My first month in Scotland :)
Bagpipes, kilts, and rolling green hills with sheep on them. Oh, and shortbread. Let's not forget the shortbread. That is what myself and probably what most of my fellow Americans think of when we think of Scotland!
Cowboys, horses, meat, and guns. That is probably what most British people think of when they think of Texas!
Myself and my husband never dreamt or imagined that these are the places from where our future spouse would come from. In fact, when we both first told our friends and family about each other, both of us were asked the exact same question. A very important and crucial question that was pertinent to our present and future relationship (j/k):
"Does he have an accent?!"
"Does she have an accent?!"
Yes and Yes! Although I never thought of myself as having an accent. I'm an American. My English is standard and everyone else has an accent except me, right?! LOL! Alas. . . . . .
I might write a blog later about how my husband and I met and I might even write about our weddings. No that wasn't a typo. Yes, that was meant to plural. Not wedding, but weddings! And yes, my husband wore a kilt to one of them. ;)
But today's blog is going to be about my life in Scotland. Yes, this all American Texan moved to Scotland and yes, she brought her cowboy boots with her. . .
I have now been here for a little over a month and it went by so fast! There are two layers to this move. One being the obvious of me moving to a new country and two, me being married!
To explain married life I'd like to use my sister's words: Life is now shared. Very shared. All of the good, all of the bad, all of the emotions, all of the moods, all of the everything. It's all shared. We consult each other on all decisions big and small. From spending thousands of dollars (Oops. I mean pounds. This is going to take some getting used to! ) on a new bed and mattress to deciding what to eat for dinner. It's like you have a buddy for life. (Again, my sister's words! If I could expand on it, it would be: A lifelong buddy with benefits. lol!) He is truly my best friend in each and every way.
I would have moved to any country for him.
But that country just happened to be Scotland. And so far, by the Grace of God, it has been a fun, humbling, loving, eye-opening, and interesting experience.Where shall I begin?
Food. I'm a total foodie, so yes let's start with the food. This vegetarian/wanna be vegan has never been happier. I thought America was kind of, sort of on this vegan movement but I was so wrong. The U.K. is on a vegan movement and they are serious. So serious that pretty much all of the fast food restaurants that I grew up with have vegan options. Even freakin McDonalds! I know right? Who would have thought? Everywhere I go, whether it be a fancy dine in restaurant or a little corner deli, there is always a vegetarian menu with amazing choices. It's not like America where you just pull up and order a burger "without the meat." They have legit options here like halloumi falafel red curry wraps or teriyaki mushroom burgers or vegan sausage rolls. All of the coffee shops offer almond milk and coconut milk options. Although I did see this in America too, I feel like its front and center here. The Starbucks coffee shops here even have little vegan cakes and cookies. It's so lovely. From what I understand, the U.K. abides by European standards hence they don't use all of the crappy preservatives that Americans use. This may change soon, but I'll get to that.
Healthcare. I could probably write an entire blog or book on healthcare. There are a few documentaries about this on Netflix but I'll try to summarize it in a nutshell. In America, the health insurance companies are all privatized. Hence, as long as Americans stay sick and take medications for the rest of their life, the insurance companies make money and profit on this forever. Hence, America wants it's citizens to be sick. I know that's a horrible and sad thing to think about it, but it's true! In Europe, health care is afforded to you by the government and it is not privatized. Hence, they want their citizens to be healthy so that people aren't draining the system! It's a completely opposite structure that works out so well. I'll give you a personal example. In Texas, I suffered with bad allergies all of my life. Every time I got sick, I'd pay $200 or $300 to go to the doctor and they would put me on antibiotics and strong nasal sprays and allergy meds. But over here, they really try to avoid putting you on antibiotics. They strongly encourage natural remedies like nasal washes. Even their medicines have more if not all natural ingredients. I know right?! Antibiotics and strong medications are an absolute last resort not the first resort. Oh and if I want to go to the doctor over here, guess how much it costs? $0. Oops, I mean 0 pounds!
Transportation. I love these double decker buses. That is all.
