How to (Not) Get Locked in a Church

Today I almost got locked in a 16^th century church. Um, wow? It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been locked inside a church, but that’s another story! Holy Trinity Church on South Street looked so warm and inviting this morning, with its little gate wide open as if to welcome visitors. I stepped inside and enjoyed a really great moment of inspiration. My brothers and sisters have been sitting on these pews for over 500 years, worshipping and serving the same God. I really loved the silent, historic companionship. (On a rather unfortunate note, Holy Trinity is also the church where John Knox incited a congregation to ransack the Cathedral in 1559. Protestant Reformation, anyone? )

As the organ played a somber madrigal, I watched the light filter in through stained glass windows and basked in the moment. Then, abruptly, the organ stopped and I could hear the clanging of keys in a lock. Sure enough, I turned around just in time to see the porter locking the huge wooden doors. He apparently didn’t see me enter and advised that, for future reference, tour times were at ten o’ clock in the morning. Opps!

In other news, I think that I’m finally getting used to the pace of life in St. Andrews. Discovering solutions to minor problems and finding ways to meet new people is a process. I’ve always thought of myself as a bold person, but found myself a little more reserved during the first few days here; perhaps I was just testing the waters. Now, I think I’m behaving even more daringly than ever! For an instance, the food thief returned last night. A bit miffed, I wrote a rather cheeky letter to the perpetrator and posted it on the kitchen door. In turn, another resident suggested that our whole corridor meet tonight so we can be introduced to each other and hopefully prevent further unpleasantness. I’m still not going to put food in the refrigerator, and still bought pay-as-you-go dinners in the dining hall, but writing that letter was definitely a step I would not have taken back home. Maybe I’ve been too sweet. Here’s to the benefits of study abroad!