An American woman has gone viral on TikTok after revealing the biggest culture "shocks" she experienced upon moving across the pond – and claims she's had to "re-learn" everything.

Iva Luther, 23, a digital engagement volunteer from Alabama, US, made the long move to Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2021 after scoring a role within the city's Hope Church, which she felt was her "calling."

Upon arriving, she knew little about the country or its culture and soon started to experience some "shocks" about how people live in the Scottish capital.

In a bid to share the differences, Iva decided to upload a video on TikTok, which has racked up 193,000 views and 5,000 likes.

"I know we both speak English, but everything is called something different here and I had to re-learn [the language]," she told NeedToKnow.Online.

"In the States, we call storage in a car a 'trunk', but over here it's called a 'boot.'

"I felt like in all of my conversations, I had to use context clues to figure out what people were saying.

"It's similar enough to [back home], but there's a little bit of a twist, so it's not the exact same.

"Another one is the wind, as back home is chilly, but there's not as much wind – so here, it can look beautiful outside, but it's really freezing.

"It took me pretty much the entire first month to learn how to dress here.

"It's really interesting and people had told me to expect this, but I didn't know what to expect until I realised I didn't know anything.

"There was really no way to prepare for it until I got here and I had to figure it out on my own."

In the clip, she reveals six cultural shocks and her opinions on them, such as the weather being better than expected, people taking queues too seriously, and the alternative name for scones.

Users flocked to the comments to share their reactions, with many disagreeing with a few of her statements and others, expressing their confusion.

One user commented: "I’ve been here for a year trust me the weather gets even more unpredictable."

"The queuing thing is so accurate I’ve only been a year n I'm picking it up," said another viewer. [sic]

One person said: "Whats the deal with lining up?"

Someone else said: "That's what a scone is...hmm, I never knew that."

"Most important…Scottish men are THE gold standard for masculinity," added another viewer.

She said: "The response really shocked me, as I posted the video because I had gone to a social media conference a day or two before and I was curious about TikTok.

"I had never really used the app much, so I thought let's see how it goes.

"I was really surprised by the number of people who had said that they had just moved to Edinburgh and who had the same experience or different ones.

"It's been interesting getting to hear other people's perspectives on it all, but it was really cool and encouraging to hear, especially how Scotland had a piece of their hearts like me."

Now, she's fallen in love with the Scottish city, especially for its architecture and history – but one thing she isn't too fond of is the public transport.

Iva added: "I've never taken public transport before coming here, so sometimes it can be a little frustrating when I'm used to having my own car and getting to places on my schedule.

"I'm glad I don't have to worry about driving though because it's very different here and it took me a long time to get used to seeing cars on the opposite side of the road.

"It's really beautiful here, though.

"The architecture and greenery are [stunning] and especially coming from the States where everything is much newer than it is here historically.

"I think it's really incredible. Also, everyone is very kind, so I love and appreciate that.

"It really means a lot to me that people are willing to be super welcoming."

ENDS

EDITOR’S NOTE: Video Usage Licence: (EXCLUSIVE) We have obtained an exclusive licence from the copyright holder. A copy of the licence is available on request.

Video Restrictions: None.