Weather. Yup, it's cold. But honestly, a nice thick jacket and a good pair of boots and I'm good. It's such a nice change from he scorching Texas heat that makes you sweat from the short distance between your doorstep and your car. Yet, ironically, there have been many days where it's been colder in Houston than Glasgow! Global warming? I do miss the sun though. . . .
People. My husband's friends and family have welcomed me here with open arms. I don't know if it's just Scotland or just Glasgow, but everyone that I've come across so far is super nice! In fact, people in Scotland are just as nice as people in Texas. I know right! In my personal opinion, the culture of Scotland is very similar to culture of Punjab. They are super nice and jolly and happy and very easy to have conversations with. They love to eat and drink! (I know, I know, not the best comparison, but it's true!!!) If Scotland had it's it's way, they would be an independent country and they would leave the United Kingdom. If Punjab had it's way, they would be independent too and they would leave India! And whenever we go to my husband's friend's house, they greet us with coffee and tea and treats and dishes and desserts with love just like Punjabis do. The Scottish love tea and shortbread. The Punjabis love cha and cake rusk. The traditional Scottish kilt and skindo or Sgian Dubh (knife or dagger) is similar to that of a chola/bana and a kirpan. And most of all, both the people of Scotland and the Sikhs of Punjab have a strong history of warriors and fighters and martyrs. Both groups of people have often been outnumbered in their battles and wars but both groups of people have hearts of resilience that never allowed them to give up. Have you ever seen Braveheart? No? OMG. Go watch Braveheart! Now!!!! (Wait, finish my blog first, then go watch Braveheart!)
Sikhi. I'm still very new here to comment on much but goshhhhhhhhhhhhhh. So, there are a few Gurudwaras here in Glasgow. I believe the newest one is Gurudwara Singh Sabha. It is magnificent in each and every way. It has 3 stories. The bottom level has legit built in classrooms for Punjabi school (I know right! Not trailers!) The second level has the lungar room (which by the way has steel plates and utensils that you have to wash! No foam plates to throw away!) The third and highest level is of course the divan hall. There is a designated car park right next to the Gurudwara with a parking attendant and everything. These seem basic but gosh, I lived in Houston for almost 20 years. And for the time period that I was there and even before then, we just couldn't get it right. Our committees fight so much over the smallest things and it takes ages to plan a simple thing. (Please forgive me if I am offending anyone. It's just an observation.) Perhaps the Sikhs in the U.K. have been here for a much longer period of time, so maybe they are more organized than the American Sikhs are?
One more thing about the Sikhi category that I've noticed is this: The American Sikhs are very much focused on community outreach whereas the U.K. Sikhs are focused on their own internal and individual journey. It's true! And my dear American Sikhs, it's not your fault. We've had so much work to do. Ever since 9/11, the American Sikhs have taken it upon themselves to educate the country about who we are. Growing up in the states, I went to Sikh workshops and retreats galore and they would always preach the same message: Get out into the greater community and tell people who we are. It's almost a desperate means of survival so we don't get shot to death. (Because you know, American gun laws aren't the best.) And some of us have focused so much on the community stuff that we've just forgotten about our own individual journey. I am so guilty of this. An example of it would be when I'd go out and participate in all of these community events but I wasn't doing the simplest and probably the most important piece of being a Sikh: Paath.
The U.K. Sikhs have a few things going for them. 1. No guns allowed in this country. 2. The Sikhs have just been here longer so the majority of the public knows about who we are already. 3. The white people here are just. . . . nicer. They aren't racist like the ones in America. (Look, I'm not saying all white people in America are racist, but gosh a lot of them are! And I'm not saying that all white people in the U.K. aren't racist, but gosh, a lot of them aren't!) They are more worldly. They travel more. They think more. The museums are free over here and they have a museum about world religions and there is a whole section on Sikhi. A whole section! They are just nice. You know every time I get into a conversation with a white Scottish stranger, they ask me where I am from and I respond with "America" and guess what? That's it! I wait for that follow up question because in America I am asked this follow up question all of the time. You know what question I'm talking about, right? The "No, but where are you REALLY from?" question. No one has asked me that here. No one has asked me the indirect question that everyone asks me in America. "Why are you brown?" I found that to be very interesting and honestly, really refreshing.
