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While away, you can even miss the library

I'm a junior, but I'm not on campus right now. I'm across the ocean in Scotland, at the University of St. Andrews, which surpasses Princeton in age (founded 1411), beauty (where else can you see sunshine, snow and a rainbow all at once?) and golfing mecca-dom.

I am loving it, and reveling in the much-needed break from the stress of Princeton academic life.

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But even better, somehow, I am realizing that I miss Tigertown. The food is a given. As much as I like Haggis and fried Mars bars and corn-topped pizza and custard for three meals a day, Campus Club dinners hold a special place in my heart right now. I also miss 24-hour computer access, not having to pay for every computer printout and computer lab staffers who realize that e-mail does have academic uses.

I miss students who ask questions in class — unlike the stodgy Brits — and Hoagie Haven and Garden theater movies with lawn mower-driving septuagenarians, Portuguese orphans and Matt Damon. I miss being around people who realize that Jerry Springer and Colonel Sanders are not typical Americans. I even miss the library. I especially miss the library being open on weekends.

Don't get me wrong here — branching out culturally is fantastic. I have learned that the purpose of a dart game is not, in fact, to get as close to the center as possible. I have learned that to be "pissed" is to be drunk, not angry, and that "double fisting it" refers to sexual acts, not drinking habits. And when my geology professor tells us to be "alert" on a field trip, he means look out for a good pub.

I have learned that socialized health care does have advantages because it looks out for the poor, and you can tell an American from a Brit on the street by her perfect teeth, and a 50-year animosity still smolders between the English and the Germans. I have learned that soccer is worth fighting over. I have learned — by hearsay —that a real Scot wears nothing under his kilt.

If you get the chance to visit St Andrews, do it. It sits on the wide and windy Firth of Forth, it has been the home of golf since the 15th century and Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas conceived a baby here. A semester-long visit is enough though. In June, I won't mind going home.

This column is the first in a new series that will run each Thursday on Page 3. We hope this feature will give Princeton students the opportunity to share their personal experiences with the rest of the school. The 'Prince' welcomes submissions.

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