A Scot Abroad








Week 2 of my family holiday in Florida. It seems we have brought the rain from Glasgow. Sorry about that, I tried my best to send it to Spain (the kids and I are always saying rain, rain go to Spain), but it must have got lost on the way.
Being a Scot, however, I am ALWAYS prepared for rain, and I'd like to think I'm working the sandals and raincoat look pretty well. What do you think?



The thunderstorms here are unbelievable, and make the occasional rumble at home seem utterly pathetic. I woke the other night thinking my heart would pop out my chest it was so loud. There was also a weird squeaking noise which I thought must have been a gate swinging, but maybe it was an aligator being zapped by lightning.
There has of course been some sun in the Sunshine State, and my Scottish freckles are out in force. My tan risks being scratched away due to the numerous insect bites I have suffered. Scottish blood seems to be something of a delicacy to Florida bugs. I will be buying a strong repellant soon.
I have been pleasantly surprised to find that my Scots accent has not been met with the usual looks of utter confusion and requests to repeat myself several times. Buying tickets for Monsters University was not nearly the challenge I thought it would be. Incidentally, the tickets were checked by a girl called Ariel, I was surprised she had a voice to speak to us, since she was in her human form, with no tail in sight.
The kids were talking to a nice old man in McDonalds the other day (he was interested to know if their vomit flavour Harry Potter jelly bean lived up to its name...it did). The stereotype about Scots and money is alive and well in America. Having told the man we came from "Scatland", he said "I heard you guys are pretty frugal. Maybe that's how you managed to afford this trip". I guess there is some truth in such a reputation, there's a difference between being mean with money (which Scots are not), and being careful with money (which many Scots are). After all, visit a Florida outlet, and you will be surrounded by Scots...we do love a bargain!
So that's the update for this week. Not homesick yet, possibly due to the Glasgow type weather, but the kids are missing the rabbits...maybe I'll get them to phone home with the promise of extra carrots when we get back ;)
What are your thought about travelling? Does your nationality have sterotypes? Do those stereotypes have any truth to them?

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