We are now in the month of January 2019. As I type this up, President Donald Trump has put into force a government shutdown due to this stupid wall idea of his. Look, I get it. Immigration could definitely be more organized. I myself am the daughter of an immigrant and now I'm an immigrant in the U.K.! But a wall? A wall? Really? Really??????? Come on America, we can do better.
Also, in conjunction to the U.S. wall/ government shutdown issued, the U.K. is going through their own weird little conundrum. Brexit. Brexit has also dived the U.K. in the same way that Trump divided America. What's interesting is, in my opinion, is that the core root of the division in both counties is immigration. Trump wants to build a physical wall to separate and isolate America from Mexico and Theresa May wants to build an non-physical, imaginary wall between the U.K. and the rest of Europe. (Actually, there might be a physical wall here too. I'm still confused on the whole Ireland situation.) Both countries want to become very strict on immigration and both countries greatly want to limit the amount of immigrants that come in now. But it's actually not Trump, or May, or the wall, or Brexit that's doing this. It's about 50% of the population. It's about 50% of America and it's about 50% of England. Not Scotland though! Scotland voted to stay in the European Union. Good job Scotland! If the U.K. truly does end up leaving the European Union that means that the U.K. won't have to abide by European standards and laws anymore. Hence they could do whatever they want. Hence, privatized health care and no more vegan sausage rolls? Yikes.
But anyways, I just found that correlation between the two countries to be rather interesting, wouldn't you? They say that history repeats itself but in this case it's not history repeating itself, it's countries repeating itself!
I know that physically speaking I am far away from "home", but it doesn't feel that far. I've been absolutely blessed with an amazing husband, with a lovely new family, and with a pretty awesome new country. Do I miss America? Of course I do. I miss my family and friends. I miss my old hangout spots. I miss driving in my car with my music on blast. I miss everything. But life is a journey and my journey has brought me here. Whether you know me personally or whether you are reading this blog for the first time, I thank you for being a part of my journey.
I haven't written in forever but I'm hoping to pick it up again. Writing truly is good for the soul.
Bhull Chuk Maaf
Mrs. Christine Kaur ;)
Cowboys, horses, meat, and guns. That is probably what most British people think of when they think of Texas!
Myself and my husband never dreamt or imagined that these are the places from where our future spouse would come from. In fact, when we both first told our friends and family about each other, both of us were asked the exact same question. A very important and crucial question that was pertinent to our present and future relationship (j/k):
"Does he have an accent?!"
"Does she have an accent?!"
Yes and Yes! Although I never thought of myself as having an accent. I'm an American. My English is standard and everyone else has an accent except me, right?! LOL! Alas. . . . . .
I might write a blog later about how my husband and I met and I might even write about our weddings. No that wasn't a typo. Yes, that was meant to plural. Not wedding, but weddings! And yes, my husband wore a kilt to one of them. ;)
But today's blog is going to be about my life in Scotland. Yes, this all American Texan moved to Scotland and yes, she brought her cowboy boots with her. . .
I have now been here for a little over a month and it went by so fast! There are two layers to this move. One being the obvious of me moving to a new country and two, me being married!
To explain married life I'd like to use my sister's words: Life is now shared. Very shared. All of the good, all of the bad, all of the emotions, all of the moods, all of the everything. It's all shared. We consult each other on all decisions big and small. From spending thousands of dollars (Oops. I mean pounds. This is going to take some getting used to! ) on a new bed and mattress to deciding what to eat for dinner. It's like you have a buddy for life. (Again, my sister's words! If I could expand on it, it would be: A lifelong buddy with benefits. lol!) He is truly my best friend in each and every way.
I would have moved to any country for him.
But that country just happened to be Scotland. And so far, by the Grace of God, it has been a fun, humbling, loving, eye-opening, and interesting experience.Where shall I begin?
