Journal - 5 years late....

Instead of kicking myself for not starting a journal when this journey began, I'll just try to remember what it was like when everything here was new to me....and my adjustment to a new world.

Leaving the US:
Stress!!! Selling car, selling/donating other stuff, packing up, how to ship, etc etc..... And excitement! Can't believe this is happening! Wondered if I was just having a really long and nice dream.

Arrival UK - April 2000:
Nervous, excited, ecstatic! Ideal husband and a gorgeous country! Nervous wreck for wedding - didn't know anyone - had only met them all once or twice. Honeymoon - excellent. Saw neolithic sites in Kilmartin, gorgeous scenery, lots of new lambs, beautiful islands.... On my second day here we took the long way from Glasgow to our home taking us by the Rest and Be Thankful and I actually cried because I couldn't believe what a beautiful country and wonderful husband I was getting. (not in that order!)

Adjustment - times that stand out....

• "Why is everyone making fun of me? I don't think I like this taking the piss stuff!"
• Living in Herts near London for a total of 6 months - people are so very anonymous and unfriendly. You can wait with the same people for the same train every morning for years and never acknowledge or speak to each other. !! What the hell!? The village we stayed in was charming with a river running through it which we could see from our window...however, I was most definitely 'not in Kansas anymore'..View from our window in the village of Stanstead Abbotts...
  
  
• Everyone in The City looks like they are going to a funeral. Don't they know what colour is?
• Oh, shite! Bush is appointed prez giving Brits even more fuel for American jokes!
• As an office temp: what does A4 mean? what is an oblique? what happened to all the puncutation? correcting me for saying economic and Birmingham the wrong way. new spellings.
• Cool! I love these old buildings. They have character and history....nothing like most American buildings.
• Before getting first temp jobs I would get a travel card for the day and explore museums and sites in London. Wow!
• There are so many, many, many differences in American English and UK English.
• Going to our home in Scotland during the school holidays - whew! As we got closer to home via train and I could see the loch it felt as though I had been holding my breath and could suddenly breath easily. View from the front door of our home in Scotland...
  
• Living in Scotland - permanently - getting used to accents and all new terms that I didn't hear in London. Everyone is so friendly!
• "Ummm.....sweetheart...where am I supposed to hang my clothes? On the hooks on the doors?? Ahahaha! I think not!"
• Still felt uncomfortable in the temp jobs - but did improve as I got used to people.
• What a difference from London office clothes..... tits hanging out, belly exposed.....
• Being told I had a really strong American accent and it was cool?!
• Lonely having hubby commute to London and being on my own Sunday night to Friday night.
• Exploring our area of Scotland on my own while waiting for temp jobs. Got my own wee automatic car and just went down every wee road, stopping for a cuppa and a fairy cake.
• Driving test! Failed the first practical....butthead tester but I also panicked and did everything wrong. Such a relief and joy when I passed and got my UK licence two weeks later! Whew! At first it was really confusing figuring out the rules of roundabouts. Still freak out at the big ones and refuse to drive in big cities like Glasgow or Edinburgh.
• First bout of serious homesickness - 9/11. Knew no other Americans here at the time so no one was around who understood how distraught I felt. This lasted for many months.
• Culture shock when I return to the states to visit. I never realized how arrogant many Americans are about their country/culture. Of course, I can't blame them as I was the same. It's hard not to feel superior when it's pounded into you practically from birth that you are so lucky to live in the greatest country in the world. We were also told that everybody in the rest of the world wanted to live in America and were jealous of us. Emm.... guess what? That is NOT true! Seeing the US while living in another country opens your eyes to the wider world and you shed your blinders.
• My God! This is a gorgeous country! I love having history at my fingertips and feeling how ancient this culture is.
• Even more new words/phrases I didn't know - even after 5 years.
• Much less thinking about which phrase or word I use and more Scottish words coming out of my mouth unconsciously. Trouble sometimes remembering the American equivalent.
• I will live in Scotland for the rest of my life and America is for holidays and visiting family.

Our home.....