Following The Current

Most days I cross the River Clyde by train.  The river itself seems so quiet as it passes through the city but I know it must have many stories to tell.  When trade began to increase with the Americas, the Clyde was too shallow for the ocean-going ships to reach Glasgow.  During the late 18th and 19th centuries, the river was reshaped and dredged, opening the door for a hugely successful shipbuilding industry.  This has since declined to just a few shipyards.  The river is now being rebuilt as an area of recreation with many attractions along its bank.  I highly recommend the Riverside Museum with its interesting architecture, collection of transport, and tall ship.

Celtic Connections

Two concerts in two days.  Loads of musicians.  Very different styles.  Same spirit.  The musicians appeared more than just happy to be performing, they seemed inspired, energized.  There is an incredible spark.  I think this festival is just as much for the musicians as anyone.  As an untalented observer, I love this amazing opportunity to watch them as they celebrate tunes of old, showcase their talent, and create beautiful new collaborations.

Sock Adventures: Snow

With many other parts of the UK dealing with snow and ice for days, we have remained cold and dry until today. Woke up to a dusting of snow. Barely anything really but enough to keep drawing the children to the windows at the nursery across the way, looking longingly at the untouched snow in the playground. Alas the only Scottish snowballs I have seen so far are pictured below.

Queen's Park

It is too early for me to have a favourite park but I do.  Did you know that Glasgow has over 90 parks and formal gardens within the city limits?  The parks I have visited so far are not just small patches of grass.  There are hills, trails, ponds, sometimes golf courses.  It is not like there is a shortage of parks where I come from but I admire how well these are situated throughout the city, their size and design to maximize the enjoyment for all, and their cleanliness.  I have noticed that people generally take care in treating public spaces with respect, clean up after their dog, make sure their trash is disposed of properly, and will take a moment to clean something up if they do find something not belonging to them.  Even with that, the quality of the parks is impressive.  I have taken a particular likening to Queen's Park.

Sock Adventures: Getting a Foot in the Door

It seems to be quite a trick to open a bank account in the UK.

My previous attempts followed the same pattern...

Sock Adventures: My First Escape

This weekend, I had the opportunity to escape the city and head north into the Highlands.  A pair of knee high SmartWool socks were a perfect companion for the trip.

Sock Adventures: Wonderful Gift of Socks

As part of my send off across the Atlantic, my co-workers each gave me a pair of socks to keep me warm and stylish in my new home. So many wonderful socks! It was a lovely idea and I am so excited to wear each one of them for the first time. When I do, I will post my adventures donning those socks.

Burrell Collection

Before leaving the States, a friend gave me a gift.  A guidebook for Scotland.  Occasionally I plan to pick a place from this book to visit.

On Friday, I took a train and then walked about half an hour to pay my council taxes in person.  Only to find out that the only way to pay is by phone or online.  On the train back home, I took care of the taxes and decided I couldn't let the whole day go to waste.  So I walked to an attraction in my neck of the woods - The lovely Pollok Country Park and Burrell Collection.

The Cat

The cat proved to be quite a challenge and took up a large portion of my move preparation.  My "mature" cat is a bit of an odd one.  When faced with the prospect of the journey she would need to take and the reality that I will not want to spend much time in my flat, I felt sure the best option was to find her a good home.  But it took her years to get used to me and in my observation, she seems more attached to me than to a place.  Of course I am attached to her also.  Then she went and tore her knee ligament.  How could I stick someone with a crazy and injured mature cat?

After much deliberation, I decided to bring her with me.  I had no idea what I was getting into.  We both survived.  She holds no grudge against me and each day seems to be getting more comfortable in her new place.  I can't even imagine what she must have thought as she was in the belly of a 747 jet taking off.

For those interested in the specifics, the rest of this post will describe the experience.  Unless you are planning to travel with a cat, I would skip the rest.  Don't torture yourself.

Decision is made, now how do I make it happen?

I already had some idea of the direction I wanted to pursue first based on some previous perusing on the subject (I have had this rolling around in my head for awhile).  There was a chance I could get a work visa based on my ancestry.  Not only would this mean that my visa and work status in the country would not be tied to a particular company, it would give me a 5 year window.

Dreams

It takes awhile for dreams to become clear to me.  This one has taken me about 15 years to realize and find the nerve to pursue.  As I was packing up my belongings to put in storage, I re-read my past travel journals of Scottish holidays.  There was a phrase repeated in every journal - what would it be like to live in Scotland?  I recognize now that it has always a dream of mine.

At first, I convinced myself that it was the "holiday syndrome".  I tend to fall in love with the places I holiday.  I leave my responsibilities and troubles behind.  I fill my days with fun.  I treat myself to great food and drink.  I spend each day learning and experiencing new things.  My holidays in Scotland have been especially wonderful.  I have met interesting and generous people, seen amazing wildlife and spectacular geography, dined on delicious seafood, raised a glass or two of whisky with friends, enjoyed talented and heart warming musicians, and shared many laughs.  Surely everyday life would be different.

Yet each time I came back, my attachment grew.  As I have learned more about the culture, I have developed a great respect for the country and its people.  I believe everyone should have access to health care and education.  I believe a little generosity goes a long way.  I believe that a community that is considerate, respectful, and supportive of each other helps everyone have a greater quality of life.  I believe we should be striving for a sustainable living environment and balance with the natural world.  I could go on.  The point is I think my values fit well with the culture.  

Then it became fear that stopped me from acting.  What happens if I am not able to find a job to support myself?  How will I ever save enough for retirement?  Is it even possible to start establishing a new life at this age?  No, it is not really a new life but in the eyes of banks and landlords and cellphone companies, it is.  Whether real or not, I felt that I needed to stay on my current path to ensure I could live my life in a level of comfort.  I have worked hard to establish myself in the States and be able to support my smaller dreams like staying fit, traveling, photography.  I have a wonderful support structure of family and friends.  I was scared to interrupt or basically abandon what I had worked so hard to obtain.  And in the case of family and friends, scared that the distance would result in losing them in my life.  

During a trip to Shetland in May, I realized that I would regret not trying, regret letting my fears win.  In fact, it is great that I understand my fears and can be proactive to address them.  I can't point to one event in particular.  Losing a good friend who I talked about dreams with often to cancer definitely made an impact.  A new found self confidence also played a part.  Getting to know people living here helped confirm my perception of life in Scotland.  Whatever it was, I knew deep in my heart that I wanted to experience living in Scotland.

Now seven months later, I am waking up in Scotland.

I am going to add a few posts about those seven months for those interested in the crazy details of how I got here.  Then the blog will be dedicated to activities, observations, and random thoughts while I live here.