One of my strongest memories from my time abroad happened soon after I checked into my dorm. I lived on a floor with students from all over the world. When I was in the kitchen near the start of term, I met a girl from Ukraine. When she found out I was an American, she told me she didn’t wish to offend me but she wondered who I voted for. This surprised me. In the United States, I would not easily discuss politics with someone I had just met, and especially not my choice in an election. 

A few months later, I was in the laundry room of the same dorm, when the man fixing one of the units started a conversation. Again, after finding out I was an American, he began to discuss politics, telling me his opinions on President Trump’s policies and how he believed they could apply in Scotland. This one was a little nerve-wracking as he was standing between me and the door. I can say with confidence he did not intend the conversation to be threatening, but he also did not care too much to hear my views either. 

In the United States, religion and politics are two almost “taboo” topics. You can talk about them, but only in mutually accepted spaces and contexts. Otherwise, you can be seen as too out of line or too controversial. I was surprised to find that this is not the case everywhere, specifically with politics. This wasn’t something I could discover by researching the country before I went. I could only learn by experiencing it. 

I’m still not sure how I would have handled either of these situations were they to happen again. My cultural gut reaction is to be wary when someone comes off strong with politics. But I am interested to know what would happen were I to be just a little bit freer with my opinions and just a little bit more willing to discuss difficult topics with new people. I think I’d be forced to look at my own understanding of the world a bit differently. The experience would be invaluable.