Two months ago, I moved to St Andrews, home of golf and Scotland’s oldest university, and life has changed irreversibly in that time.

Initially, I thought this would be just a holiday stay with my uncle here; two weeks, then back to life in Portsmouth. But very quickly I fell in love with the town, the people, the pace of life and the surroundings. St Andrews is truly a beautiful place and there is so much I could write about it.

Two weeks passed – but I needed a reason to stay longer. For most of February, I sent-off multiple job applications a week, hoping to find a short-term position in the University. Naturally, it was word of mouth that found me my wee admin job in Development. I am only contracted until June, but my job gives me permission to stay through to the end of the academic year, which means my timeline here can run parallel with those of new friends who are students here. This is becoming a somewhat academic semi-gap year!

My job here is one thing, but my health and happiness is another. Before I moved here, I was still living with limited physiological resiliency. However, since moving here, conscious challenges to my restrictive, low-histamine food regime and consistently implementing many of the mind techniques previously mentioned, steadily I improved and began clawing back at my old self. Perhaps an even bigger factor in my ongoing improvement has been the rich social life in Canmore, the Catholic Chaplaincy in St Andrews that I am so happy to be a part of. They say that laughter is the best medicine, and there is so much fun and laughter in Canmore.

“[Laughter] draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. Laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hope, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert. It also helps you release anger and forgive sooner.”

HelpGuide.org

Of course, with St Andrews being a historic university town and the ‘Home of Golf’, there are plenty of local amenities to try, too. I can certainly recommend lunch or tea at The Old Course Hotel Bar (pictured). The bar overlooks the famous Old Course, posterior to the West Sands, a glorious sand spit two miles long. I can also highly recommend the Tailend, the local fresh fish and seafood restaurant, which I have frequented perhaps a little too often.

I am not here forever, though, as I have recently secured an upcoming full-time job as a Boarding Assistant at Thornton College School in Buckinghamshire, starting in September. However, I think my happiness here in St Andrews has been a huge part of what channelled my successful application.

There is a significant part of me that is sure I was always supposed to come here. St Andrews has already been such a place of healing, happiness and light (literally, it is so sunny and bright here, given the latitude), and I am indebted to my uncle and to Canmore for welcoming me here.

There is plenty more I can, and will write – a geological article is yet to come – but for now I leave you with more of the spectacular St Andrews scenery.

Happily,