Newspapers / St. Andrews University Student … / May 3, 1990, edition 1 / Page 13
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IntGrnational Feajures My Scottish Affair By Cindy Moore Contributing My first thought was one of deep admiration for people who just take off to another place, all alone, to live for a period of time. As I stood on the streets of dowtown Glasgow, Scotland, I could only think, "Girl! What have you gotten yourself into?" I was lucky though. I went with my best friend, Edie Titsworth, and it was awfully nice to have someone there with me so I didn't feel so I could only think "Girl, what have you gotten yourself into ?" alone. These Inltal fears vanished as soon as we got to Stirling University inStirling, Scotland, and I got myself settled in. I headed off to Scotland fo r a se meste r abroad armed with two suitcases, a wate rproof coat, Edie, and a deep sense of determination. I wanted to do something unlike anything I had ever experienced in my lile. And Boy! What an experience. Scotland must be one of the most beautiful areas of the world. The cities are compact, leaving open miles of natural beauty. And the area has so much history, it seemed like every place I went there was some memorial or monument marking some historical site. More than once while I traveled through the countryside did I see njins of castles, towers, or ancient walls. Even within the cities and towns themselves, the churches and older buildings were breathtaking to see and explore. As tourists, Edie and I had several advantages. Forone thing, we had a home base, the university, from which we could take off for weekends, a day, or an afternoon. In additiion, as students, we were eligible for all kinds of discounts on transportation and admission to castles, etc. But probalbly the best part was being there in the "off" season. May through September are the biggest tourist months, and after September there are few people traveling around the countr/. In many places Edie and I were the only ones there. Sometimes I felt so separated from modern society being in a castle alone, I felt that I hadcossed a time warp or something. I don't think I would have been surprised to see a knight come clunking around the corner bellowing for a pint of beer. When we traveled on overnight trips, we often stayed in Bed and Breakfast houses. The people whose homes we stayed in were so friendly and helpful. I would guess that they don't get nearly as much business during the winter, and they always seem pleasantly surprised to have some guests. The food at these places was so incredible. It was a real treat to be served such huge, hot, homecooked meals. Life on campus was different as well. Most "I felt that I had crossed a time warp or something..." students have private rooms, and it was nice to have some place to come back to and collapse. There were also little kitchens for every so many rooms, so I was able to • cook for myself and save a lot of money. Cooking was also a great way to socialize with the people who live around you. There are about 3,000 undergraduates I think, so the school isn't too big, but it was nice to have occasions to spend time with the folks that you live with. There are a lot of social spots on campus which also serve bar meals. And there are loads of little pubs in and around town. The sports center is nice, and there is a trail that runs around the campus for nice walks or runs. In addition, the MacRobert Center has a nice auditorium which hosts plays, concerts, and movies most every night of the week. So there is plenty to do on campus. As wonderful as all this sounds (and it is), my stay wasn't all fun and games. I got really homesick sometimes, and I missed the American conveniences I have here in the states. I got really frustrated with life sometimes, and I felt that I didn't have anyone but Edie who really understood who I was. 1 was awfully happy to have her around, and it was a great experience for our friendship, but I still feel felt isolated at times. It was good forme though. I learned how to keep myself happy, and I learned to do without fashionable clothes, extra spending money, my car, and many other things I took for granted before I had to live without them. I find it really difficult to put down my "Scotland Experience" into the two dimensions of paper, because it was so much more. I learned more about myself in those three and a half months than anything else I have experienced. In many ways it was really painful being away from my family and loved ones for so long. But it was a small price to pay for such an incredible semester. I could write a book about all the differences I experienced there and all the wonderful places I got to visit. Maybe someday I will. But to sum it all up here, I say this: if you ever get the chace logo, not just to Scotland but to any place different, DO IT! It isn't all easy, and it can be kind of expensive, but you will get so much out of it I have learned what is really "I find it really difficult to put down "My Scotland Experience"into the two dimensions of paper." inside of me and what I am truly capable of as an individual. I'll carry around that part of me I learned of in Scotland for the rest of my life. There is no teacher like travelitself. Askanyonewho has gone somewhere to live for a period of time like the Brunnenburgers or the students who go to China or anywhere else. They'll all have a hard time telling you how meaningful it all was for them. Believe me, it is all worth it, and you can bet that the first chance I get. I'm going back to visit. Brunnenburg Memories By Pam Whitfield Contributinq I read my Brunnenburg journal for the first time last Suddenly, I was livina a steep slope, picking apples again, discovering the "brary, watching the autumn sunfromthe castle terrace. I |emember conquering the Mutspitze, 2295m of sheer snuf. German hikers that being so high up that through clouds I ^y^^bwebbed our hair ^^member the final days of the grape narvest, hitting each other with rotten grapes, leaving the vineyard with stained asses andfaces. I remember walking through the village, holding hands, hanging out below the Zurich streets with winos and bums, returning alone from Fall breakto seethe smallorange glow nestled in the moutainside that was our schloss. I rememberinventingfunny acts and costumes to make Lois, the German caretaker, laugh. But most of all I remeber eleven bodies, huddled around a kitchen table, reading the Cantos, eleven different voices, eleven small souls sharing. And for a time we were greater than the sum of our parts. We took pride in a well-stacked wood pile, a newly-dug ditch. We quoted T.S. Eliot, hiked through the Adige valleys, drank wine, created our own language, laughed. Brunnenburg taught us to observe, to feel, to love, to bealloveragain. Ezra Pound knew: Where love is, there are your eyes. And I wrote to his family in a parting poem; Maybe we are all trying to be pilgrims, discover and rediscover the secret Ezra knew: Ubi amor ibi oculos. After the Venice trip and my first skiing trip inthe Italian Alps, I strolled down the winding road once more, eyes fixed as always, on the snowcovered Mutspize, its cross a silver point in the harsh light of the full moon, and my eyes caught a shooting star as it fell on the other side of the mountain. I made the right wish that night. One day I will walk those in cobbled yards again, will climb the tower stairs, will have tea with Mary andSizzo's family, will sit in the St. Andrews garden and see the valley lit up in a thousand lights below me. Even now, tears spurt to my eyes when I hear the Cantos read aloud, because I know, just as Pound knew, that the beautiful cannot remain unchanged: The blossoms of the apricot blow from the east to the west, And I have tried to keep them from falling. Canto XIV
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May 3, 1990, edition 1
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