When I decided to move to Edinburgh, my excitement level was at an all-time high — and, annoyingly, so was my anxiety level.

One minute I’d be deliriously happy, lost in a daydream imagining what my life in Scotland would be like. Five minutes later, I’d swing to the opposite end of the spectrum, my mind awash with thoughts of the dreaded what-ifs: what if I can’t find a job and run out of money? What if I hate it and want to move back home? What if I don’t make any friends?

I’m sure anyone who’s ever moved abroad can relate — those what-ifs and imagined worst-case scenarios can mess with your head, making you question your decision to uproot your life and relocate to a new country.

If you’re anything like me, I’m guessing you’ve also spent hours scouring the internet, looking for answers and reassurance as you try to navigate everything that comes with a big international move.

I certainly did! And while I came across some helpful information, it wasn’t quite as specific or detailed as I’d hope it’d be.

Like, all I wanted was a comprehensive depiction of day-to-life in Edinburgh, a behind-the-scenes peek at what living in the city is really like, AND all the practical information I needed to make my move there seamless as can be. Was that too much to ask?

Apparently it was, because I struggled to find most of that info online. And that, my friends, is why I wrote this post (al ong with my monthly expat in Edinburgh round-ups, my nearly 3,000-word guide to living in Edinburgh, and all the other Edinburgh expat-related content on this blog) — so that you can have an easier and (hopefully) stress-free experience moving to Scotland’s capital.

But now that I’ve managed to waffle on and veer ever so slightly off-topic, let’s get back to the topic of this post, shall we?

Here are ten things I wish someone told me before I moved to Edinburgh.

1. Living in Edinburgh isn’t always sunshine and rainbows

Now, I know I paint a very rosy picture of my life in Scotland on this blog (and that’s a completely accurate representation of my expat experience), but my time in Edinburgh wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns.

To be fair, when I look back on my stint abroad, it was ONLY rainbows and unicorns. But, once I remove those pesky little rose-coloured glasses, I remember my experience in its entirety: yes, my time in Edinburgh was mostly fantastic, but it was also peppered with plenty of challenges and heartbreak.

There was the painful (albeit relatively short-lived) period in between jobs where I was constantly worried about how quickly my bank account balance was dwindling.

There was the crushing disappointment of having to leave when my visa expired and say goodbye to a life I loved before I was ready.

There were all those minor health issues that made me wonder whether the city was trying to kill me slowly (seriously, I felt like I constantly had a cold/cough/random illness in Edinburgh which, mysteriously, doesn’t happen now that I’m back in Canada).

It’s inevitable: when you move to a new country, you’re going to face some significant setbacks and disappointments, so remember to accept whatever comes your way and try to roll with the punches as best you can.

2. … but everything will work out in the end

You know those over-used and incredibly cliché phrases: everything happens for a reason and everything will work out okay in the end? Try to remember them whenever shit hits the fan (and shit will hit the fan at some point during your time abroad).

Despite all the hiccups I experienced in Edinburgh, everything turned out to be alright, and it happened exactly as it was supposed to in the end (even if it took me a few years and many a breakdown to realize that).

Ah, retrospect. Where would I be without you?

3. You’ll start drinking too much

It’s not like I moved to Edinburgh and turned into a raging alcoholic, but Scots like to drink — and they like to hang out in pubs after work, on the weekends, during the week, on their days off… you get the picture.

And when you’re constantly surrounded by Scottish people who like to drink, you’re bound to pick up on their habits.

The pub culture is real in Edinburgh, folks.

4. You’ll regret not spending more time travelling around Scotland

Cheap flights are both a blessing and a curse; one on hand, it’s delightfully easy to fly to any number of countries across the European continent for next to nothing.

On the other hand, it’s way too easy to prioritize travel to places outside of Scotland — which is something I now regret doing.

Learn from my mistakes, people!

5. You’ll end up realizing Scotland does so many things better than your home country

It’s only natural for expats to compare their adopted home to their actual home. While so many people talk about everything they miss from their respective home country, I ended up realizing how many things Scotland does better than Canada.

