Living as an American in Scotland

Living in Scotland was a the most rewarding experience living outside my home town of Atlanta, Georgia. Initially, I was excited, yet somewhat concerned about what life there would be like. Do the Scots even like Americans? I will be a minority in the northern city of Inverness. As we landed in Edinburgh, it was clear that life would certainly be different. As we entered the terminal, I immediately saw the signage that although similar to the U.S, it was different. Words were spoken that were of a similar dialect, but the pronunciation and meaning had slight differences. What I did notice was how friendly the people of Scotland were. They were pleasant and cordial, but also welcoming. As I can to find out a few weeks later, the Scots actually liked Americans because of how we fought for our independence from the English, whom many Scots dislike still today. Much of that originates back to the early dates of 1200-1300 when the Scots fought for their freedom from England. As we boarded the train for Inverness, it was clear that we would have to get used to the weather. It was damp, drizzly, and very cool, not cold though. As we lived there, I can to enjoy the cool days as we always had a light sweater or jacket with us. The train ride up to Inverness was about 3 hours and passed through some of the most beautiful countryside imaginable. There were stretches of rivers, and lochs and wide open spaces without a tree in sight for miles. There were also stretches of landscape that were thick with woods and trees. The homes along the way were also old and majestic, made of stone and rock to stand the test of time.