Ex-Pat Nostalgia

Reasons I miss being an ex-pat in Edinburgh:

-real dart boards
-good cask ales
-Arthur's Seat
-Sheep Heid Inn, since 1360
-stone streets
-castles
-my love-hate relationship with the US Consulate
-creepy closes
-sitting outside at a bar or cafe and hearing no less than 5 different languages
-trying to explain American football in exchange for lessons on cricket or rugby
-Pie Maker
-thinking that all my classrooms looks like scenes right out of Harry Potter!
-being able to totally dress up without looking out of place
-easy access to inexpensive yet fashionable clothing and shoes
-Edinburgh Zoo and its African wild dogs
-fog
-Indian food
-Sainsbury's
-living next-door to the Queen
-looking right before crossing the street (which I still do on occasion)
-carrying my passport around everywhere (which, actually, I still do, too)
-smart cars galore!
-Ryan Air
-folk clubs, jazz cellars and Latin bars... now I feel like a city isn't a real city without them
-Leith
-being the center of attention because everyone thought my accent was hot
-Christmas markets
-the train
-public transportation that was worth a damn
-the National Library of Scotland, with its Gutenberg Bible
-British politics and how utterly amusing they are

-the freedom that only comes by living somewhere totally unfamiliar...