rocks, an arts festival, as well as spread our name through a series of posters. During the first week back, I helped man a booth at the "Re-Fresher's Fair" to get sign ups for Design Team- it was definitely weird being being one of the students at the booths when such a short time ago I was walking around attending the fair!

•All in all, I'm glad to be back!!!

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