Top 25 Things I Love and Miss so far...

I thought this may be fun to read and learn about the differences I've noticed...

Things I Love about Scotland

1. The friendly people
2. Their strong sense of culture and heritage
3. Their landscape
4. Their love of whiskey (I'm not a big fan but I can appreciate it)
5. Their history and monuments (like castles, palaces, etc.)

6. The accent (even though I can't understand it well!)
7. Cooler weather (but not too cold!)
8. Their Freshers Week (does not even compare to Howdy Week at OU...sorry to admit)
9. My colleagues (that's what they call classmates...so proper!)
10. The new, hilarious Sky 1 TV show, An Idiot Abroad (I hope they show it in the US but I doubt it...well it was produced by Ricky Gervais so there's a chance it could come over)
11. Walking...yes, it's sometimes a pain, but it's nice to walk every now & then, especially if I have a place to go...otherwise I may blow off walking ;)

12. I admire the Scottish people's ability to layer and dress warmly, yet still fashionably...winter clothing is my favorite because I get to wear boots!
13. Prices include the VAT (tax) so no surprises when you check out!
14. Pret a Manger & Cafe Nero
15. The Meadows - it's like a giant park with running/biking trails, places to sit & eat, sports courts/fields, etc.

16. The convenience of having a giant entertainment center right beside my flat (which includes restaurants, my gym, a cinema, bowling, etc.)
17. Train system...it's not always fun, but that would've been SO helpful if we had one from Dallas to OKC & it made stops in Norman!
18. No cash withdrawal fees (I have a bank here, Clydesdale, and you can pull money from any bank's ATM without getting a withdrawal fee)

19. Free museum admission (not all, but several!)
20. The festivals! (They are mostly during August, so I missed 2010 but am gonna see 2011's festivals...I hear they're amazing, and the whole city transforms!)
21. Pub atmosphere (although they sometimes are a bit narrow & crowded!)
22. My studio flat
23. Bagpipes!!
24. Kilts!
25. Rugby (I'm really confused on the rules, but it's entertaining!)

Things I Miss about the States

1. The obvious, my friends and family
2. My puppy Shammie (and Ace too)
3. US healthcare (including medicine brands like Advil & Tylenol)
4. Familiar brand names
5. Real Diet Coke (it tastes different here)
6. Rain that includes thunder storms
7. A/C and real heating units (I don't get the radiator thing)
8. Driving my car
9. TV (I have to use my computer to watch TV while here)
10. The US dollar
11. Wifi (we do get it in the business school though!)
12. Sooner football games...duh!

13. Doing laundry without the need for coins
14. Dallas tap water (Scottish tap water is ok...)
15. Wal-Mart (we have an Asda here...which is owned by Wal-Mart & is the UK's equivalent...but it's just not the same)
16. Thanksgiving
17. Less people smoking everywhere (it's pretty bad here)
18. 3-ringed binders (yes, they have 2-rings...weird)
19. An oven (I have a microwave/oven in my flat...but I have no clue how to make it act like an oven...)

20. Comforters as well as Bed-in-a-Bag (I am not a fan of duvets or buying each piece of bedding separately)
21. US magazines (they're not bad here, I just don't know many UK celebs...)
22. Places that stay open on weekends and have longer opening hours
23. A larger shower :) and a bathtub too!
24. Mexican food!
25. US plugs & outlets