Different Countries...Different People?

Claudia Navarro Hernandez, Mexico

Yes, I know we all come from different countries, that we have different cultures, food, religion; but what I found in the time I have been in Sheffield is that, inside, all the people are the same. That´s why living in Sheffield has taught me to see and appreciate people for what they really are.

In my flat I live with two English girls, one from Scotland, one from Hong-Kong, one from Thailand and I am Mexican. In my master class I study every day with people form Pakistan, Malaysia, Spain, Taiwan, India, Greece, UK, Libya, Sri-Lanka, etc. On the outside we are so different, we have the same concerns. It's funny how we cannot understand each other if we talk in our native language; our family and couple relationships are different, the politic system in our countries is different and so are our religions, economies and traditions. But even if we have so many differences, we know we are the same.

We all have the same external worries about assignments, examinations, lectures; the same questions about accommodation, cooking, etc. More importantly we all have the same internal worries: we all miss our families, we are all alone here facing a challenge in our lives, we all feel the same mixture of pressure and pride by knowing that we are lucky to have this opportunity, we all have suffered and enjoyed our lives here. So it does not matter if they do not eat chilli, or sing mariachis or if I am not a Buddhist or do not know how to use chopsticks. It does not matter if we cannot speak Greek or if we do not eat the same food. Our tears and our laughs are the same; we feel the same sadness or the same happiness, no more no less.

That is why I will never regret coming to study at this University and I know now why an international University is the best: it opens your eyes to the world. Yes, quality teaching is useful in life but it cannot make you a better person. What can make you a better person is to experience and understand the way of life of local and international people. And here in the University of Sheffield you can have both, a good, useful education and the invaluable interaction with British and international people.

Without any doubt, this is the most valuable thing I will take with me when I return to Mexico, not my certificate and not my improvement in English, but the comforting knowledge that the world is not so big and different as we sometimes think. A smile has no nationality, it worth the same here and all over the world.

Claudia Navarro Hernandez, Mexico