Study Ireland – Stories & Guides from International Students

Join Mia Rogers, a Study Abroad student from the US, as she embraces the beauty of strangers by sharing stories about connection, celebration, and friendship during her semester in UL.

One of the scariest things about traveling abroad is that you’re entering a world full of strangers. No one knows you or your story and you don’t know theirs. You have no one to care for you and no one to care for. At times this world can feel isolating and lonely, but it’s also exciting. I am a firm believer that all people are beautiful. When everyone around you is a stranger then that means you get the opportunity to meet them; and what a privilege it is to discover someone’s beauty for the first time.  

Slowly, through conversation (by “conversation” I mean harassing people with questions), observation, and experience, you get to learn about what makes them a unique individual. You learn their story, their quirks, and their personality. The most beautiful thing about meeting new people is that once someone exists in your life, they will always be a part of you, a part of your own story. You can never un-know someone.  

Words cannot describe how many beautiful strangers I have met and how thankful I am to have met each of them. People who I didn’t know existed two weeks ago celebrated my 21st birthday with me. I went to Galway with Amelie and her lovely friends who I had just met the night before. I struggled and triumphed with Cayden and Izzy as we biked the Gap of Dunloe and hiked up Strickeen Mountain. I have done all this and more, not with strangers, at least not anymore, but with people I care about. Here’s to all the beautiful strangers I have met–Amelie, Carter, Cayden, Dylan, Izzy, Flavia, Nicolay, Klaudija, Elena, Helena, Simon, and many others–who I now call my friends. The world is full of beautiful strangers, go out and meet them.