Describe, Interpret, Evaluate. Scotland.

There’s many things I would like to tell about Scotland from Irn Bru and the different accents to Balmorality or the clans, but something that you will encounter straight away alighting from the plane is as follows:

Walking toward the terminal you make eye contact with someone and they greet you. Someone is approaching you and you avoid toward the same direction and they instantly apologize. You go to a supermarket, and at the till the cashier will wait for you to pack your groceries and keep a small talk going until you’re finished packing. You hold door open for someone and will be thanked with ”Cheers!”. Be prepared for their wittiness and sarcasm as well – you will find that sometime their seemingly polite comment may be backhanded!

The politeness and small talk seemed quite foreign to me and I can still remember starting to tell about my day when I was asked ”How are you?” at the till. People will apologize about any inconvenience however small it is, and it catches on very quickly. British are often really indirect and if you happen to actually do something resentful, they most likely won’t say anything but ”give you the evils”, which is a kind of a resentful glance.

Apart from the last part, this avoids conflict and gives good impression of the encounter with a person, which must be the reason why people do it. It also makes the people appear more approachable. This small talk is the deal breaker, as with it you’re giving first impression what kind of person you are. Generally you should avoid anything personal while still talking about something that fits the situation. Maybe it comes from the idea of being more classy and formal by humouring your company.  

After a while and after getting used to it more, it’s easy to see when people just say tthings but don’t actually mean it. Sometimes the small talk can lead into quite awkward situations, if you’re not used to it, but after a while making small talk will feel normal. As a Finn I found it slightly exhausting and still do after my stay. I would rather have meaningful talk with people or not talk at all. Though, every so often I found it fun and pleasant. Overall I've mixed thoughts about it. 

Letter home

Greetings from Scotland! 

In Finland I study IT-engineering at Centria UAS and for the past four months I’ve been studying Computing at University of Highlands and Islands in Scotland. When I first arrived here, I had no idea what would be ahead. It has been great experience so far and a lot of fun. 

Studying here has been different compared to Finland. We’ve had fewer lectures and most of them are video conferences. UHI has campuses scattered all around the north Scotland and there isn’t a lecturer for every module at every campus, which is the reason for the video conference sessions. Scattered campuses is also the reason why my study group is quite small. Most of the studying is self-directed, which is not a problem as long as you know how to manage your time! Usually a course work consists of a wide research topic, moderately big project and an exam. Because the studying is so flexible, it has allowed me to organize many trips around Scotland.  

Everything has gone well so far, and there has not been any major difficulties. Some projects have been tough but nothing impossible to overcome, and the lecturers are ready to offer help. At first the Scottish accent and their dialects were somewhat hard to understand but I got used to it quickly.  

The everyday life differs from Finland in a sense that I hang around with people a lot more than I would in Finland. We get together to cook, go out or find something to do almost every evening. Also, getting to know new people is quite easy and I’ve had chance to try new activities. For example, I had no idea Scotland would be such a great place for surfing!   

The houses around here are different from houses in Finland. Usually there is carpet (except in the bathroom and kitchen), shoes are worn inside, the sink and the bath have both hot and cold water taps, and almost all houses are built of stone.

There are multiple little differences in almost everything but it doesn’t take long time to get used to them, and I’d say I didn’t have a big culture shock arriving here. It has been great to see all the differences in how everything works and the cultural differences. Especially the Scottish traditions and events have been interesting! 

I cannot pick only a one thing to be the highlight of my stay here as all the trips we’ve done have been great. We’ve gone hiking at places like Isle of Skye, Isle of Mull and Cairn Gorms, visited a whisky distillery and checked out bigger cities. I eagerly await how the spring semester will unfold!

Below are some pictures and you can check out more on my instagram, if you’re interested Therttua