On Scotland versus Italy: People ask us all the time if we miss Italy and the answer is....yes! Ryan and I love Italy and love Cortina but we're very happy to be where we are right now. Scotland and Italy are so different - there's no comparison, not in a good way or a bad way....they're just two completely different countries and we feel really lucky to have the chance to live in both!
On driving on the other side of the road: We've mastered it! It was hard at first, but not as hard as we thought. But now we're worried about coming back to the US in the spring and switching sides! In my opinion, the driving in Scotland is much scarier than the driving in Italy (which is something we used to get asked about all the time). The roads here can be really narrow and there often aren't many streetlights. In Italy, the drivers are crazy, but they'll zip around you (on a blind corner) and be done with you.
On the weather: We were lucky to have a (mostly) sunny and beautiful September and October here. People kept saying "brace yourselves!" and we are - but having those two months of gorgeous fall weather helped a lot. Now that it's November, we haven't seen too much sun - but I actually find it to be really cozy. Plus, we make a lot of soup and that helps too. We're slightly wary of the 4 pm nightfall in December, but that's a few weeks off...
On the food: Food and weather are the two things Scotland seems to be infamous for. And no, the food isn't quite what we were spoiled with in Italy. But more than anything, we're really enjoying trying new things and learning about a new food culture. When we first arrived, we went on a search for Scotland's best fish & chips. We've tried haggis and black pudding, although we don't eat them on a regular basis. We've replaced chicken pot pie with steak pie. And we're still waiting for one of those famous fried Mars bars to come our way...
On switching from wine to whisky: After living in Italy for four years, we became really spoiled with the amount of delicious and inexpensive wine that was right at our fingertips. We knew that wouldn't be the case in Scotland and that we would be switching over to whisky and now, instead of wineries out our backdoor, we have distilleries! This hasn't been a problem for me since I'm not drinking these days and Ryan doesn't seem to mind it at all. And did you know that in Scotland they leave the "e" out of whisky?!
On Ryan's season: Ryan's team is 2nd in their conference right now and 8th in the overall league and he's the leading scorer with 10 goals and 12 assists, making him a league top 20 leader. The fans are wild and the games are really fun. If you'd like to watch a game, they are often streamed by the home team - check those team's websites on game days to see if you can watch.
On having a baby in Scotland: I get asked a lot what being pregnant is like in Scotland and it's funny because, since this is our first child, I have nothing to compare it to! All of the midwives here have been wonderful and I've had a very easy pregnancy so far. The midwives are always asking me what they do in the US for prenatal care and I'm like, "I don't know! But whatever you're doing here is great!"
On future plans: Ryan and I don't make plans anymore! We love our lifestyle right now and love living abroad and having the opportunity to be home in the US for four or five months as well. We'll see what happens when the baby comes and as our family expands, but for now, we're loving every second of exploring, learning and adventuring together.
No comments:
Post a Comment