Food. I'm a total foodie, so yes let's start with the food. This vegetarian/wanna be vegan has never been happier. I thought America was kind of, sort of on this vegan movement but I was so wrong. The U.K. is on a vegan movement and they are serious. So serious that pretty much all of the fast food restaurants that I grew up with have vegan options. Even freakin McDonalds! I know right? Who would have thought? Everywhere I go, whether it be a fancy dine in restaurant or a little corner deli, there is always a vegetarian menu with amazing choices. It's not like America where you just pull up and order a burger "without the meat." They have legit options here like halloumi falafel red curry wraps or teriyaki mushroom burgers or vegan sausage rolls. All of the coffee shops offer almond milk and coconut milk options. Although I did see this in America too, I feel like its front and center here. The Starbucks coffee shops here even have little vegan cakes and cookies. It's so lovely. From what I understand, the U.K. abides by European standards hence they don't use all of the crappy preservatives that Americans use. This may change soon, but I'll get to that.
Healthcare. I could probably write an entire blog or book on healthcare. There are a few documentaries about this on Netflix but I'll try to summarize it in a nutshell. In America, the health insurance companies are all privatized. Hence, as long as Americans stay sick and take medications for the rest of their life, the insurance companies make money and profit on this forever. Hence, America wants it's citizens to be sick. I know that's a horrible and sad thing to think about it, but it's true! In Europe, health care is afforded to you by the government and it is not privatized. Hence, they want their citizens to be healthy so that people aren't draining the system! It's a completely opposite structure that works out so well. I'll give you a personal example. In Texas, I suffered with bad allergies all of my life. Every time I got sick, I'd pay $200 or $300 to go to the doctor and they would put me on antibiotics and strong nasal sprays and allergy meds. But over here, they really try to avoid putting you on antibiotics. They strongly encourage natural remedies like nasal washes. Even their medicines have more if not all natural ingredients. I know right?! Antibiotics and strong medications are an absolute last resort not the first resort. Oh and if I want to go to the doctor over here, guess how much it costs? $0. Oops, I mean 0 pounds!
Transportation. I love these double decker buses. That is all.
Weather. Yup, it's cold. But honestly, a nice thick jacket and a good pair of boots and I'm good. It's such a nice change from he scorching Texas heat that makes you sweat from the short distance between your doorstep and your car. Yet, ironically, there have been many days where it's been colder in Houston than Glasgow! Global warming? I do miss the sun though. . . .
People. My husband's friends and family have welcomed me here with open arms. I don't know if it's just Scotland or just Glasgow, but everyone that I've come across so far is super nice! In fact, people in Scotland are just as nice as people in Texas. I know right! In my personal opinion, the culture of Scotland is very similar to culture of Punjab. They are super nice and jolly and happy and very easy to have conversations with. They love to eat and drink! (I know, I know, not the best comparison, but it's true!!!) If Scotland had it's it's way, they would be an independent country and they would leave the United Kingdom. If Punjab had it's way, they would be independent too and they would leave India! And whenever we go to my husband's friend's house, they greet us with coffee and tea and treats and dishes and desserts with love just like Punjabis do. The Scottish love tea and shortbread. The Punjabis love cha and cake rusk. The traditional Scottish kilt and skindo or Sgian Dubh (knife or dagger) is similar to that of a chola/bana and a kirpan. And most of all, both the people of Scotland and the Sikhs of Punjab have a strong history of warriors and fighters and martyrs. Both groups of people have often been outnumbered in their battles and wars but both groups of people have hearts of resilience that never allowed them to give up. Have you ever seen Braveheart? No? OMG. Go watch Braveheart! Now!!!! (Wait, finish my blog first, then go watch Braveheart!)
Sikhi. I'm still very new here to comment on much but goshhhhhhhhhhhhhh. So, there are a few Gurudwaras here in Glasgow. I believe the newest one is Gurudwara Singh Sabha. It is magnificent in each and every way. It has 3 stories. The bottom level has legit built in classrooms for Punjabi school (I know right! Not trailers!) The second level has the lungar room (which by the way has steel plates and utensils that you have to wash! No foam plates to throw away!) The third and highest level is of course the divan hall. There is a designated car park right next to the Gurudwara with a parking attendant and everything. These seem basic but gosh, I lived in Houston for almost 20 years. And for the time period that I was there and even before then, we just couldn't get it right. Our committees fight so much over the smallest things and it takes ages to plan a simple thing. (Please forgive me if I am offending anyone. It's just an observation.) Perhaps the Sikhs in the U.K. have been here for a much longer period of time, so maybe they are more organized than the American Sikhs are?
