When making TikToks about his life as a Scottish immigrant in America, Kyle McDaid kept getting one question: “Why Spokane?”
After living in the city for eight years, McDaid does not understand why so many Spokanites do not love the place like he does.
“America is the fourth country I’ve lived in. And believe it or no – Spokane is the nicest place I’ve ever lived in,” he said in a recent TikTok.
McDaid loves the nature, taking his kids out for hikes along Centennial Trail. There are trees for miles and clean lakes to swim in. Everything here is “hunky-dory” compared to where he grew up Scotland.
“I can only imagine being born and raised here. You might have a salty taste in your mouth because everything here is regular and you know all the problems. But maybe it needs somebody from outside to say, ‘Look at what you got and appreciate it.’ ”
McDaid grew up in Kilmarnock, a mid-size town in Scotland that faced a lot of poverty in his youth after its industrial base of jobs left. The Scotland he grew up with is “not like Outlander,” he said, referring to the Starz TV series set in Scotland.
After some stints in England and Spain, McDaid fell in love with an American and moved to the states in 2017. Initially living in Colorado, McDaid moved to Spokane to pursue a lower cost of living for his young family. Eight years later, he is still here and does not want to leave.
“I got my boys here. They’re growing up. They’re just little Spokane lads,” he said.
Last year, McDaid was “bored” and made several TikTok videos of the funny interactions when Spokanites heard his thick Scottish accent. His lyrical phrasing and foreign colloquialisms often confuse local shopworkers.
“Excuse me, I’m looking for a butter dish,” he asks a Walmart employee in one video.
“What is that?” the worker responds.
After several more tries, McDaid tries repeating his question in an American accent.
This type of miscommunication is common for McDaid, with many Americans questioning whether he is even speaking English.
“They’ll take a wild guess and honestly, it’s like throwing a dart on a globe. Russian. I get Russian sometimes. Or they’ll ask me what language I’m speaking,” he said.
Working remotely as a sales rep for a telecommunications company, McDaid spends his days speaking in an American accent with his clients so he is better understood.
Last year, his videos went viral, but only in Scotland, where viewers marveled at how Americans could not understand what to them was perfectly intelligible English. Most of his 26,000 followers are still Scottish, but some Spokanites started following as his content shifted to local restaurant reviews.
Most of his American followers were confused why he would choose Spokane out of any place in the United States. McDaid hopes he can show people who’ve lived here their whole lives a side of Spokane they’ve never seen.
“If people moved away from Spokane, they would realize the things they miss,” he said. “It’s just a really, really cool place.”