My Hostel Experience - Embrace Diversity at Hostelling International USA

 March 24 2018
 The Chronicles of Ms. Brown

Lobby - Hostelling International USA

Guests enjoying a game of pool

Me and Shixuan, traveling student

Embrace Diversity

wall art kitchen area

Guests

I believe that when we spend time with individuals who are different or foreign to our way of life, we can better understand the other cultures. How can we advocate for change of any kind, if we don't understand the basics of just getting along. Or being open to meeting new people.

Prior to my first stay at a hostel location in Brooklyn, I'd never stayed at an establishment of this kind before. While simply seeking a haven to regroup I discovered a world of new faces and smiles that opened my eyes.

Growing up each summer my family and I would take bus trips to Louisiana to visit my grandmother. The trips lasted two days, but within that 48 hours I encountered people from all walks of life. People who spoke a different language or accent from what I was familiar with at home. The notion that any given day would entail meeting someone new fascinated me.
As a woman today, I still marvel at such enlightenment. I'm always in awe of new discoveries.

One of the best discoveries to benefit mankind is learning about new cultures. I feel we as a nation benefit by opening up and allowing nonjudgmental thinking in our interactions with others.

Hi USA welcomes diversity and understanding to all who walk through the doors. Such confirmation rang from the walls with elaborate art and quotes encouraging guests to embrace those sentiments. Whether it was the young man who held the door for me or the young woman who asked if I needed help with my bag, the environment was inviting. I can agree that sometimes we as humans are not open to that which we don't understand. True, however, I'm also learning that lack of understanding creates barriers and we can miss out on a opportunity to meet someone great.

Shixuan, a student at the University of Wisconsin Madison, who experienced staying at a hostel for the first time said "It's a unique and new experience to make new friends. I get to meet people from all over the world. You just have to be open to everything, you may meet someone from a country you never heard before. So be open and try to talk to people."

So what about those of us who aren't at a hostel location, then what?

Let's suggest such connections can still take place in everyday life. Having respect for one another offers understanding to those who are different from us. Now that's the hostel way.