I Moved to a Scottish City and Everything Changed

Where you live in the world influences how you experience it.

For example, I’ve found that, by and large, Northern countries tend to be much faster paced than Southern ones - my theory being that in Northern countries we’re so cold we feel like we need to move quickly in order to warm up.

When I lived in the verdant Ferghana Valley of Central Asia as a little girl, life was much slower and simpler. I still remember waking to hazy sunshine, the comforting sounds of the mahala filtering through my fading dreams - birch brushes sweeping, the bouncing of a ball, or the rustic trundle of a Soviet Lada. In the garden our apricot tree would be in full bloom and I would sit up on the wooden platform in the white flowery clouds reading, listening to the cooing of birds, or simply feeling the sunshine on my toes, orange upon my closed eyelids.

It was different from lying in bed at night unable to sleep from the whizzing noise of traffic outside and the way that the car lights would make patterns on the wall as they shone for a moment through my rain streaked bedroom window.

Yet here I still am, living in Scotland, a Northern country, and truth be told, I now adore it.

I currently stay in the ancient city of Glasgow, the largest in Scotland, and once the most prestigious trading port in the United Kingdom. It is without a doubt, a city of innovation and building, and today as a modern city, continues to lend itself to a faster, busier pace of life. With the motto, “let Glasgow Flourish, by the preaching of thy word and the praising of thy name,” it is no surprise that this would be a city of growth.

But I have, in spite of this, found softness and quietness to lay my heart upon.

While slow living may be easier in a rural area, or a warmer place, it is not impossible in a city. For one, living in Scotland, a small country, it is not so very difficult to escape to the countryside from time to time. And Glasgow isn’t nicknamed the dear green place for nothing. Yes, there are bars, and shops and nightclubs, a busy city centre, and a thriving music scene. But there are also the country parks, where I can happily spend hours in rain or shine - though generally in rain - cycling through the woods, walking round this pond or another, perhaps on a sunnier day taking a picnic by a river or stopping to smell the flowers in a manicured garden near an old country house.

There is always a variety of plant and bird life, with occasional sightings of deer. In one park, there is even a docile herd of Highland cows.

Back at home, I do not live in a cottage like I dream to do some day. But, that doesn’t prevent me from living a peaceful Cottagecore lifestyle. My home is an old Victorian tenement flat, over one hundred years old and though full of cracks in the walls and dreadfully cold in the wintertime, it has much to recommend itself to a romantic nature.

I receive handwritten letters through an old iron letter box, tuck my books into an Edinburgh press and along a marble fireplace, and, in the evenings, bathe in golden sunlight through the large bay windows.

I have also dressed it up in a simple vintage cottage style, with a few nostalgic touches of Suzani embroidery, every item either useful or beautiful. A wealth of charity shops and vintage jumble sales in my local area have lent themselves well to this purpose - the variety from which I must admit I could not expect from a quieter countryside location.

There is also great choice of coffeeshops, bookshops, art galleries, and museums - quiet places to slow down and enjoy a piece of beauty or a slice of cake.

In my day to day, I make choices that prioritise a slower pace, such as choosing not to own a TV, and switching off technology in the evening. And living in a cold Northern country, though with the disadvantage of a generally faster pace of life, does have the major advantage of allowing for a year round addiction to cosy blankets and hot tea.

It’s undeniable that growing up in agricultural community of hand kneaded bread and homemade jam has drawn me to a simpler lifestyle in adulthood. Simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy however. Fresh produce was harder to come by in the Wintertime and electricity cut outs were not uncommon. The internet was also nearly non-existent in those times. But a life stripped back to the essentials sowed in me a deep appreciation for the simple things in life, and taught me to value faith, relationships, and nature above material possessions.

Returning to Scotland, which I had never truly known, was a hard transition. But through the years I have explored, discovered the wonders of this ancient land, and found that much of what I miss from Uzbekistan continues to be carried within me.

So between a rural upbringing in the East and living in an old Scottish city in the West, I truly feel like I have gained the best of both worlds.

Until next time, it was lovely to have you here.