Scotland has taught me some odd habits when dealing with the weather. Back in the Gulf South I would only carry an umbrella with me when I would see dark clouds outside. If I saw a clear sky, then I wouldn't have any trouble with the weather. In Scotland, I would look at a clear sky and think, "Oh, it's sunny today. There's no need to carry an umbrella or raincoat." Thirty minutes after walking out of my flat, I would be on the other side of town when a sudden storm drenched me. This storm might end by the time I get home to get my umbrella. I learned to carry an umbrella, raincoat, and thicker jacket in my book bag just in case something happened. Often my book bag was stuffed with extra clothing in case the weather changed suddenly even though I only carried one book and notebook in this bag. Once a friend asked on a sunny morning, "Do you think it'll rain today?" I answered, "It's Scotland." Later that afternoon we had a steady rain. I began not to notice whether it was raining or not. If the raindrops fell, it was no big deal. When I arrived at a friend's house once, she asked me, "Is it raining today?" "I don't know." "Well, didn't you walk outside to get here? Was it raining then?" "Maybe." "What do you mean 'maybe?' What else did you not notice on your way here?" I had no idea whether or not it was raining. I would have looked out the window, but sometimes the view could be deceiving. Often, I would see no raindrops on the ground or streams of rain through the window, but then I'd step outside and feel the steady mist. As it so happened on the day my friend asked me whether or not it was raining, it was raining. When I first moved to St Andrews, several locals told me that this part of Scotland was the windiest but driest part of Britain. I believed them, but I didn't think the label 'driest' place in Britain meant much. A professor later told me that every town in Britain he has ever lived in claimed to be the 'driest' in Britain, so perhaps it's just a lie locals tell themselves in order to endure the weather.
Scotland also taught me to carry a coat with me everywhere I go, even if I felt warm. This habit has been quite handy because the weather changes so quickly. During the early summer I became excited with the green trees and more sunlight; I thought these changes translated into warmer weather. Sometimes I'd think, "There's no need to carry a coat today." I'd put on short sleeves and step outside and feel the 60º F (15º C) temperature. This temperature is only slightly higher than the average January temperature for where I grew up in Mississippi (50º F or 10º C). The Scottish 'summer' never felt like summer. Whenever I'd accidently forget that a sunny day did not mean a warm day, I'd quickly run back inside and get my coat. Occasionally, the temperature would actually be warm. One day the temperature even got to 78º F (25º C), and everyone went crazy and jumped into the North Sea to cool off (on this particular day, the low temperature in Houston was 80º F). On these warm days in St Andrews I actually thought, "This is incredibly hot. Why am I sweating so much? This is Scotland. I shouldn't sweat here." Yet these days were rare. Even if I felt warm, I'd still carry a coat with me because I knew any moment I'd be in the wind or under a shadow where I'd feel cold again. This habit became so ingrained that I when I visited family in Houston last June, I mindlessly went to carry a coat with me when I left the house. The temperature was around 100º F (38º C) that day.
Though I don't believe that 'summer' actually exists as long as I have to wear a coat, I realized in late August that the Scottish 'summer' was over. I originally wore my light coat when I left my flat, but then I realized the weather was much too cool for this lighter coat. I had to wear my heavier coat. In Mississippi I would judge when summer ended based upon how many people wore shorts and flip-flops. In Scotland I guess I would judge based upon which coat I needed to wear. It's weird living in a place that requires me to wear some kind of coat all year.
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