ABSTRACT
I write as a woman from the northern Highlands of Scotland. For over thirty years I have worked in the north-east of Scotland, at the University of Aberdeen. That may not sound like a long distance to move, but the north-east is a quite separate region, with a history and culture completely different from those of my Highland upbringing. Despite having worked here and raised our children here, neither my husband (originally from Northern Ireland) nor myself 'belongs' to this culture, and I am frequently reminded of my difference. It is not just that the north-east has a very specific local Scots dialect that we have learned to follow, but would not presume to speak. As a small city grown suddenly to medium size, Aberdeen still has a well-developed distinction between those who went to school here and have relatives here, and those who did not and have not. And in the north-east there is a culture, which has both good and bad sides, but is certainly different from my own, of steadiness accompanied by understatement, best conveyed through the phrase used for even the highest praise: 'Nae bad'.
