Failte,
It is amazing to me how in times like these, so many people can rally behind a cause, whether it be red Starbucks cups or bombings in Paris. It doesn't seem to matter how insignificant or significant the cause is, the fact is that we are able to rally for them in such numbers. There are some days when I feel like America has some serious issues that she needs to work on. Other days (like today) I think she feels more like a community rather than a country.
The fact of the matter is this. We are all from one Earth. All from one history. Our natural human tendency is to follow the crowd, and at times like these, following the crowd is an inspiration. Think about your Facebook feed. How many people have the flag on their profile picture? One? Three? Eight? The point is, when it really matters, we come together and act as one people instead of separate peoples. And I know that there are many incidents that happen every day that do not get covered by the media like the Paris bombings, but that is a mistake on the side of those in charge of the media. In no way does it mean that people do not also care for the Islamic people or others in the Middle East or elsewhere in the world. I think we as humans have a hard time remembering that we are all the same. We all have a heart and a mind and a pair of lungs that keeps us breathing. That will never change, no matter how many bombs are thrown at our feet.
I think studying abroad is one of the best experiences you can offer to a student. Being a student studying abroad when an attack like the ones on Paris occur, forces you to see tragedy through the eyes of a different nation than your own. The differences may be subtle, but if you look closely you can find them. Even schools from different countries respond in different fashions. The amount of times Susquehanna University has emailed me about the safety of the students studying in or visiting France is 100% more than the times Stirling University has emailed me. I find it curious that my university in America is sending more emails than my university here, which is much closer to the origin of the attacks. Perhaps that provides commentary on the way different nations perceive threats. Or perhaps it's just about awareness. I won't pretend to know, but I do think it is important for students to be exposed to these kinds of differing ideologies, if only to see how even though we are all human, we are also independent of one another.
**
I visited Dublin this weekend with a few friends I've made since coming to Scotland. There were small but noticeable differences between Ireland and Scotland. Before traveling here, I must admit that I thought of the two countries as being fundamentally the same, mostly based off of stereotypes I was fed as a child. I imagined heavy accents, bright red hair, bagpipes and heavy drinking. Some of these tend to stay true, others do not, and all of them depend on the person. In Scotland, I find the accent more difficult to understand, in Ireland I felt like there were more drinkers. Irish pedestrians were more willing to help out when we were lost, and Scottish people are better at being conversational. (These are only my observations) Even the street signs in Ireland had Gaelic on them as well as English. I never knew until visiting that both languages are present enough to be listed everywhere. It is the little things like that that you can never know or understand unless you have been to a place. Felt it. Seen it. Spent time with the locals and with the tourists.
One of the stigma's attached to traveling is the fear of being viewed as a tourist. I believe that as a study abroad student, you have every right to indulge in tourist activities. The point of tourism is to learn about the place you are visiting. If I had not indulged in tourism in London or Dublin, I would not have known where to start. So although the stigma of being “touristy” is very high, it is an essential part of the experience, because when you only have four months to explore, there isn't time to learn about the world from the locals point of view. It isn't something to be ashamed of, although I find myself feeling that way sometimes.
I am happy to say that if you want, you can check out my photo page, as it is loaded with pictures from my trip to London!
Beannachd leibh
It is amazing to me how in times like these, so many people can rally behind a cause, whether it be red Starbucks cups or bombings in Paris. It doesn't seem to matter how insignificant or significant the cause is, the fact is that we are able to rally for them in such numbers. There are some days when I feel like America has some serious issues that she needs to work on. Other days (like today) I think she feels more like a community rather than a country.
The fact of the matter is this. We are all from one Earth. All from one history. Our natural human tendency is to follow the crowd, and at times like these, following the crowd is an inspiration. Think about your Facebook feed. How many people have the flag on their profile picture? One? Three? Eight? The point is, when it really matters, we come together and act as one people instead of separate peoples. And I know that there are many incidents that happen every day that do not get covered by the media like the Paris bombings, but that is a mistake on the side of those in charge of the media. In no way does it mean that people do not also care for the Islamic people or others in the Middle East or elsewhere in the world. I think we as humans have a hard time remembering that we are all the same. We all have a heart and a mind and a pair of lungs that keeps us breathing. That will never change, no matter how many bombs are thrown at our feet.
I think studying abroad is one of the best experiences you can offer to a student. Being a student studying abroad when an attack like the ones on Paris occur, forces you to see tragedy through the eyes of a different nation than your own. The differences may be subtle, but if you look closely you can find them. Even schools from different countries respond in different fashions. The amount of times Susquehanna University has emailed me about the safety of the students studying in or visiting France is 100% more than the times Stirling University has emailed me. I find it curious that my university in America is sending more emails than my university here, which is much closer to the origin of the attacks. Perhaps that provides commentary on the way different nations perceive threats. Or perhaps it's just about awareness. I won't pretend to know, but I do think it is important for students to be exposed to these kinds of differing ideologies, if only to see how even though we are all human, we are also independent of one another.
**
I visited Dublin this weekend with a few friends I've made since coming to Scotland. There were small but noticeable differences between Ireland and Scotland. Before traveling here, I must admit that I thought of the two countries as being fundamentally the same, mostly based off of stereotypes I was fed as a child. I imagined heavy accents, bright red hair, bagpipes and heavy drinking. Some of these tend to stay true, others do not, and all of them depend on the person. In Scotland, I find the accent more difficult to understand, in Ireland I felt like there were more drinkers. Irish pedestrians were more willing to help out when we were lost, and Scottish people are better at being conversational. (These are only my observations) Even the street signs in Ireland had Gaelic on them as well as English. I never knew until visiting that both languages are present enough to be listed everywhere. It is the little things like that that you can never know or understand unless you have been to a place. Felt it. Seen it. Spent time with the locals and with the tourists.
One of the stigma's attached to traveling is the fear of being viewed as a tourist. I believe that as a study abroad student, you have every right to indulge in tourist activities. The point of tourism is to learn about the place you are visiting. If I had not indulged in tourism in London or Dublin, I would not have known where to start. So although the stigma of being “touristy” is very high, it is an essential part of the experience, because when you only have four months to explore, there isn't time to learn about the world from the locals point of view. It isn't something to be ashamed of, although I find myself feeling that way sometimes.
I am happy to say that if you want, you can check out my photo page, as it is loaded with pictures from my trip to London!
Beannachd leibh