1. CULTURE SHOCK IS A GOOD THING
Experiencing other cultures and the history behind it makes you look at life in a different way. One of the culture shocks I’ve experienced was paying to go to the bathroom. This isn’t everywhere but it was different. Another culture shock was not having water at the tables all the time. Yes, you had to ask for the most basic necessity. Speaking of necessities, hotels have twin beds. Yes, twin beds. They will push them together to make a “full” bed but you can easily separate it. Depending on the hotel, the bathroom will be very small. In Scotland, we asked a DJ to play Ariana Grande or “Sucker” by the Jo Bros and they didn’t know what we were talking about. It was definitely a shock we heard a majority of American music but it was in past decades. Rock n’ Roll my dudes.
2. DIG DEEP INTO HISTORY
We are taught in school about battles or monuments and try to envision it in our heads. Visiting historical sites and landmarks gives you a better understanding of what actually took place. When I was in Scotland, there was a Tavern called “The Last Drop”. It’s called that because beheadings used to happen in the square in front of the Tavern.
3. THE FOOD AND DRINKS ARE AMAZING
Do not ever allow stigmas to prevent you from trying traditional food! You may be surprised and actually like it. For example, I ate Haggis while I was abroad in Scotland. After I told people I ate it, they were shook that I had the guts to do it. Take a bite and go from there. Now, I wish I lived in Scotland so I could have it! Also, always finesse the waiters and waitresses. For example, we had a waiter who said we could wait 45 minutes for a group of six people. I asked if we could split and he got the entire group a table in five minutes. Finesse. Finesse. Finesse. This also goes back to the water. Ask for water immediately. If you go somewhere known for a certain food (e.g. fish and chips), get it where it originates from. We tried fish and chips in different areas and the best was, you guessed it, in a harbor town.
4. TALK TO THE LOCALS
The locals know everything. I mean, everything. They know where the good food spots are, they know the best bars, and they certainly know their way around. Our tour bus drivers were amazing at telling us restaurants to try and places to go. They love talking to Americans to get our perspective on certain issues. It is also a good way to get to know their politics and ask them about key issues in their country. We asked a lot of Scottish people their thoughts on Brexit because it is so recent. Some business owners told us how they were preparing. Some business owners have been to Buc-ee’s in Texas and could rave about it for days.