One more thing about the Sikhi category that I've noticed is this: The American Sikhs are very much focused on community outreach whereas the U.K. Sikhs are focused on their own internal and individual journey. It's true! And my dear American Sikhs, it's not your fault. We've had so much work to do. Ever since 9/11, the American Sikhs have taken it upon themselves to educate the country about who we are. Growing up in the states, I went to Sikh workshops and retreats galore and they would always preach the same message: Get out into the greater community and tell people who we are. It's almost a desperate means of survival so we don't get shot to death. (Because you know, American gun laws aren't the best.) And some of us have focused so much on the community stuff that we've just forgotten about our own individual journey. I am so guilty of this. An example of it would be when I'd go out and participate in all of these community events but I wasn't doing the simplest and probably the most important piece of being a Sikh: Paath.
The U.K. Sikhs have a few things going for them. 1. No guns allowed in this country. 2. The Sikhs have just been here longer so the majority of the public knows about who we are already. 3. The white people here are just. . . . nicer. They aren't racist like the ones in America. (Look, I'm not saying all white people in America are racist, but gosh a lot of them are! And I'm not saying that all white people in the U.K. aren't racist, but gosh, a lot of them aren't!) They are more worldly. They travel more. They think more. The museums are free over here and they have a museum about world religions and there is a whole section on Sikhi. A whole section! They are just nice. You know every time I get into a conversation with a white Scottish stranger, they ask me where I am from and I respond with "America" and guess what? That's it! I wait for that follow up question because in America I am asked this follow up question all of the time. You know what question I'm talking about, right? The "No, but where are you REALLY from?" question. No one has asked me that here. No one has asked me the indirect question that everyone asks me in America. "Why are you brown?" I found that to be very interesting and honestly, really refreshing.
We are now in the month of January 2019. As I type this up, President Donald Trump has put into force a government shutdown due to this stupid wall idea of his. Look, I get it. Immigration could definitely be more organized. I myself am the daughter of an immigrant and now I'm an immigrant in the U.K.! But a wall? A wall? Really? Really??????? Come on America, we can do better.
Also, in conjunction to the U.S. wall/ government shutdown issued, the U.K. is going through their own weird little conundrum. Brexit. Brexit has also dived the U.K. in the same way that Trump divided America. What's interesting is, in my opinion, is that the core root of the division in both counties is immigration. Trump wants to build a physical wall to separate and isolate America from Mexico and Theresa May wants to build an non-physical, imaginary wall between the U.K. and the rest of Europe. (Actually, there might be a physical wall here too. I'm still confused on the whole Ireland situation.) Both countries want to become very strict on immigration and both countries greatly want to limit the amount of immigrants that come in now. But it's actually not Trump, or May, or the wall, or Brexit that's doing this. It's about 50% of the population. It's about 50% of America and it's about 50% of England. Not Scotland though! Scotland voted to stay in the European Union. Good job Scotland! If the U.K. truly does end up leaving the European Union that means that the U.K. won't have to abide by European standards and laws anymore. Hence they could do whatever they want. Hence, privatized health care and no more vegan sausage rolls? Yikes.
But anyways, I just found that correlation between the two countries to be rather interesting, wouldn't you? They say that history repeats itself but in this case it's not history repeating itself, it's countries repeating itself!
I know that physically speaking I am far away from "home", but it doesn't feel that far. I've been absolutely blessed with an amazing husband, with a lovely new family, and with a pretty awesome new country. Do I miss America? Of course I do. I miss my family and friends. I miss my old hangout spots. I miss driving in my car with my music on blast. I miss everything. But life is a journey and my journey has brought me here. Whether you know me personally or whether you are reading this blog for the first time, I thank you for being a part of my journey.
I haven't written in forever but I'm hoping to pick it up again. Writing truly is good for the soul.
Bhull Chuk Maaf
Mrs. Christine Kaur ;)
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