Today's tribute is to St.Andrews, Scotland as input to the anniversary of the University. I graduated from St. Andrews university with a Ph.D in social anthropology in 2010. 2013 marks 600 years from the establishment of the university, so this is the great anniversary that the title alludes to. I have just seen that alumni express their most warm feelings while the media applause the excellent quality of studies and place the university among the best in the world. As an alumnus, I ,too feel proud of having studied there. Yet, I cannot disentangle St.Andrews from the town itself.
I have dearly treasured all memories from my student life in St.Andrews and I am honest in saying that I miss this little corner of Scotland. I have always thought of the town as springing out of a fairy tale or, when dark clouds were on us, fully armoured soldiers will rush out of the castle and defend the town. Scotland is an ideal place for feeling such an ambience-at least if one is romantic. Trust me: one can imagine such things especially when walking all around the castle in absolute silence. You cannot but let your skin feel the presence of elegant ladies, servants and musicians... And you cannot but fully enjoy dance events, like the ceilidh that took place on the day the photograph shows.
Here is a view from St.Andrews castle to the open sea and here is what I have been talking about so far. Shall we dance?
I miss St Andrews too, though more for the friends and activities/landscape than for my academic life there (which was pretty abysmal). I miss hanging out with my people from all over the world, hearing all the different languages, going on side trips to random places and even the Scottish people. Sigh...
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