Karen Mackie
‘I’m from Ayrshire originally, but moved here from London. It was a wee bit of a shock coming here. How do you put it in nice words? I miss the seasons, the fresh air and lush greenery, and I find that air conditioning is worse than Scottish weather – I came to the desert and I use more layers here than I would back home. But I like it here.
‘I am a member of the Scottish St Andrews Society of Abu Dhabi. It brings together Scottish people for events throughout the year, but it’s not exclusive. It actually has more non-Scots on the committee than it does Scots. But it’s the sort of thing when you first arrive that you look to. It’s a place to go to meet people with a familiar background. We’ve now got the St Andrew’s Ball coming up. It’s a celebration of the Scottish culture, food and dance.
‘There are a lot of Scots in Abu Dhabi. I certainly met more here than I ever did in London. They tend to hold a lot of ceilidhs, but this is Scottish country dancing, not Irish dancing where you hold your arms rigid beside you. It’s like sequence dancing. You’re with your partner and you move together and go under each other’s arms and stuff. We dance things like the Gay Gordons and the Dashing White Sergeant. These are popular, fast moving dances. I think in any situation overseas, Scottish culture tends to be celebrated more than at home. I’ve had more haggis in Abu Dhabi than I ever did in Scotland.
‘Another thing I miss about Scotland is being able to jog outside at any time. When I first came here, as well as the Scottish society, I looked up running clubs and the hash societies. I have entered a 10k race with the Abu Dhabi Striders coming up on November 13 at the Golf and Equestrian club.
‘At the moment there is a lot happening in the city. I would have gone to the F1, but I’m too much of a stingy Scot to pay. Anyway, now David Coulthard [Scottish F1 driver] isn’t racing anymore, there’s nothing in it for me.’
Andrew Herriot
‘I moved from Qatar four years ago to Abu Dhabi. I’m from Edinburgh, but I lived a long time in Ayrshire, the home of Rabbie Burns [famous Scottish poet]. I’ve lived overseas for 36 years and during that time
I have been the chieftain of Scottish Societies in four different countries. The chieftain does the things that no one else wants to do. I preside over the committee and we set about attempting to provide programmes that appeal foremost to expat Scots. We’re an inclusive group though. We want anyone to join.
‘All over the world we celebrate St Andrew’s Day on November 30. This year it is held in the Crowne Plaza and there’ll be up to 250 people, with Scottish country dancing all night. St Andrew was one of Christ’s disciples and did a lot of travelling around the world. It is said that he found his way to Scotland to what is now the city of St Andrew. He certainly wasn’t a golfer; maybe he got blown off course, who knows, but he is the patron saint of Scotland.
‘The St Andrew’s Ball is a celebration of all things Scottish. We bring a band over from Scotland. There’s food and enjoyment. We partake of the great malts, for those who enjoy that. Of course we toast St Andrew and we always have haggis. As chieftain, I receive the haggis when it’s piped in. I then give the piper and the chef a wee dram [malt whiskey] for their trouble, then I address it properly for the people there. To do this I speak to it in verse, reciting all eight verses from the great Scottish poet Rabbie Burns’ poem: “Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face; great chieftain o’ the puddin-race”, and so on. Then we eat.’
St Andrew’s Ball, Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi, November 20. Members Dhs400, non-members Dhs450. All food and drink is included. Call 050 288 4980 for tickets and further information.
St Andrew didn’t he get about!
St Andrew is probably best associated with Scotland, where his feast day is the official national day, but he was an elusive traveller and is also the patron saint of Greece, Romania and Russia. Indeed, St Andrew’s Day is celebrated across Europe. In Romania, it is believed that the night before is especially suited to magic, and can reveal a young woman’s husband to her. Usually this is done by pouring hot lead into water to divine the husband’s future profession – presumably in the lead smelting industry.
