Submitted by Emily Evon on the 2016 winter session program in Scotland sponsored by the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics…
Prior to January 9, 2016, I had never set a foot out of the country. The furthest I had traveled was to Colorado. The only thing I knew about other parts of the world was what I could find online, read about in books and see in movies. I was not 100% sure what I was getting myself into. I did all the researching I could prior to my departure, but I still was unaware of what exactly I was going to experience. But once I departed the airport and got into the taxi, I realized that Scotland, although a completely different country than America, was not all that different. The people dressed the same as us, they ate the same food as us, they acted the same way and the only thing that separated us from them was our accents. It was there in that exact moment that I realized the world is not that big of a place. Even though we live in completely different parts of the world, we are still alike and where we come from does not define who we are. I realized that I could connect to these people and not once since I departed on my journey have I felt like an outsider. As I walk down the streets, I feel at home and often feel like I am still in America. There is no big divide between me and them besides our geographic location.
