Finally here.

We arrived in safely in St. Andrews late Wednesday afternoon after a l o n g journey by sea, land and air. Well, not quite. Just three different planes, an airport shuttle, two busses and a cab.

If I can ever help it, I will not fly internationally again while 31 weeks pregnant with twins. That trip was plain hard on a woman carrying a 30-pound bump. Nevertheless, we did arrive safely with no complications (rare in our life)-- no lost baggage, missed or delayed flights, nothing.

Flying into New York City was beautiful, as was London. But landing in Edinburgh was honestly the most beautiful thing either of us have ever seen. It was the perfect blend of rolling hills, flat fields and farms mixed with suburbs and bustling town life. 

We picked up a bus from Edinburgh and made it to St. Andrews just short of two hours later. We honestly thought we were entering an entirely different world driving through St. Andrews. All the buildings are stone, rooftops are slate, flowers grow everywhere. There’s never a shortage of bikes or pedestrians; we have cobblestone streets, brick streets, and a few concrete streets. 

We then loaded our luggage into a cab and had a breathtaking 3 minute drive to our new home. We were gladly surprised when we discovered it was not the house we thought it was on Google Maps. We have a little garden out front, and the back is enclosed by a brown picket fence (but a tall one). To one side is a wide open field of green, green grass and to the other is a sweet couple in their early 60’s. The husband is from North Carolina and has the greatest combination of a southern accent and a Scottish brogue. Quite charming people, really.

Our backyard (just past the fence) is fields. All fields. Rolling fields growing something tall and golden. Fields as far as one can see with an occasional shepherd’s hut here and there.

Our house is on one of the highest points in St. Andrews, so from our bedroom window (facing North) we see rooftops, the top of what remains of the St. Andrews Cathedral, a part of the Castle, and beyond that, sea. Just past the sea there are hills. Huge, rolling hills for miles and miles.

The people here are incredibly friendly and don’t even compare to Americans, so I won’t try. Here, everyone smiles. They make eye contact (perhaps as if they know I’m an American wandering the grocery store aisles in search of q-tips [what the heck are those?]).

We found a lovely church that meets in an equally lovely building on South Street (which is quite a happening market area). The pastor is great, and the entire congregation was friendly and welcoming. We met several American student families, which we were grateful for because it made the entire experience more familiar and comfortable. We sang great songs, hymns and Psalms, and though they didn’t harmonize quite like our old Redeemer, we really did feel rather at home.

Registering at the hospital was a piece of cake, thankfully. I will see my GP (just like a doctor in the States) this week and my midwife next week. Hopefully later this week or early next we will also go for a tour of the birthing center rooms in the hospital I will be delivering at. 

I enjoy grocery shopping here a bit more than I did in the States. Perhaps its the aspect of walking to the shops, or visiting the locally owned baker, butcher, cheesemonger, and produce markets individually rather than strolling up one aisle and down the next in Whole Foods (don’t get me wrong, I still love Whole Foods and miss many things about it). If we don’t get things up on South Street at the local shops, Aldi is popular here, and blows the ones in the States out of the water. Ours (about a 5 minute walk from our house) is twice as big as any of the locations I’ve ever been to in the States. Their meat and eggs are free range, they carry organic products, their prices are about half what they are in the States (I wasn’t aware Aldi could even get cheaper!), and the quality is incredible. We actually have to choose which brand or type we want to buy. Not to mention their alcohol selection. . . Impressive. Needless to say, it’s a hit.

Weather. Who ever said St. Andrews had awful weather? Yeah yeah, we know winter’s coming. But summer? Absolutely b e a u t i f u l. We have had 6 straight days of sun with scattered clouds. Several days I was so hot in leggings and a long-sleeved shirt that I actually broke a sweat. Since we’ve been here we’ve woken up to chilly, blustery mornings that, by afternoon, turn to sun-filled, breezy days. We both love the weather (right now).

We’re adjusting to the time different surprisingly well, though I’ve been able to stay up well after midnight lately which is rare for me, especially being pregnant. 

I’ll try to get some pictures up soon, though even they won’t do this place justice. If you feel so inclined, please do some visit us. It’s rather gorgeous.

Before I go, a few things we say differently in the States: 

Popsicles= ice lollies

Q-tips = cotton buds

10:30, 1:10, etc. = “half past ten”, “ten past one”, etc.

thrift stores = charity shops

Cheers,

A.H.