So my excitement about moving to Scotland got a bucket of cold water due to the flat situation at first in part 3 of this account. We’re living in a VRBO rental for way too much money per week, but we move into a flat in Stirling on the 21st. It could be natural to wonder if I made a huge mistake. I don’t know. I won’t know for years?
But on BlueSky I’ve been posting a bit about what I’ve been up to even despite the flat situation and temporary accommodations.
For one thing, since moving my acid reflux cleared up. Is that because of the food being less processed? Is it because I’m walking more every day? I don’t know. I went on a walk with Emily to see Ravenscraig Castle and then onto Dysart Harbor, which I loved.
On the way back from Stirling, on a whim, we visited The Falkirk Wheel, which has been on my bucket list for years:
I attended the British Fantasy Con in Glasgow two weekends ago, where I met many authors I’ve been wanting to chat with for years now. And enjoyed wandering around Glasgow a little:
And then this last weekend was a guest and panel moderator at PictCon.
It was at both of these cons that something happened that really blew me away. The Scottish SF and UK writing community just welcoming me in with open arms and enthusiasm that I could not have anticipated. In particular, the Scottish explained that I’m what the Scottish government, and society, calls a “New Scot.”
That is to say, a Scottish author told me at Glasgow in 2024 they were asked by the audience to define what a Scottish author is. And they said “someone who lives in Scotland and participates in the economy and culture of Scotland.”
I’ve been here barely a few weeks, and was being introduced as a New Scot to everyone.
I thought about this a lot as I was down in Edinburgh thrifting and picking up some books to read.
It is rare to be so wholly welcomed so quickly. One author asked what my first Scottish project would be.
So many authors I’ve met have offered to introduce me to people, help me navigate UK publishing, and just warmly welcome me. I went into Fantasy Con not really knowing anyone, and left the next day with a list of contacts and suggestions and a warm feeling of excitement about my future.
I’ll be honest, I haven’t felt hope in a while, I’ve just been… surviving.
And then we come to some of the other things that are giving me hope. Many wanted to know, what’s it like moving? What are the differences, how are you getting on?
We’re scared about finding jobs, and work, we’re nervous about that, and getting the kids into schools when they were expecting to only have a year left before uni.
But on the day to day, I’ve been surprised and hopeful because:
Groceries are cheaper. Like, a lot. I am going to estimate 50% of what we were paying, if we’re targeted, and use Lidl more, and use coupons and plan a bit, I think maybe even 40%. Fruit doesn’t molder in one day. The veggies are crisper. I’m told that there was more variety before Brexit and bette quality, but compared to the rural midwest (the cities have fresher and better, more money and clientele in bougie areas) I’m enjoying it. Things like veggies, fruit, and potatoes are cheaper. Essentials. I’m also finding a ton of vegan products that are cheaper, not more expensive as they are in the US.
Cellphones are radically cheaper. Our family plans are, total, about $18/month for all of us, with large data plans and we can tether the phones. It’s not even comparable. It had a 14 day cooling off period if I changed my mind.
Car insurance is cheaper. Almost half. Gas is way more (about $8/gallon), but I purchased the cheapest shitty car in all of Scotland for 1,500 pounds (a Chevy Spark with 55,000 miles on it). Once we’re settled we’d like to go car free to really save, but because we own the car cash and it gets 55mpg, it’s not as much a drag on finances. Also, there is a 30 day guarantee if anything is wrong with it. In Ohio I’ve literally had a transmission fall out the car a mile from the dealer… my issue. For a 100 pounds I have a 6 month warranty and don’t have to worry about it harming our finances by breaking down. That’s part of the consumer protections that Europe seems to have more of, and it means instead of feeling sick about buying something because I’ll be scared I made the wrong choice and will harm my family’s finances, I felt safe. Every car has a log book with all the repairs done, so there’s a history. There aren’t cars being sold held together with duct tape. We hope to sell it and be car free, but needed it to run around looking at places, and moving things, and car rentals here are so expensive that we were going to have to spend 1500 pounds either way, this came out cheaper.
Home internet will be cheap, and come with channels. We can get, for about $30 us, what $100 would be in the US.
NHS. There is rationing, I don’t want to overstate that I know there are issues and people are quick to explain them to me. But I was able to get my long covid medicine refilled, and the doctor did it by calling me on the phone and chatting. “Do I need to come in?” No, why would I, he talked to me like one adult to another, and sent the refill. Never met him. It did take 10 days to get the call, but in the US to get those meds it took me almost a year and so many visits.
When I refilled the meds, I walked into a Boots and gave my temporary address. They handed me the medicine. It’s fucking free in Scotland. I was paying hundreds a month for it. The doctor was outraged when I told him that. “The ingredients are just a few pounds, why do that to you?” he said. Without it, I get 2-3 hours of function. With it, 10+ hours. When I took one of my daughters to an appointment, people were complaining in the waiting room about the one hour wait. It felt no different to me than any normal visit I paid for back home, we’d have the same waiting room wait. I was so scared about the standard of care given what I’ve read, horror stories. The facilities are more humble, yes, we had to make appointments ahead, but the nurses and receptionists and doctors have been comparable so far.
There’s this app called Too Good to Go. You can sign up and get pastries, or whatever restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stories are going to toss at the end of day. That’s been fun on occasion, to get a mystery bag of whatever for a few pounds.
I don’t think we’re going to try to buy a place anytime soon, but mortgage brokers here have a fiduciary responsibility to the customer, and get audited to make sure they’re not giving bad advice.
I’m told gas and electric is really expensive, but electric is only slightly higher than Ohio because Ohio hides so many hidden charges in the bill that it’s not that far off. I’ll learn more about the gas and boiler prices this winter. But those constant hidden charges that everything in America has are gone, and it is amazing what that does to the constant background tension you have.
The homes are smaller, and that will be a challenge. The cars are smaller, the parking tiny, the roads harder to navigate.
But there is architecture, and places to visit, and more protections. I feel like people aren’t just things to be ground down as much, a feeling that’s already noticeable. I have access to two world class cities in Glasgow and Edinburgh with a short train ride. I’ve met such warm and welcoming people.
There’s a lot of niceness in the midwest, but a corporate-first inclination that make you feel dehumanized at every turn.
Here, I’ve encountered issues, but there’s a kindness, and a human-first system underlying the systems.
The moment it really became obvious to me was when I dropped a rental off at the edge of the town I’m temporarily in. It was at an Enterprise a mile outside the limits, on what I would call a state highway. We walked along the highway on a pavement (sidewalk) and crossed it a pedestrian crossing, walked along the path through some woods, and came out at a bus stop we used to catch a bus back to our VRBO. In the American midwest, I often cannot walk from one business next to each other to the other.
It was evident to me when I went to the Citizens Advice Bureau in town to discuss our temporarily homeless situation, and while they couldn’t help, did ask if I needed a referral to mental health help due to the stress of the situation.
There’s often a place for humans in the system, and I am feeling more and more human every day.
This is a big scary adventure. Will I make local friends at 47? Can I get a community again like I had in Ohio? Will we find jobs, will they be at all fulfilling in a way that teaching university has been? Will be ever be able to afford a home of our own again?
I don’t have answers.
But sitting on a bus the other day, looking out over vibrant green hills and seeing a hot air balloon meander over the desktop background-worthy landscape, I hope this works, because I feel optimistic about my chances for the first time in a long while, whereas in the US, even without ICE worries, I’ve just felt as if we were in a unsustainable spiral of things just getting worse from quarter to quarter.