International Study

Dawn Slekis '08

What can you say about the greatest experience of your life? It defies words, and the memories bring smiles big enough to crack your cheeks. This is how I feel about my time spent at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

I flew over in September with my mum one week before Fresher's Week, orientation week for St. Andrews' first years. We spent our time exploring Edinburgh and visiting a friend in Stirling who was nice enough to take us to as many castles as we could handle — my favorite thing.

Fresher's Week is a must for any student staying at St. Andrews. It was a great way to meet people and see all the university and town had to offer.

The semester started off great. I enjoyed my biology classes immensely. The professors were nice, if a bit hard to understand at first; my classmates were friendly, and I loved the 20-minute walk into town every morning from my hall.

Life at University Hall, or Uni Hall as it is affectionately called, is beautiful. It's a bit of a walk outside of town but it is well worth it. From the street, walking up to the hall, you have a gorgeous view of the St. Andrews golf course and the west sands.

I joined the Sub Aqua club and had a fun weekend in October driving to the west coast of Scotland for dry suit diving near Oban. The fall semester flew by, and before I knew it, it was Christmas break.

My family joined me in Europe for Christmas and New Year's. We had a fantastic time visiting London and Germany. It was in Germany where I got my wish for snow — it was everywhere and several feet deep!

Neuschwanstein is the fairy tale castle Walt Disney based his Cinderella castle on and it is majestic. Built by mad King Ludwig of Bavaria, it is an impressive sight with a lovely horse-drawn carriage ride up the mountain to get to the entrance. We also visited his Linderhoff castle and the Swarovski crystal factory.

After first semester exams — which come after Christmas break — on the break between the semesters, I joined the Sub Aqua club on a scuba diving trip to Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, for a week of diving in the Red Sea.

I got to dive on a WWII British armed freighter, the Thistlegorm. It was an amazing dive at a depth of 30 meters — one of the deepest I have ever done. There were lionfish and multicolored sea slugs everywhere. We dove inside the vessel to see motorcycles that had been stored on the beds of Bedford pickup trucks to save space.

Horseback riding in EgyptOn our day at sea level before flying back to school, several friends and I took a horseback ride into the desert. It was mind blowing to see the mine fields that lined the safe roadway, and the desert sunset was breathtaking. I was given a 3-year-old gray Arabian named "Whisky" for my ride and we had a great time galloping across the desert.

Second semester was spent doing essays and socializing, waiting for spring break. A friend and I spent a fun afternoon visiting the deer center and falconry just outside of St. Andrews. We were two of only 20 people visiting that day and it was great having all the animals to ourselves.

Feeding deer in ScotlandWe fed the deer, and watched the falconry show [and] the wolf feedings. I wish I had been able to go back again, but I took home a cool souvenir: one of the deer antlers which had been dropped the previous season.

I planned my trip myself, starting by going home with a friend to his house just outside Aberdeen, which is on the northeast coast of Scotland. It was really nice spending time relaxing and taking strolls through the forest.

Visiting Stonehenge in EnglandFrom Aberdeen, I [went to] Loch Ness, Inverness, Glasgow, London, Salisbury, back to London, and finally back to St. Andrews. It a fun two-week trip that took me to all the major tourists sites I had been wanting to visit.

Then it was back to schoolwork, waiting for finals to arrive and the end my year at St. Andrews. It was both an exciting and sad time. I was looking forward to my trip around Europe, but was disappointed I would be leaving all my good friends.

Visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa in ItalyAfter exams, I packed up my dorm room, which had been a great home for 10 months, and gave my entire luggage collection to our friend in Stirling while I went traveling. I spent one week in Italy visiting Bergamo, Venice, Rome and Pisa, all of which I truly needed more time to appreciate.

My days in Barcelona, Spain, were enriched by visiting a friend I had made while he was studying abroad in Scotland for the fall semester. The architecture and aquarium in Barcelona were a lot of fun to visit, and again I needed more time.

I dropped into Paris for fewer than 24 hours determined to see the Paris Opera House (I love "The Phantom of the Opera"); the Louvre, to see all the famous masterpieces housed there; Notre Dame (which is immense and overwhelming in person), and, last but not least, the Eiffel Tower.

After Paris, I returned to Aberdeen to spend time visiting friends that lived there. I had a great time going to more castles and a falconry center where they let you handle the birds.

After an amazing 10 months, it was time to return to Stirling so I could be driven with all my cases to the Edinburgh airport for my flight back to the States.

Scotland felt like home and it was an odd reverse culture shock arriving back to Washington, D.C., and learning to drive again was scary at times, but it was worth it.

I am glad I decided to travel on my breaks instead of flying back to the States. As I told my mum when she asked if I wanted to fly back, "I know what's there if I return; it's the new I am craving, the exploration and exhilaration of seeing things I haven't before laid eyes on."

That's what I would tell anyone who is thinking about studying abroad anywhere. Just go. Go while you can because it is an experience like none other and worth every second. It was an opportunity I would have been a fool to pass up, and if I had I would have missed an experience that cannot be replicated.