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 University Studies
                       

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 Portland State University

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 A quick glance around a small town grocery store tells the story. Everyone working in the store and all of the shoppers are foreign. There is not one person in the grocery store from this small town. This may seem a little odd, but in reality it is not because in this world what seems far is actually close and what seems close is actually far. People can’t shop for groceries in their own town because it would take them forever to get there, so instead they take one step outside their front door and are in France or Italy or China, anywhere they want to be so long as it’s nowhere within one hundred miles.
   When you are living in a world where far is near and near is far the world splits into two types of people. First there are those who love the situation because they love the variety in scenes and the amazing differences in culture. They are the people who love adventure and do not enjoy being in the same place too long. On the flip side there are the people who hate not being able to walk next door and talk to their neighbors. These are the people who long for security and familiarity and in this world there is not much of either.
   Children attend school in different countries because it is easier to get there than to get to the school in their own town, just as adults have jobs in different countries for the same reason. In this world everyone is incredibly accepting of different cultures because all cultures intermix and diversity is everywhere. People have many friends from a variety of countries, but they know no one within one hundred miles of their own home.
   The people who love the way things are generally not friends with those who hate the way things are because their personalities clash. You can tell the difference between the two types just by looking at them. The people who love it are the people who smile at strangers, the people who eat ice cream for breakfast; they are the people who do not depend on routine. The people who wish things were different are those who live by schedules, and those who want everything to go as planned, they are the people who need to be in control of their lives. In this world people are one or the other and the choice is theirs, but it determines their happiness.

 

© Copyright 2000 Katrina Eckard

All rights reserved. For permission to reproduce please contact Jack C. Straton, University Studies, Portland State University, Portland, OR, 97210-0751, straton@pdx.edu.

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