Americans around Aberdeen?

Hello everyone !

I'm going to be moving to Aberdeen in September and wanted to see if there were other Americans around to chat with and hopefully make some expat friends

I'm a Florida girl, joining my hubby. I am bracing for major culture shock so meeting new people would help. Thanks !

Hi Lunarea,

My wife and I live in the Edinburgh area.  We moved to Scotland early this year, but had lived here previously, as well.  Lindsay is from the UK originally.  While in the US, we lived in Oklahoma, Arizona and Charleston, SC.  Hope things go smoothly with your move.  Shout if you have any questions or need any advice.

Mark

Hi Lunarea,

My wife and I live in the Edinburgh area.  We moved to Scotland early this year, but had lived here previously, as well.  Lindsay is from the UK originally.  While in the US, we lived in Oklahoma, Arizona and Charleston, SC.  Hope things go smoothly with your move.  Shout if you have any questions or need any advice.

Mark

Hi mark !

Thanks for replying. My real name is Ali, by the way, and my husband is Dave.

How do you like living in Scotland ? I keep being warned about how bad and dreary the weather is. I think I can cope though.  Edinburgh is such a beautiful city ... We visited briefly on my first trip to Scotland last year.

I used to live in SC! Columbia though. Actually never made it to Charleston. Columbia was really fun though. Also lived in Maryland and Tennessee.

Have you been able to make some new local friends fairly easy ? Are there any ex pat groups you're part of ? I keep reading mixed things about meeting people and it being difficult.


I would take any advice you have to give !



Ali

Ali, my husband and I are moving to Edinburgh in a few weeks! (I'm going for school)

We live in NC now but I'm from Georgia.

Sounds like we are going to have a similar adjustment period Good luck!

Ali, my husband and I are moving to Edinburgh in a few weeks! (I'm going for school)

We live in NC now but I'm from Georgia.

Sounds like we are going to have a similar adjustment period Good luck!

Congrats to you! How exciting !

I am still waiting for the actual visa (should be any day now!!) but yes it does sound like we will be going through the same things at the same time!

What are you studying ? I am close to finishing my degree and wondering if credits will transfer.

What made you choose Edinburgh?

Hi mark !

Thanks for replying. My real name is Ali, by the way, and my husband is Dave.

How do you like living in Scotland ? I keep being warned about how bad and dreary the weather is. I think I can cope though.  Edinburgh is such a beautiful city ... We visited briefly on my first trip to Scotland last year.

I used to live in SC! Columbia though. Actually never made it to Charleston. Columbia was really fun though. Also lived in Maryland and Tennessee.

Have you been able to make some new local friends fairly easy ? Are there any ex pat groups you're part of ? I keep reading mixed things about meeting people and it being difficult.


I would take any advice you have to give !



Ali

Hi Ali,

I do think it's a bit difficult to meet people here.  But not so bad if you're working or going to school.  I've made a few casual friends, but no close ones to speak of yet.  I probably need to get involved in some group activity stuff.  I don't know of any expat groups in the Edinburgh or Aberdeen areas, but that doesn't mean they aren't there.  i know there are usually a lot of Americans in Aberdeen due to the oil business.

As for the weather- I like it for the most part, although the rain can get a bit depressing when it lasts for 2-3 days (fortunately, that doesn't happen too often).  The key for me is to just ignore the weather and go ahead and do things.  You'll find yourself buying a lot more coats & jackets than you needed in the States- haha!  That said, last winter wasn't too bad- In fact, it was pretty mild.  I don't think we had any days below 'freezing' after the Holidays.

I recommend you invest in a good quality technical jacket- Something with 'Gore-Tex' or similar that will keep you dry without being too hot or stuffy.

Here a a few ideas for you to kill extra time (if you have any):
*You can get a 30% off Rail Card if you and your husband are traveling together, so it makes 'Day Trips' a little less expensive.  Pitlochry & Inverness are good places to go.
*There are a lot of things to see and do in Edinburgh (and Glasgow too).  The Edinburgh Festival is going on just now with a multitude of shows and food stalls.  Edinburgh Oktoberfest is in early October, then the Christmas Markets start setting up in late-Nov/early-Dec.  Also, Edinburgh Playhouse has a lot of good shows, including some of the 'West End' Musicals from London and you can find good deals on hotels making an overnight here a nice getaway.
*There's a 'night-coach' train from Edinburgh to London where you get a sleeper-car  room.  If I remember correctly, it leaves Edinburgh Waverly around 11:00 PM and arrive at London Paddington? the next morning about 7:00. 
*Check out the 'charity shops' (almost every town of any size has a few) as you can find some cool bargains for things you may need and it's fun to look around.
*There are some great deals on 2 & 3 night package deals to Amsterdam, Bruge & other places on the continent.  We recently had 3 nights in Amsterdam at a 4* hotel with return flight included for 229 Pounds each.  We usually try and take a quick trip to Munich, Nuremberg or one of the other German Christmas Markets in mid-December as airfare is pretty cheap.

And, try to stay focused on the 'good'...I do get a little homesick & miss my family, but all-in-all, it's a pretty good life here.

Have you tried your hand at driving yet? 

