Scotland to USA

Real Life Blogs Daily

[scotbrit-blog1]

"The Scottish one"

In the grand scheme of things back home in Scotland I was insignificant; normal sounding, normal looking and blended right in with the rest of us Scots. But then I moved to Texas, and became exotic, like a unique gem only the select few can get their hands on. Don't get me wrong, if I stay quiet I blend right in...but the moment I open my mouth and words start to flow, it's like I stepped straight out of Outlander and appeared before their eyes. I lose my name, personality and everything that defines me and gain the title "The Scottish one." Then the questions begin.... Are you Irish? Nope, try again South African? Wait....what? Scottish? No I just pretend to keep life interesting I'm Scottish too! Yes I think I might know your Great Great Great Great grandmother! Wow you came here alone? Yes can you believe they actually let females do that now?! I bet you miss your family? I actually brought them in my suitcase Do we sound different to you? No of course not, Americans are everywhere, apart from Ewan and Gerard I'm the only other one who sounds like this You don't sound VERY Scottish I'm sorry that I don't live up to your expectations, I'll study Braveheart and get back to you Does everyone wear plaid? I think you mean tartan, but yes first time I wore anything but that was when I moved here Bet this is a huge culture shock? Yes, Americans are very hard to get used to. I also miss my sheep, alcohol for breakfast, and kilt. Is the "Lock" Ness Monster real? Yep I visit him every year to say hello You're the Scottish one right? Umm...yes, who are you? how do you know me? do I have a 5 millionth stalker on my hands? I'm proud of where I'm from, nowhere else will ever truly be home. But sometimes I just want to be Hazel, the girl you like for being her, not for the sound she makes and blood that runs through her veins.

[scotbrit-blog1]

Love will travel as far as you let it. It has no limits.

Dee King 

[scotbrit-blog1]

"Money Money Money" and The American Dream- what they don’t tell you about studying abroad

If you are planning on studying in the U.S. without a scholarship be prepared. It’s not going to be cheap.

The universities will use you to gain money by tripling your tuition fees (compared to US citizens), charging you for international student processing fees when they are not required to undertake anything extra for you being a foreign student, and charge you for mandatory health insurance (goodbye NHS FREE).

When it comes to tuition rates it is painful enough knowing that back home you can get your degree for free, but then your tuition hits your student account and you see it…numbers that make you feel sick. Then you talk to American friends about their tuition which is a 1/3 of yours and lacking “International Processing Fees”, and it dawns on you….US universities are milking you for money, taking advantage of the fact that you can’t complain about tuition rates because this isn’t your country, and YOU chose to study here.

But it’s not all sour, your U.S. degree will be highly valued everywhere you go. As a nurse in the U.S. I Will earn more than double that of a British nurse, be able to work in any nursing area throughout my career, unlike nursing in the UK where you choose your area while undertaking your degree. I can be an adult nurse in a Surgical ward then later down the road I can work with children in a pediatric ward. The choices are endless.

Let’s go back to money (of which I am running out of). In the U.S. as an international student you are required to pay for health insurance. I was used to seeing a doctor for free, and getting prescriptions for free. But now every semester that costs money. Again there are pluses to this. I can see a doctor on the same day that I get unwell, no waiting to see my local NHS GP for a week. And if I don’t like that doctors office I can see anyone I want in any city.

Be prepared for the ultimate high costs of studying abroad, but know that in the end it will pay off.

Everyone knows the saying “The American Dream” but really as a international student it is the universities dream of gaining more profit that is being fulfilled by you living and studying in the United States.

[scotbrit-blog1]

Distance Made Us Stronger

Now looking back I am not sure how I did it. The tough nights, the goodbyes, looking through a screen unable to get closer. I couldn’t do it again. Maybe I became good at believing that our situation was normal, that everyone waits a year to see their significant other. Now on the other side, I can’t help but reflect on how it was for so long, and wonder how on earth I managed.

Your heart aches, you are holding back the tears, you are praying that he won’t say “please don’t go” because you know that it will kill you. You are hoping that it won’t be as bad as the time before, but deep down knowing that it will be worse, harder than ever. You walk backwards through the airport security line, signing ‘I Love You’ with you fingers, get weird looks from strangers, but you don’t care. You use every last second that they are in your sight to remind them how much they mean to you, fighting back the inevitable tears. Security is passed and it all comes out, every last watery tear from your tear drops exits those eyes that are now alone. You want to turn back knowing that he’s the only one that can stop these tears, but you can’t. You live there and he lives here. 

People ask me how I did it, but the truth is I don’t really know. I could not give anyone advice on how to cope or get through it because I’m not really sure that I even coped. I cried, I missed him more than I think I will ever miss him ever again, but in the end somehow 90% of the time I got on with my life every single day without him. Perhaps without him, I was not able to fully function but I learned to tell myself that I was okay and that this wouldn’t be forever. I think it made me stronger, taught me to take less in our relationship for granted and really know what it means to say ‘I miss you’. 

If your relationship can survive the distance, then your relationship can survive anything. Every bump in the road will be small in comparison to what you have already accomplished as a couple. 

[scotbrit-blog1]

$$ Signs and Cowboys

There is no doubt in my mind that I am judged by people when I tell them why I moved to Texas. It is not uncommon for me to hear “You moved for a guy?! Why?.” I didn’t leave Scotland because I had always dreamed of studying in the US. I never would have imagined myself living so far from the small town that I grew up in. However, here I find myself sitting in a US University typing on a foreign keyboard with $$ signs. Today’s blog is not going to be about justifying my decision to move here, because quite frankly I think that it was the best decision I could have made for myself. This is more of a backstory as to what got me here. 

