Upon arrival at the International Summer School of Scotland (ISSOS) based in St. Andrews, I heard the loud, unmistakable chords of the bagpipe, warmly welcoming me to St. Salvador’s Hall (Sally’s for short) for the next three weeks of my Scottish stay.
St. Andrews is a quaint, small town. With just three main streets – North Street, Market Street and South Street – my newfound friends and I quickly adjusted and found our way around. During my lunch breaks between my creative writing class and art elective, I would run to Tesco on Market Street to buy a pack of McVities Digestives, which are now my new favorite snack. (When I returned from St. Andrews, I was delighted to discover that Digestives are sold in the U.S. at select grocery stores.)
On the weekends, we went on day trips to Edinburgh and Glasgow. With Edinburgh’s touristy and busy atmosphere, and Glasgow’s grid-like street layout, both reminded me of New York City. I must admit that I preferred Glasgow because of the beautiful Kelvingrove Art Gallery (and also because it was simply less chaotic).
Some nights for dinner, my friends and I would run to Domino’s across from the University and buy a large pizza for us all to share, then eat it on the beach. As we looked out at the pink sunset, one of my friends remarked, “I am so glad that I met all of you!” We all agreed that we would continue to stay friends. There were no more than 10% of students from each nationality in the program, which was definitely one of my favorite aspects of it. I now have friends in Morocco, Italy, Greece and many other countries, and although we cannot see each other on a regular basis, the bonds we have established are without a doubt worth maintaining.
Source: Paloma Sommer
My experience at St. Andrews has shown me that no matter where one might be from, all humans have the special ability to deeply connect and get to know one another. I will forever be grateful for this lovely town and for all of my new friends!
