Last November I staggered to my flat, half-devoured Dominos in hand, hair askew, and a rainbow moustache stealthily drawn onto my face. What greeted me was quite a shock. It was eerily quiet when I walked up the stairs to my flat… too quiet. The door hung wide open displaying our American flag, numerous red solo cups (#frat), and the remnants of hot pockets scattering the floor. The stench of cheesy chips and vomit permeated the air, and our Freddie Mercury poster hung onto our wall by a mere thread. Justin Bieber’s latest hit on repeat filled the dead air. Our speaker was somehow shoved inside a loaf of bread. Was this a post-apocalyptic world? I asked myself. No, this was Raisin.

Ah, Raisin: one of the many longstanding and confusing traditions of our university. For those of you reading this who do not know what Raisin is (hi, Mom!) you can Google the historical significance dating back hundreds of years. Today, Raisin is an incestuous, foamy blast.

In fact, it’s a bit surprising how natural the question “Biological or academic?” comes up when talking about our respective families. No, I’m not telling you that my real brother has the physique of a chiseled gladiator that will drive any person wild. Let me explain, at the University of St Andrews, third year students approach first year students under the notion that they will adopt them into their family.

People take two approaches to this:
1) Attend functions, get to know students, and after much time and consideration- invite them into their family.
2)Fight over a kebab at Empire, realize that they have impeccable taste, drunkenly embrace.
Once the family is finalized, drinking and bonding ensues… all leading up to the much anticipated weekend: Raisin.

Sunday morning kids are greeted with shots and games. They spend the day drinking with the family and going on a scavenger hunt throughout town before heading to their dad’s (if they make it) for a party. The next morning, they head to their mom’s, get dressed up into a costume, and head into a foam fight. Makes sense, right? Cool.

Advice to Kids:
1) Be up and ready for everything. You only have one chance to enjoy Raisin as a child, so make the most of it.
2) With that being said, don’t be afraid to know your limits and say no. You don’t want your only memory from raisin to be shattering a mirror before crying in an alley by yourself, throwing up fourteen times, then passing out half-naked in an empty field.
3) Bring your parents food and/or alcohol. This may not be a universal rule, but it definitely applies to my children.

Advice to Parents:
1) Don’t be an ass… give your kids water. Respect them if they don’t drink.
2) Yeah you should drink, but don’t go full-rager on your kids. You’re the parent. Stay responsible. Stay sober enough to watch out for your offspring.
3) Be Creative: We’ve all seen the prisoner/inmate costumes… we get it, you’re hilarious. Let’s try something original. (Anyone want to help me make my minion costumes?!)

Advice to Locals:
1) Do yourself a favor… stay inside.

Overall: stay safe, be smart, don’t be scared.