Sunday, February 14, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day.

I've experienced my first week of classes here at St. Andrews, and it looks like it's going to be a very enlightening and interesting semester. In my Scottish Music class, I was subject to a Scotsman reading me poetry by Robert Burns, which was a novel experience. My Scottish History class has also been intriguing, giving me a taste of a side of UK history that is often glossed over. While leaving that class the other day, I was reminded of the area I was in, as it was both sunny and rainy at the same time. My Biology of Marine Organisms class, while not heavy on the workload, looks to be my most challenging class, but also has potential to be my most entertaining. While it was hard to get excited in the first lecture about microbes I had already heard about countless times, it was thoroughly enjoyable to get an overview of the megafauna we'll be studying; the sharks, fish, whales, birds, and turtles that inhabit the oceans.
Friday evening I stayed up and watched the opening ceremonies for the Olympics, which was well worth it. While not as grand and massive as the Chinese opening ceremonies, I felt Canada did a good job conveying their culture and identity. The respect for for the late Georgian luge competitor was well done, I felt.
Carrie came up to visit from Edinburgh on Saturday, and it was a nice opportunity to finally do all the touristy things I've been meaning to do, including romping around the castle wearing a bright red robe, borrowed from a friend so I could get in for free. Today looks like it's going to be spent largely reading for classes, but I'll be sure to make some time to watch the Olympic events I can. Go team USA!