Have you ever visited/lived in Scotland?

Question

How do the people, culture, weather, cost of living, differ from the United States? Are there areas that mostly speak the English language?

Answer 1

scotland is great :)

big hills and the people are nice

I once walked into a group of scots who happend to be scotish band the dykeenies - great people they are

Answer 2

Scotland is nice!

Well, I would say that, being Scottish!  Everybody speaks English here, so don't worry about that. A minority still speak Gaelic or Scots, but they're all fluent in English, so no worries there.

The people are as you'd expect - just about the same as anywhere else in the West, with a different accent. Which can be very strong.

The culture is again, as you'd expect. Day to day life goes on pretty much as in the USA, with minor differences. Our festival and traditions are different, of course, but they don't impact on daily life.

The weather is very variable. The UK is on the edge of six different weather systems, so the weather changes a lot. I've seen sleet and hail turn to sudden warmth, then back to rain. It does rain a lot, though, although the East coast is comparatively dry.

The cost of living is the real kicker for you, unfortunately - the GBP is strong compared to the dollar, so you'll find it expensive. Although, we are entering a recession (errm, hooray) so prices are falling.

Hope that helps!  

Answer 3

I'm English, but I lived in Scotland briefly a few years back.

English is the official language, but Gaelic and Scots are also recognised languages.

It can be very cold, but it doesn't snow all that often.

I used to live in Dundee, and it could be very beautiful at times, but also very barren and depressing at other times. The winter sunsets are pretty amazing- far nicer than we get down here in England.

My ex lives in Edinburgh, so I've spent a long time there too. Edinburgh is more expensive than some of the other cities, but far cheaper than London, for example.

The cost of living in the UK is very high in comparison to America. Our pound is very strong, and so your dollar will seem quite weak. If you work in the UK, the cost of living doesn't seem too bad- apart from the credit crunch that we are going through at the moment, thanks to the price of oil

Look on wikipedia for more info about Scotland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland

Answer 4

Scotland is Scotland . Beautiful and different . Cosmopoltan and likes welcoming those from outwith . Lots of Scots have US , Canadian , New Zealand and Australian family connections which makes a difference . Our culture is diverse - we do not eat haggis more than once a week - the men do not all wear kilts ! We speak the  best and clearest English in the World - English  ethnic programmes / programs like Corrie and East Enders are shown with sub titles which is great for viewers . A US $ equals half a Scottish pound .The weather is somewhat variable . When it is nice it is very nice . Gaelic is the language that was spoken in the Garden of Eden but sadly only a minority now speak it fluently . Cost of living is similar to the US - like you we export oil but unlike you we do not always get paid for it . Some of us have done well . Scots invented the bicycle , TV , penicilin , the inflatable tyre ,  radar , chloroform , telephone etc  Guess some of these  have caught on .

Answer 5

Yes I live here, in fact born & bred in Edinburgh.

Answer 6

I was born in Scotland.  Everyone speaks English there although most have a very heavy accent that may be difficult to understand.  The people are extremely friendly.  Most things are very expensive - houses, cars gas, etc.  I think the cost of living is very high there compared to the US.