Mark

Hi Ali,

I do think it's a bit difficult to meet people here.  But not so bad if you're working or going to school.  I've made a few casual friends, but no close ones to speak of yet.  I probably need to get involved in some group activity stuff.  I don't know of any expat groups in the Edinburgh or Aberdeen areas, but that doesn't mean they aren't there.  i know there are usually a lot of Americans in Aberdeen due to the oil business.

As for the weather- I like it for the most part, although the rain can get a bit depressing when it lasts for 2-3 days (fortunately, that doesn't happen too often).  The key for me is to just ignore the weather and go ahead and do things.  You'll find yourself buying a lot more coats & jackets than you needed in the States- haha!  That said, last winter wasn't too bad- In fact, it was pretty mild.  I don't think we had any days below 'freezing' after the Holidays.

I recommend you invest in a good quality technical jacket- Something with 'Gore-Tex' or similar that will keep you dry without being too hot or stuffy.

Here a a few ideas for you to kill extra time (if you have any):
*You can get a 30% off Rail Card if you and your husband are traveling together, so it makes 'Day Trips' a little less expensive.  Pitlochry & Inverness are good places to go.
*There are a lot of things to see and do in Edinburgh (and Glasgow too).  The Edinburgh Festival is going on just now with a multitude of shows and food stalls.  Edinburgh Oktoberfest is in early October, then the Christmas Markets start setting up in late-Nov/early-Dec.  Also, Edinburgh Playhouse has a lot of good shows, including some of the 'West End' Musicals from London and you can find good deals on hotels making an overnight here a nice getaway.
*There's a 'night-coach' train from Edinburgh to London where you get a sleeper-car  room.  If I remember correctly, it leaves Edinburgh Waverly around 11:00 PM and arrive at London Paddington? the next morning about 7:00. 
*Check out the 'charity shops' (almost every town of any size has a few) as you can find some cool bargains for things you may need and it's fun to look around.
*There are some great deals on 2 & 3 night package deals to Amsterdam, Bruge & other places on the continent.  We recently had 3 nights in Amsterdam at a 4* hotel with return flight included for 229 Pounds each.  We usually try and take a quick trip to Munich, Nuremberg or one of the other German Christmas Markets in mid-December as airfare is pretty cheap.

And, try to stay focused on the 'good'...I do get a little homesick & miss my family, but all-in-all, it's a pretty good life here.

Have you tried your hand at driving yet? 

Mark

Wow ! Thanks for all the tips, that's great.

I am too scared to try driving. It seems silly but the driving on the left thing, all the roundabouts or traffic circles (whatever you wanna call them 🙂) seems like a lot to adjust to. Plus the steering wheel on the other side of the car ! Baby steps for me.

What about you? Do you drive over there ?

Getting really excited about the move now. Might be arriving through Edinburgh next month! My travel plans are changing. This whole process is crazy stressful.

It's nice having some people that can relate


Ali

As someone who learned to drive in the UK, I was so hesitant about driving in the US when I visited and I put it off for years, but when I finally plucked up the courage to do it, driving on the other side was much easier than I expected. Because the steering wheel was on the other side, it just seemed natural to drive on the other side too.


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Because the steering wheel was on the other side, it just seemed natural to drive on the other side too.

Yes! As long as the steering wheel is on the appropriate side of the car for the country that you're in, it's not hard at all to drive on the other side. 

Yes! As long as the steering wheel is on the appropriate side of the car for the country that you're in, it's not hard at all to drive on the other side. 

I'd say it's easy to drive on the other side if you're driving an automatic...

Stick on the other hand, you get thrown off a bit. It takes some getting used to.

I'm completely unable to tell my right from my left and also terribly uncoordinated.  One thing I can do is effortlessly switch from driving on the right or left.  I don't even care if driving my British car in France.  I do it all the time without a second thought.  You can as well , it's just practice. 

I'd say it's easy to drive on the other side if you're driving an automatic...

Stick on the other hand, you get thrown off a bit. It takes some getting used to.

Yeah, I think you're right - I've only driven automatic in the US so haven't had to contend with the gear stick being on the other side. The first few times I drove though I kept whacking my hand on the door because I was reaching down to change gears (I also kept trying to put my foot down on a non-existent clutch) .


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Yeah, I think you're right - I've only driven automatic in the US so haven't had to contend with the gear stick being on the other side. The first few times I drove though I kept whacking my hand on the door because I was reaching down to change gears (I also kept trying to put my foot down on a non-existent clutch) .


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It's really trippy! When I first started driving here my brain was dead set that the pedals and gear shift must be mirror image rather than simply moved over to the right. I did the hand to the door a lot too! It's pretty funny, but a bit scary and frustrating in traffic. Going from here to the US is easier too since the roads are so much wider, there's more room for error.

That's the other thing - I have only driven automatic cars. Potentially will have to learn to drive a stick over there! Looks a little complicated.

Maybe I will give public transportation a shot first. 😀

That's the other thing - I have only driven automatic cars. Potentially will have to learn to drive a stick over there! Looks a little complicated.

Maybe I will give public transportation a shot first. 😀

Oh, you can easily get automatic cars over here now, they aren't all that rare. I think they're a bit more expensive though? If you haven't learned to drive stick yet, it'll be a boon to you. You won't be fighting your US standard driving muscle memory all the time. haha.

The thing to remember is if you take your driving test in an automatic car you will only be licensed to drive an automatic car. You'd have to take the test again in a standard to be licensed to drive those.