Before I say what I going to say, I want you to know I’m not an ungrateful little brat — and I’m fully aware how lucky I am to live where I do.

I’m eternally grateful to call Canada home, but let’s be real: no country is perfect. So won’t you indulge me as I play the expat country comparison game, then?

#1: Cell phone plans

When I found out you can get 3GB of data and unlimited texts for £10 per month (the equivalent of $17 CAD) I was like: wait, WHAT?

Obviously I was thrilled to pay next to nothing for my monthly phone plan in Edinburgh, but I was also slightly enraged that phone companies in Canada get away with charging quadruple the fee for fewer services.

(Canada has the most expensive cell phone plans in the world, just in case you think I’m being dramatic.)

#2: Vacation time

Fellow North Americans, I know that, like me, you probably have a visceral reaction when someone from Europe says they get five or six weeks off every year. Going back to a measly three weeks vacation time was probably the hardest adjustment to make after leaving Scotland.

#3: Public transport

God, I miss the days where I could hop on a bus or train and get just about anywhere in the UK. AND it didn’t cost an arm and a leg. AND it was comfortable and reliable.

Meanwhile, to get to Niagara from Toronto (which is a 1.5-hour drive, by the way), I have to take a painfully slow and expensive three-hour train + bus journey.

So yeah, living in Scotland made me realize the Scots know what they’re doing. Take note, Canada.

6. You’ll end up wanting to stay for, like, ever

Whew, I didn’t see this one coming, to be honest.

While I was laser-focused on trying to achieve all the goals I’d set out for myself while living abroad, I ended up building a life I really loved — one that made me feel happy and content and fulfilled.

So I guess it’s no surprise I ended up wanting to plant some roots and make Edinburgh home for the foreseeable future…

…until the UK immigration system destroyed my dream, that is.

7. Saying goodbye will be the hardest part of your entire expat experience

I’ve already talked about this ad nauseam on this blog, so I won’t go over it yet again. In short, I wanted to stay in Edinburgh, I couldn’t get a visa, and then I had to say a painfully heartbreaking goodbye. The end.

LOL, JUST KIDDING! I actually sort of refused to accept that I couldn’t stay in Scotland and went back twice after my visa expired, and then eventually (read: two years later) came to terms with having to leave.

8. You won’t have time to do it all

Me, before I moved to Edinburgh: “Two years is basically an eternity. I’m going to travel to 3238423 countries and road trip across the entirety of Scotland and advance my career and make new friends and try new things and…”

Me, at the end of every month in Edinburgh: “HOW have I been here for this long ALREADY?!”

Does time go by faster when you live abroad? Is that a thing? Trust me on this one: your time in Edinburgh will fly by faster than you can say “Haud yer wheesht!”

Actually, your Youth Mobility Scheme Visa will probably expire by the time you learn to pronounce that phrase properly. Oh, Scotland.

9. You’ll have to learn a new language (well, sort of)

Moving to a new country is tough, especially when you don’t speak the language and the culture is starkly different from your own.

Luckily, Scottish culture is fairly similar to Canada’s and we speak the same language — or so I thought until I moved to Edinburgh and realized Scotland has its own vernacular. As it turns out, we only kinda sorta speak the same language.

Okay, so technically people in Scotland speak English, but thanks to the mind-boggling amount of slang, Scots words, and regional accents and dialects — each with their own variations of words and unique-to-them jargon — you’ll start to wonder whether you and the locals are, in fact, speaking the same language.

It’s not just the slang you have to get used to — you’ll also feel like you don’t know how to pronounce anything either. I’ve mentioned this before in my Edinburgh Expat Guide, but I learned the hard way with street names like Cockburn (co-burn) and Buccleuch (book-loo).

10. Summer doesn’t really exist in Scotland

“Wait, so you’re telling me it doesn’t get warmer than, like, 17°C in the summer?!”

I genuinely did not understand what my Scottish friend was saying the first time she tried to explain Edinburgh’s “summer” weather to me.

Come to think of it, I’m glad I was blissfully unaware of the fact that Edinburgh doesn’t get a proper summer because it probably would have made me think twice about moving there.

By: www.ashleywanders.com