Thoughts on a Sunday Afternoon

I love lazy Sundays in every country. Today has been an especially beautiful day in St. Andrews. When it is sunny here, it is just SO sunny. The ocean has been gorgeous this weekend. On Friday, the tide was so high it was lapping up to the retaining wall that divides Albany Park (and my house) from the shore. It just seemed so big... And the flowers here... Oh. There are daffodils and crocuses EVERYWHERE. There is a garden in particular near some old university buildings where the entire lawn is covered by crocuses... so breath-taking. It seems that everyday I discover something new about St. Andrews that makes it feel more friendly, more familiar, more like my home.

Friday night I was out with 2 friends and we took a kinda back-road way back to Albany, through the residential part of town rather than through the center of town. All of a sudden we came across a playground with swings and of course spent a good chunk of time running around, and swinging and laughing... There was just something about swinging at night and looking up at the stars and seeing the darkness that I knew was the ocean... It's the little moments like this that are going to stick in my head when I remember Scotland in 10 years.

I spent yesterday in Dundee, along with 5 other residents of Albany Park. Dundee is the third (or fourth?) largest city in Scotland. I think it goes: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen... Anyway, it is the closest city to St. Andrews, only a twenty minutes bus trip. It was an absolutly teriffic day. We shopped... a lot! And ate delicious Chinese food, (St. A's is severely lacking in the ethinic food dept... There IS a Thai restaruant... but its a little out of my price range... bummer) and saw The Life Aquatic. Ahhh, what a great movie! I love Bill Murray. It has been SO long since I have done the shopping-dinner-movie thing... it was great!

Traveling to Dundee made me realize that for the first time in 21 years, I am NOT living in a city. It was kinda crazy... in the middle of the shopping district in Dundee, I grabbed Kristi's arm, and said, "Look at all the people!!" I was thilled to see so many people and to be in a crowd. But at the same time, I love St. Andrews and enjoy SO much the "town" atmosphere. I didn't miss the city until I was in one again. Interesting.

I also realized that the entire contents of my wallet has been altered. Like, my Hamline ID is covered up with my St. Andrews ID. And my MN driver's license is now my International Student ID card. And where my cash card was, a Royal Bank of Scotland ATM card is now. And I have a cell phone "top-up" card and not a Video Update card. Its just symbolic is all I'm saying...

Take good care everyone!