In August 2010, 6 years ago, I found myself downloading a game called ‘Haypi Kingdom’ from an App called ‘Free App a Day’. There was nothing particularly special about that game, it just happened to be free on that summers day. It was a war game with alliances (groups you could join with other players to battle other alliances). I chose one, and under the name Wishful16 I anonymously chatted with other people within that alliance in a group chat. I found myself asking everyone’s age, and a player named PenBar18 aged 17 was one of the many to answer. But he was different, something pulled me towards him. Those who know me well would not deem me as a religious person, because I am not, but something made me want to know more about this PenBar18 aged 17. I won’t bore you with the details, I’ll keep it brief. I talked to PenBar18 every day without fail, I got to know him more than I’ve ever known anyone. I grew crazy for him, found out every last detail of his life and began to fall in love with the person that he was. It took a few months but eventually I received a picture of a young man wearing a cowboy hat and large grin…this was the real PenBar18. I had pictured him in my head prior to this, but a cowboy?! haha who would you have guessed? 

I think this made me love him more, but the truth is, I loved this PenBar18 before I had even seen his face. Before it happened to me I would have laughed if someone told me that I could fall in love with someone before seeing them, before hearing them, before even meeting them. But here I am today, in Texas, still completely in love with my PenBar18. 

Don’t let people tell you “love happens at first sight”, there’s certainly more to it than that. The person within, is the key to your heart. 

[scotbrit-blog1]

Finding the Perfect Flights from UK to US

Attempting to find decent, fairly priced flights online is difficult. Where do you even begin? Should you go directly to the airlines? Is it best to wait until the last minute? I certainly do not have all the answers, and I am by no means an expert, however, I can give my advice based on my own experiences.

Firstly to tackle the issue of where to begin. I always start by looking at a couple individual airlines, but this is very time-consuming and is not the best way to begin. If you are a student like me then you are in luck, there are flight companies made just for you with student friendly prices. My favourite company is Student Universe, they offer cheaper flights than you will find anywhere else on the web. All you need is a student email account from your college or university (and yes faculty members this means you too!). 

They are also the only company that I have come across that do not charge you double for a one-way flight, in fact, they charge you half. It seems crazy to pay double for half the number of flights, but airlines typically do not like travellers who do not fill their flight on their return. So if this is what you are after then Student Universe is even more economical for you. For me, there is just no other place I’d look. 

So should you go directly to the individual airlines? Yes, to get a base price, but they certainly will not offer you the best deal. 

Finally, there is a universal belief that the longer you wait, the cheaper your flights will be. From my experience, this is not true at all. Not only do flight costs increase the closer you get to your travel date, but it becomes harder and harder to get a good seat on the plane or you are left with 8+ hour layovers in airport terminals. So unless you want to be sat in between two strangers like the meat in a sandwich, and have a very long airport shopping trip (with crazy airport prices), then book your flight early.

[scotbrit-blog1]

Top 5 Ways to Survive the Southern US Heat

Like most Scots, I don’t do well in the heat. One inch outside any temperature past 17C (62.6F), and I am going to start to fry like my pale skin is an egg white. So here are my top 5 ways to survive the Southern heat:

1. Do not go outside

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Stay indoors at all costs. Okay, maybe this is too much to ask but this is the top 5 ways to survive, and avoiding the sun’s exposure completely is the number one way to ensure zero percent burning.

2. Wear several coats of sunscreen

If you are anything like me then even liberal amounts of factor 50 sunscreen still do not prevent burning. It’s almost like my skin is so pale that the sun cannot tell the difference between the white cream and my white skin. However, I still recommend attempting to apply several coats of sunscreen before combatting the Southern heat. 

3. Map out AC havens 

Over here every building has AC and it is a godsend. If you have ever been on holiday abroad somewhere hot, then you know what it is like to come in from scorching temperatures to a cold, fridge-like building. So map out places for you to cool off regularly. Just remember to bring a cardigan or coat because once you cool off that building is going to freeze your ass off.

4. Wear light clothing

I have seen girls wearing wooly tops and jeans when it is 35C (95F) outside and I just do not know how they do it. If you are British then I can guarantee that this will not be you! So pull out your shorts, skimpy thin shirts, and sandals, and you will be one step closer to surviving the Southern heat. 

5. Hydration

Yes maybe this should be number one, but I am leaving it for last because I wanted to keep the serious talk for last. Until I moved to Texas I thought that I drank enough liquid for survival. It took me a long time to adjust to drinking frequently to maintain enough hydration to function in a part of the US that is not forgiving when it comes to raw heat. Water is used faster than it ever was before, to be honest, I am still getting used to this survival tip. On a less serious note, drink lots but not too much or your bladder just might not be able to keep up. 

[scotbrit-blog1]

One Year and Counting

Friday marked a year since I moved to this beautiful place known as the United States of America. It has been an intensely busy year full of studying, learning to live without my family, and adapting to a different culture. However, I never stopped to recollect all that I have accomplished. When having a conversation with my mother today I came to realize that I have missed out on so much opportunity, to share my path and experiences with the world (whether that world is limited to my small hometown, or beyond); therefore today it begins, a written documentation of my life here, what it took to get to where I am today, random tips from what I have learnt living here, and the heartfelt truth behind what it is really like to move across the world from Scotland to the US.