Things I Didn't Expect When I Got Married #2

Case File #2

I didn't expect to become a car snob.

Yes, a car snob. There I said it. I'm a car snob. Don't get me wrong. I don't think I'm too good to drive any car. For goodness' sake I drove a '95 GeoTracker that was held together with rust, duct tape, and hope for many years. But I only find expensive cars classy or worthwhile since I married a 'car guy'. BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, Jaguar.. those are the cars of class. Not to say all of the previous companies always make classy cars - I mean look at the 1-series BMW. That hatchback thing is a monstrosity. But, in general, I like nearly every car those 4 companies make. I really want an E-class Merc. It'd be absolutely amazing to drive around.

With all that said.. please don't make fun of me if my first car in the UK is a Fiat, okay? I have ambition. And my ambition is to own a Merc. Even if I have to live in a 1 bedroom studio apartment with neighbours who have yelling matches.

Things I Didn't Expect When I Got Married

Case file #1:

Cheese. I never expected to like cheese. In the US I'd eat cheese if it was melted. Pizza? Okay. Nachos? Okay. But just eating a slice of cheese? Disgusting.

But the husband loves cheese. We often have a couple of types of cheese in the fridge. Whenever I'm shredding or slicing cheese he nabs some. He even shreds it for me if I ask nicely. Over time I've started taking a slice or piece here or there never really thinking about it. When my mother-in-law offers me random cheese she's bought I eat some but again didn't think about it.

Until last Friday.. when I put some cheese in our cart at Morrisons. "You like that?" "Yeah, why not?"

That's when I realized. I like cheese. Of all the things I expected to learn to like when I moved cheese is not one of them.

Becoming a Girly Girl

At some point, since moving to the UK, I have become a girl. And not just any girl, no. A girly girl. I go into shops, I buy clothes, I care about fashion. What happened to me? My whole time through high school I wore jeans, tennis shoes, and oversized tshirts. I had exactly one ring and one watch and that was perfectly okay. I was fine with that.

Now I wear skirts and blouses and cardigans. Even at work, where the uniform is all black, I am still slightly (only slightly) stylish. At home I wear skirts and dresses and leggings and other such things. I haven't worn a tshirt in months and I never wear jeans anymore despite the effort I went to to make sure I had six pairs of jeans I loved before I moved!

I spend hours on etsy trying to find things I love to buy. Currently I really want this necklace, this bag, and one of these watches. The problem, though, is I've become an impulse buyer. I buy things I like that are right infront of me and not things that I have to go through a process and enter my debit card number, etc. This is the exact opposite of how I was a few years ago!

This fashion thing has gotten so bad I have had to limit my purchases of any clothes or accessories to ten items this month. Ten! That's such a huge amount when I used to go months and months without buying a single thing.

I need to get control of this problem. Because it is a problem. I'm just not sure how to start.

How life really is in the UK..

When I moved to the UK last September (nearly 8 months ago!) I expected that the transition would be easy. I'm not easily homesick and I'd finally be rid of the 8 hour flights and 24 hours of travelling that happened each time I visited.

Funny enough I was proved completely wrong. Life in the UK is absolutely nothing like I expected. From the small things (baking soda vs. bicarbonate of soda) to the large things (taking the piss, sarcasm, etc) life has not been what I expected. One would think I'd realize that - despite sharing a language the US and the UK are fundamentally different on so many levels.

Also, since moving, I also have this weird Scottish pride thing going on. When people state things that are true about England and try to pass it off as true about the whole UK I come to Scotland's defense. When there are Scotland vs. England matches I always root for Scotland even though I could care less about sports. Heck, when I went to Stirling this weekend I bought a postcard with part of the Declaration of Arbroath on it (For, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule.) I have no idea where this Scottish pride is coming from. The husband isn't very Scottish in the way he acts, speaks, or thinks.

No matter what I think I will always look back on this first year happily. Despite Scotland (and Fife) being completely different than what I expected I do love it here. I love the people, the weather, the North Sea, the food (okay, the Turkish takeaways), and the atmosphere. I never realized you could fall in love with a place but you most certainly can.

Review: Anstruther Fish Bar

Anstruther Fish Bar has been voted best in Scotland and best in the UK several times over. Prince William, his step-mother the Duchess of Rothesay, and father Prince Charles have all eaten at Anstruther Fish Bar over the years.

My first impression was that the line was out the door! It took us nearly thirty minutes to get our food (and that was for takeaway!) but it was well worth the wait. Across the street there were benches to eat on and an incredible view of the harbour. The fish and chips were divine and I'm not a fan of fish. And, if you want quicker service, you can always sit in the restaurant part of the fish bar.

Anstruther itself was a quaint small town that just melts your heart. From the winding narrow streets to the incredible view of the North Sea it is well worth a visit. And if you go be sure to check out Anstruther Fish Bar because there is a reason it was voted best in Scotland so many times.

Dear You #1

Dear Lady who drives a white Fiat Panda and left her poor dog in the car at Morrisons for over an hour -

I hope your dog bites you and runs away once you get home. The fact s/he barked at you when you returned amuses me. I'm really glad that other lady yelled at you for five minutes because you deserve it. How dare you lock a dog in a car with no window down? Would you like that? No? Exactly.

No love -
B

Life in Fife

I've been meaning to write a blog for years and years. I've had dozens of blogs over the years but I never do anything with them. That is going to stop, today.

My name is B and I recently (in September of 2009) moved from Illinois to Scotland to be with my Scottish husband. We've been together for over 3 years and got married last August after I graduated Uni with a degree in Social Work. I currently work in an ice cream shop as I wait for enough time to pass so that I can pay home fees to do a Masters in Social Work.

I love Scotland. I really do. Although I still struggle with people taking the piss. I think I'll always struggle with that though.

I've also started making some friends, finally! I have a Thursday night knitting group and a few other friends I see (although most of my friends are immigrants, too, funny huh?). I also am becoming very close to the husband's family. On his Mum's side he has 3 great uncles, 3 great aunts (by marriage), a great-grandmother, a grandmother, a grandfather, and dozens of cousins. I really enjoy learning how to cook Iranian food and listening to stories about driving from the UK to Iran with a Persian rug in the back seat! It's hilarious.

Okay, I think that's an okay intro post for now. We'll see how long I keep this up!