What I have learned thus far.

Well it has now been 1 month already since I started my adventure. Let me tell you, it definitely does not feel like it has been that long already. Time is flying. As much as I do love being at home in Minnesota/Wisconsin, I am having the time of my life. I'm trying to make this time go slow so I can enjoy and savor everything that I do and the friends that I make because I don't know when or even if I ever will be back here again and I know for a fact that I will be back in the states and see everyone there again.

Last night I experienced what I thought Scotland would be like. The pub music scene. My flatmate Alex invited me to go with her and a few of her friends, one of which I've already met. I didn't know this beforehand, but every Sunday this pub has live music where anyone can bring an instrument and take turns playing tunes. There were guitars, banjos, flutes, saxophones, harmonicas, ukuleles, violin, and even a kazoo. The pub was crowded, but everyone was having so much singing along and keeping the beat. One of the banjo players introduced himself to me. Michael McIntyre, is a crazy and friendly old man. He has a long gray beard and long eyebrow hairs which are pointed. Chatted with him for a while and we ran into him later at one of the chip shops that we stopped at. He and his friend gave Alex, Claire, and I a ride back to MSSV. :P

With that said, here is a little list of some of the things that I have learned:

1. They do not use the letter “z”, pronounced “zed”. Celtic Civilisations, realised, and so forth...

2. People not only drive on the left side, but they also walk on the left side.

3. A Quid = A Buck

4. Pedestrians do not have the right of way. Clause, another exchange student, was hit by a car his first week here and broke his arm.

5. Walking for a total of 2 hours or more on a daily basis is not uncommon. Good for the gluts. :P

6. Robby Burns, the poet, is an icon. They are very proud of him.

7. It’s Football not Soccer. Yes, I knew this before I came here, but I was reprimanded when I accidentally said soccer.

8. Traditional Scottish men do not wear anything under their kilts.

9. Everything tastes sweeter here.

10. Dressing up to go out at night does not mean a pair of nice jeans and a nice top. It means doing your hair and make-up for hours, putting on a dress with nylons and 5-inch pumps.

11. Skype and web cams are my heroes.

12. There are no regular street signs. You have to look for plaques on the buildings on the road to figure out where you are.

13. Taxi drivers are really nice here. They like to tell stories and jokes that half the time you don’t understand but you end up laughing anyway.

14. People from here are annoyed when Americans come here and say to them “Hey! I’m Irish too!” (or whatever your heritage may be) or “I want to go to Ireland because I’m Irish.” (I didn't say this to anyone, but they complain about it)

15. Studying abroad in Scotland hurts your face from smiling too much.

16. Studying abroad in Scotland hurts your face from the Gael force winds when it rains and/or snows.

17. People from the UK think it's cute when Americans don't swear and say things like "shoot" or "holy crap" instead.

18. Australians hate snow and cold. They hate it so much that they develop a phobia. (well, maybe that's just one of the Aussies that I know.)

19. People from New Castle, England call themselves Geordies. After King George.

20. I have learned to be more relaxed with everything. I'm never rushing and constantly checking my watch when I go to my classes or am meeting someone somewhere. (well, I mean I still do it a little, but I don't flip out as much when I'm running late.) My attitude is, I'll get there eventually.

Well, those are the things that I can think of at the top of my head. As you can see, I still have lots more to learn. Luckily for me, I still have 110 days left. I just can't believe that I have been here for a month already...

Lots of Love,
Ashley