It's 23rd September which means I have now been living in (a non-independent) Scotland for 8 weeks pretty much exactly, and been practising as an F1 for 7. Time flies when you're having fun, eh...? Or just when you're too busy to realise perhaps..?!
There's been so much that is new to me. More so than I guess I've ever experienced. The working out how to get the bus, where to buy my toilet roll at 2230, where to grind your own almond nut butter (yes it exists and yes it's worth the walking 20 minutes out of my way to grind it myself!)... to who to trust... on the street, on the wards, and when to just trust yourself.
Then there was even a slight wave of politics that ran through me. Yes the #indyref as they called it.
I have never, ever been once remotely interested in what in politics - not when I was 16, despite spending most waking hours of my life physically in the shadow of parliament, and not now, despite many of my friends reminding me I should be otherwise. But this time was different. A question had been raised that might change the course of modern history. And Everyone (with a capital E) was talking about it. Yes and No posters lined and do still line the windows. Badges were being worn. The news was rife with Team Westminster vs Salmond - I couldn't escape it even on a treadmill!
It was when I started speaking to some students during my postgrad freshers week that I realised the seriousness to the situation. Some of them were a few years younger than me, fresh out of an undergrad degree or just a mature student about to start university a bit later in life. But I realised that whilst I was young and naive, they were even more so. In the same way I was a few years back. Their votes were their family's vote - not one that was informed and certainly not autonomous. This kicked me to go read up a bit more about both campaigns - there were plenty of flyers coming through our letter box but I needed less propaganda and more facts. And there hit the problem. There were few facts because most of the campaign was hinging on yet again politicians making up their own!
To cut a long story short, my conclusion was, that simply because of this, it most definitely had to be a No. The risks involved that would have surfaced if independence had been won were far too great. Salmond is charismatic, a true Scot at heart and in head, but I'm afraid I have to say the Yes campaign was based on little more than that; nationalists who wished their identities to be made official with a stamp and maybe a passport, and nothing more.
On Thursday 18th September, the day finally came, and even our hospital couldn't escape the excitement. There was talk of patients going on "day pass" so they could cast their vote, patients telling me they hadn't slept all night as they were listening to the radio, or the neighbouring patient was and so no-one in the bay had slept! There was a nervousness about.
On Friday morning, I awoke to read the news: Scotland has voted No. I felt a wave of relief. I didn't want to see the country I had just moved to potentially crumble to pieces even if it most probably wouldn't affect me! Things are good as they are. If it ain't broke therefore, best not to fix it.
I then drove past Yes campaigners drinking their sorrows away at 0730 in the morning sitting out on their windowledge. Our Scots will be Scots!
Tuesday, 23 September 2014
Friday, 5 September 2014
Edinburgh
It's late and I'm preparing for my second batch of nights which start tomorrow, but I shan't bore you with more about the life of a baby doc - instead about my new home, Edinburgh.
What I found promising before coming here were the responses to "I'm moving to Edinburgh". No one ever replied with an "oh" or "OH". Instead there would usually be something along the lines of "Oooh I love Edinburgh" or "it's such a nice place", to which I would smile with relief at my decision being reaffirmed that maybe it was the right one.
Then when I came, I loved that the locals also loved their city (NB there's a lot of loving in this post!). In fact I distinctly remember my landlady chanting the same words I had heard from the taxi driver the day I signed my contract "I wouldn't live anywhere else in the world." Very promising! And you know, today as I was driving across the Forth Bridge (thinking to myself who needs San Francisco with this?!) to venture into what is signposted the "Kingdom of Fife" (no joke), I could totally see why they wouldn't.
Edinburgh is a lovely old yet new place. In the Old Town the architecture is quite gothic as my sister puts it, dark and towering spires in every corner but also mysteriously beautiful. Then of course you have all the new glassy modern buildings that every other European city has too, reminding you not to forget this city is also a part of the 21st century.
Then there are the people here, who are so much more friendly than I've ever been used to. People say thank you when leaving the bus (something thought of as profoundly strange in London, not that I've seen it much done!), people smile at each other on the street, greet each other in hospital, help each other without being prompted. Talking of helping each other, a new neighbour knocked on the door today, wearing no shoes, locked outside his flat! We agreed to lend him a pair of our flatmate's flip-flops so he could retrieve keys from a friend down the road. This is the second neighbour to knock on our door with a slightly random request! But here, helping one another, even if you haven't met before really isn't a strange thing. In fact, as I write this I realise writing about it at all is such a sad thing. This should be the norm!
There are literally umpteen other reasons as to why I love it so much already... great food (even for a choosey foodie!), the countryside, beach and mountains on your doorstep, a short, relatively stress-free commute to work, pop up ever-changing festivals and markets, standalone cafés and shops, a culture that embraces keeping fit... the only downsides really are the unpredictable weather and my family being 4 hours away! But I'm getting accustomed to both those things... and actually next week I'll be in London - my first trip "down South" since the big move. I'm looking forward to seeing my family and friends, but I have to say though I know I love it too, I'm not actually missing London, yet! I'm sure the time will come but for now, (with or without independence), it's Scawwwwt-luund all the way!
What I found promising before coming here were the responses to "I'm moving to Edinburgh". No one ever replied with an "oh" or "OH". Instead there would usually be something along the lines of "Oooh I love Edinburgh" or "it's such a nice place", to which I would smile with relief at my decision being reaffirmed that maybe it was the right one.
Then when I came, I loved that the locals also loved their city (NB there's a lot of loving in this post!). In fact I distinctly remember my landlady chanting the same words I had heard from the taxi driver the day I signed my contract "I wouldn't live anywhere else in the world." Very promising! And you know, today as I was driving across the Forth Bridge (thinking to myself who needs San Francisco with this?!) to venture into what is signposted the "Kingdom of Fife" (no joke), I could totally see why they wouldn't.
Edinburgh is a lovely old yet new place. In the Old Town the architecture is quite gothic as my sister puts it, dark and towering spires in every corner but also mysteriously beautiful. Then of course you have all the new glassy modern buildings that every other European city has too, reminding you not to forget this city is also a part of the 21st century.
Then there are the people here, who are so much more friendly than I've ever been used to. People say thank you when leaving the bus (something thought of as profoundly strange in London, not that I've seen it much done!), people smile at each other on the street, greet each other in hospital, help each other without being prompted. Talking of helping each other, a new neighbour knocked on the door today, wearing no shoes, locked outside his flat! We agreed to lend him a pair of our flatmate's flip-flops so he could retrieve keys from a friend down the road. This is the second neighbour to knock on our door with a slightly random request! But here, helping one another, even if you haven't met before really isn't a strange thing. In fact, as I write this I realise writing about it at all is such a sad thing. This should be the norm!
There are literally umpteen other reasons as to why I love it so much already... great food (even for a choosey foodie!), the countryside, beach and mountains on your doorstep, a short, relatively stress-free commute to work, pop up ever-changing festivals and markets, standalone cafés and shops, a culture that embraces keeping fit... the only downsides really are the unpredictable weather and my family being 4 hours away! But I'm getting accustomed to both those things... and actually next week I'll be in London - my first trip "down South" since the big move. I'm looking forward to seeing my family and friends, but I have to say though I know I love it too, I'm not actually missing London, yet! I'm sure the time will come but for now, (with or without independence), it's Scawwwwt-luund all the way!
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