Essay Sample about Scotland and Scottish Traditions

Perth, Scotland is eloquently settled along the river Tay and centrally located between two sprawling parks and is a shimmering cosmopolitan gem located an hour away from Edinburgh and Glasgow. Walking along the cobblestone streets looking up at the medieval spires and the elegant Georgian townhouses across the city provides a historical atmosphere mixed with the bustle of a modern city. Marvelous monuments and museums are scattered throughout, and you can wander among many trails and streets exploring what the city has to offer. With about 152,000 people living in the city, there are many exciting shopping centers and weekend markets to experience along with its rich historic buildings. With cool summers and long cold winters the city has many activities during both times of the year; temperatures typically vary between 33℉ to 66℉. People often walk, bicycle, drive, or take busses when traveling across the city; if leaving the city you can drive, take buses, or travel by railroad to get to other cities in Scotland.

A traditional full Scottish breakfast includes Lorne sausage (also known as square sausage), Banger (link) sausages, fried egg, streaky bacon or a rasher of bacon, baked beans, black or white pudding, haggis, tattie (potato) scones, fried tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, toast, and oatcakes, along with a mug of tea to wash it all down. Although most Scots do not have the time to whip this up every morning so other Scottish breakfasts include: porridge, rowie (a savory Scottish bread roll), and Arbroath Smokie (smoked haddock). 

In Scotland, children attend public nursery schools starting at age 3 but some private nurseries accept younger children then move to primary school around age 5 but depending on their birthdays before or after. After attending primary school for seven years, you promote to secondary school for a minimum of four years, but 1 or 2 additional years are available for students who choose to further their education at secondary school; some students move on to colleges or universities after completing year 1-4 of secondary school. There are private, independent, and boarding schools around Scotland as well. The school year often starts in August and ends in June with many holidays throughout the year, leaving about 190 days of school, starting each day at 9:00 and ending at 3:30.

Living in Scotland you may learn many new vocabulary words that become normal in your everyday language, some of the most common being wee, aye, radge, rank, mingin’, baltic, and reekin’. Whenever taking public transport you always thank your driver as soon as you reach your destination, along with having an intimate conversation with taxi drivers whenever getting into their cab. 

In Scotland, the weather changes constantly and drastically so layering becomes a must. Once those clothes need to be washed, you air dry them rather than using a dryer which becomes more environmentally friendly and saves money. 

Scots tend to keep about an arm’s length away from each other, and tend to keep 2-3 feet away from each other while speaking; touching tends to be kept at a minimum unless you know the person very well otherwise it may be taken the wrong way. On average, most people tend to shower or bathe at least once a day and roughly about 5 times a week. A “Scottish shower” may not be a thing that locals do daily but it is known; the shower starts at high or warm heat and then switched to icy cold water for a few minutes at the end (it became widely known in Ian Flemming’s James Bond novels).