3 months down, 7 to go!

November has been an exceptionally busy and expensive month for us all! Studying has become a big time consumer as exams draw near, and with the St Andrews Ball in 北京 being a fantastic success, money has been tight!

The scholars have now comfortably settled into University life here at 天津外国语大学 and studying has become a part of our daily routine now that classes are rolling smoothly. We all have exams at the beginning of January to prepare for as well!

Life in 天津 has been expanded even further out of campus as many of us have begun to try out different restaurants and street food stalls.

We have also explored new parks both close to campus and further.

For The St Andrews Ball, the scholars all travelled to 北京 via the subway and high speed train. We stayed in a lovely hotel, which was once the place of residence of Edgar and Helen Snow; Authors of "A Red Star over China" and "Inside Red China" respectfully.

The St Andrews Day Ball was a glamorous and lively event complete with champagne reception, delicious five course meals and live Ceilidh music for all the guests to dance along to. The guests were not exclusively Scottish as many people from a variety of nationalities were invited to experience and enjoy the traditional Scottish holiday, as a result many friendships were made.

The climate here has dropped significantly so we are all wrapping up warm as we prepare for the deep winter ahead. We are all very excited to spend Christmas，圣诞节，and Hogmanay，除夕夜，together here in China, however we will all feel the effects of being away from home during this time. But on a lighter note, to everyone back home, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to all!

Until next time, 再见！