When traveling abroad, or even from state to state, I believe a majority of people expect life to be drastically different in these new places. In a lot of ways, new places do bring differences, but similarities occur between more places than one would think.
It’s no secret that culturally, cities and countries across the globe differ vastly from one another. This is prominent — from the food they eat and the history they hold to the architecture that’s commonly featured and the varying lifestyles.
That being said, the more time I spend in places I’ve never been, the more I see similarities to my life at home. Between the people I’ve met and the places I’ve seen in the month since I’ve left home, I’ve begun to see just how familiar new areas can become.
Regarding the Scotland landscape, it truly is a beautiful country. The lushness and greenery here can take the breath away easily. However, I’m lucky enough to come from North Idaho, where we get to enjoy so much of the same natural luxuries.
Once a week, I hike up Dumyat Hill behind the University of Stirling campus, and each time I climb it I’m reminded more and more of home. So much of the fauna, insects and weather is familiar to me in that way — it acts like a comfort at times.
I find the same familiarities in people. Though stereotypes can be harmful and do not represent anyone fully, they exist as a way to group people together based on common traits.
The most common college student stereotypes, I’ve come to realize, can be found across college campuses worldwide.
The University of Stirling has a strong emphasis on athletics, which many people are involved with. There are even Olympic gold medalists currently studying here. Though the student athlete population engages in different sports, like rugby and polo rather than American football and basketball, many are reminiscent of the student athletes I’ve met at home.
I’ve found many similarities between the down-to-earth people that I’ve met here at the Garden Club and in the on-campus thrift store to the people I’ve met through the College of Natural Resources and the outdoors program in Moscow.
Even the flat mates I live with, though we all come from unique backgrounds and places, remind me of parts of my friends from home. This was something I found to be unexpected, but it serves as a nice reminder that no matter our differences, we’re all connected in some way.
Ultimately, the life of a college student has more similarities across the world than people would think. We’re all here with the goal of getting an education in a field that interests us while wanting to enjoy our free time and our youth as much as possible.
The world offers a lot of variety, but if you look close enough, you can find bits of home everywhere you go.
Paige Wilton can be reached at [email protected].