Kilts Are Real, And Other Scottish Discoveries

Before arriving in Edinburgh, I had been told it was a gorgeous and unique city and that I would absolutely love it. I’m happy to say that it has lived up to and surpassed those high expectations. The buildings are all made of stone and look like they’ve been here for centuries (best part—they actually have), castles or castle-like buildings are visible essentially from every street corner, and there really are men dressed in kilts walking around playing bagpipes.

Since last Saturday, September 7, I’ve been in the city for “Freshers Week,” or freshman orientation, along with every other first year and visiting student. The student committee planned hundreds of great-sounding events — including underground city tours, coffee crawls, and nightly concerts — but they only had about ten tickets available for each event and sold out essentially before the official ticket sales time began. Despite this flaw in the administrative system, which meant I mostly had to explore the city on my own or with friends, I feel like I’ve gotten a good grasp on what the city has to offer.

The first night I arrived, my university accommodation, which mostly houses first years, put on a pub crawl. That’s one of the strangest things about living in a culture where the drinking age is 18—they have multiple societies dedicated to wine or beer appreciation, they have several bars inside the student union, and nearly every Freshers Week activity was promoted with “come have a drink with us!” I guess it makes sense, though, for the city that supposedly has more pubs per capita than any other city in the UK.

As far as touristy things go, my favorites so far have been Edinburgh Castle—the giant structure that sits up on the hill overlooking the city and takes hours to explore—Greyfriar’s Kirkyard, or graveyard—where JK Rowling found the names for Professor McGonagall and Tom Riddle—and Calton Hill—another monument with fantastic views of the city. I also visited St. Andrews, home of golf and the place where Prince William and Princess Kate famously met, which is a beautiful small town on the sea but doesn’t have nearly as much to do as Edinburgh. A day trip to Loch Lomond was another highlight, where I got to see several beautiful castles, including one actually used in “Downton Abbey,” and learned that even Scottish cows are different than American ones.

Spending so much time with British people has also taught me a lot about their culture. On the seemingly most insignificant end of things, British English is very different from the way I speak. “Jaywalking” is not illegal, and people have never even heard the word here. “Pavement” is the sidewalk, “rubbish” is the trash, and “the lift” is the elevator; even though I knew all of these things before coming here, I didn’t realize how much calling them by their American names would set me apart from my British friends. Apparently, I don’t even pronounce my own last name correctly—I don’t say the “t” in Slater—and let’s not forget the numerous times people have actually told me that Jamie is an interesting name for a girl or asked me what it’s short for. (Nothing.)

I’m slightly embarrassed to admit this, but I also had no idea Scottish independence is up for a referendum next year. It’s been fascinating talking to people here about their take on the issue. Some are very passionate about Scotland having its own say and being its own country, while some don’t seem to care either way but point to the advantages of being part of the UK (economy, foreign affairs.) No one I’ve met has told me they adamantly want to remain part of it, which is also interesting.

I’ve also become aware of the contrasts between the UK and America. For one thing, Scottish people are taxed heavily in order to pay for things like universal health care. Many of the locals I’ve spoken to don’t understand why we don’t have this in America—one of my Scottish friends even said that he thought not having healthcare would lead people to a life of crime, like in “Breaking Bad.”

According to my personal tutor, or dean, who has lived in Edinburgh for many years but is American, the high tax rate also means people can’t spend as much money. This comes into play especially with education costs. Unlike at Georgetown, where most people spend several hundred dollars on textbooks per semester, there is a “suggested” reading list for which books can be checked out from the library. Of course, it seems to me like students would be much less likely to actually do the reading if it’s not required to purchase the books, but I guess it works somehow. Actually going to college, or uni as they call it here, is also much cheaper. For Scottish students and those in the EU, going to the University of Edinburgh is free, and they can’t imagine paying nearly as much as Americans do for college. English students do have to pay, but the amount is about a sixth of what a Georgetown tuition is.

On another note, last night, when we got news of the Navy Yard shooting in D.C., the immediate response from my British friends was an outraged, “Why do they allow guns in your country?” Regardless of your opinion, it’s a good question. On the other hand, one could ask the same thing about smoking in this country. Of course, we have it at home, but not nearly to the same extent. In one of my two-hour classes yesterday, my professor gave us a “wee break to have a cup of tea,” during which half of the class left and no one came back with tea. I later realized they had taken a smoke break—something I’ve never encountered at home.

Apart from all of these cultural differences, Scottish culture is the best of both worlds–familiar and yet different and exciting. Everyone I’ve met has been very friendly, and I’ve mostly felt very at home here. And still, it’s only just getting started. The best is yet to come.