one year on

Today's soundtrack:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Just a quick note.  Yesterday was our first year anniversary of living in Scotland.  Miguel and I went out for a celebratory fish dinner over at the Anstruther Fish Bar.  It's hard to believe we've been here a year already.

It still feels like we just arrived the other day.  Everything has just gone whizzing past.  Thinking back to how I felt about moving and living in Scotland this time last year, I think I've acclimatized rather well.  Sure, I still don't really understand Scots (aside from scunnert, droukit, and crabbit), but I understand the accent a bit more.  I think joining the Anstruther Philharmonic Society helped a fair bit with that.  At the very least, I learned how to roll those "r"s.

But then I look at the Ivory Tower calendar and realize we've had so many people come to visit us over  the past year.  Nothing worked so well to make me feel like I was already home than people coming to stay.  So thanks to Shivaali and Maddy, John and Kristy, Yvon and André (and Jaan!), Kathleen, Sean, David, Ángeles and Miguel, Sriram, and Helen for visiting us in the funky blue house.

It's hard to say what is the Scottish highlight of the year for me, although nothing was more hilarious/traumatic/educational than Louis the Lobster.  Other culinary experiments have been more successful, aside from the bread disaster, which is handy since two friends will soon be coming to St. Andrews to study and will likely be in need of a good supper now and again.  Be warned, Shivaali and Uta - I'm playing around with North African cuisine now and I make a mean tagine.

Not sure what we have planned for this coming year.  BFF Lindsay is coming over in June and I've promised to help her harass Campbells (I'll be the one on the kazoo) up in the Highlands.  I hope to get over the Isle of May again, visit Kellie Castle and the Secret Bunker, and perhaps venture up to Inverness to visit the transplanted and gainfully-employed Kristen.  I've slowly realized, however, that I don't need to do everything in a year as we're going to be here for a while... although most days I still wake up in disbelief that I live in Scotland.