Posted by Maris on 8th Apr 2024
13 Quirky Habits I Picked Up Living in Scotland
Upon migrating from Canada to Scotland, I had no intention of assimilating into a new culture. After all, there are many cultural parallels between the two countries.
Warning: I was mistaken. It had only been a few months since I moved to Edinburgh that I became dependent on macaroni pies, frequently used the expression "that is rank," and opened up to odd taxi drivers every time I got in.
(The reason for the later incident is still a mystery to me.). After only a brief introduction, Scots seem to possess a magical quality that allows you to feel comfortable talking to them about anything.)
Here are a few unusual customs I picked up while living in Scotland, in addition to the pies, the new language, and my increased zeal for oversharing with strangers.
Each time I got off the bus, I gave the driver a thank you.
I'm not sure if this is a common practice on city buses or if it's unique to Scotland, but I hardly ever take public transit in Canada because, a) it's terrible and b) you can't live here without a car.
In any case, this is a behavior I developed in Scotland and still follow every time I get off the bus.
I began consuming an alarmingly high quantity of carbohydrates.
Scotland raises the bar on carb-heavy cuisine. There were occasions when my entire dinner was made up of carbohydrates (usually after a night out, haha).
The list includes deep-fried pizza, chip buttys (two sandwich buns stuffed with chips), macaroni pies, and more.
I adopted an odd hybrid accent when I spoke.
While traveling through Ireland, I became aware of my altered accent for the first time. After some small conversation, the cab driver in Dublin asked me, "Are you from Scotland?"
Whoa, I sound Scottish to an Irish person? Even now, what does my accent sound like?
I told him I was from Canada, but that I had spent the last six months residing in Edinburgh. He answered, "Oh right, I could tell you've been hanging around the Scots for a while."
It continued after that. People told me often over the course of two years that they couldn't quite locate my accent. Are you from Australia? Irish?
My accent had become a full-blown indiscernible Canadian/Scottish/God-knows-what hybrid by the conclusion of my time un the UK, but it still occasionally pops out when I utter specific things.
My definition of "good" weather has evolved.
Whenever the sun shone and the temperature rose above 12 degrees Celsius, I couldn't stop talking about what a beautiful day it was.
I used to grumble that 12 degree weather was almost still frigid before arriving to Scotland, and I would always wrap myself in a parka before going outside.
I stopped taking offense to the C-word.
When someone dropped the C-bomb, I used to gasp in shock, just like 99.9% of Americans do. The fact that the C-word is startlingly offensive seems to be engrained in our culture; I'm not entirely sure why. (I cringe a little at the thought of typing the entire word here.)
This word is pretty much always used by people in Scotland as a casual greeting, an insult, or a term of endearment. Furthermore, the C-word actually begins to sound a little less offensive once you hear it enough.
We can all agree, I think, that every phrase in the English language sounds better when spoken with a Scottish accent.
I began to bag Munros during my free time.
Although Munro Bagging, or scaling mountains exceeding 3,000 feet in Scotland, is a common pastime there, I never would have imagined moving to Edinburgh and starting one.
I did manage to climb my fair share of Munros (read: like 7 or so, ha), including Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the United Kingdom, even though I had no intention of climbing every Munro in the country (there are 282 in all).
It may not be Mount Everest, but it's still something, right? Correct?
I began use terms like rank and radge.
Unsure about the meaning of any of that? You're not by yourself. Scottish slang is like speaking a foreign language.
I picked up the ceilidh dance.
After my first Scottish wedding, I picked up a few dances, but my wonderful friend gave me a ceilidh dance lesson on my one-year anniversary in Edinburgh, which was funny and beautiful. That's when I formally learned how to ceilidh dance.
Following that dancing class and a couple of additional Scottish nuptials, I could strip the willow with the best of them.
I substituted chippy sauce for ketchup.
I should note up front that this is a tradition exclusive to Edinburgh. Really, in Glasgow, you should never try to get chips and salt and sauce.
Edinburgh locals have a fondness for smothering their fish dinners in salt and "sauce," also known as "chippy sauce," which is a condiment created by combining vinegar and brown sauce.
Although I'm still not sure what brown sauce is, I do know that chips and salt 'n' sauce make a great combination.
I began engaging in strangely personal chats with strangers and taxi drivers while using public transportation.
It's no secret that Scots are among the world's most genuinely friendliest people, and they like a nice conversation or a little banter on the street, in taxis, and on buses. Really, I think anywhere and everywhere!
I started letting my clothes air dry.
Therefore, clothes dryers aren't too common in Scotland. I had a hard time understanding that air-drying laundry was the standard in a nation that had constant rain and humidity. However, I had no trouble adjusting to life without a dryer, and ever since returning to Canada, I have been air-drying my laundry.
It's clearly a win-win situation because it helps the environment and saves me money.
I went outside more.
Considering how inconsistent the weather is in Edinburgh most of the time, this one seems a little ironic. Nonetheless, realizing I only had a short time in Scotland kindled a figurative fire under me to go and see as much as I could, come rain or shine.
I understood every word to The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond and I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles).
You can be sure that every night out and wedding, party, and celebration in Scotland will have the Proclaimers smash song and the classic ballad lovingly referred to as "Loch Lomond." And now I adore them both immensely.