Leaving the University of Stirling to study at Washington State University (WSU), Pullman, was a massive change for me. I was in the USA and staying away from home for the first time ever. Despite the fear of change and the caution I felt from being in a new place, I have had an amazing time so far (barring the first few days, which were rough). Here, I will share some of the highlights of my time abroad from the short time I have been here and maybe you will leave this article with some new bucket list ideas.
Pullman, Washington State
The WSU campus that I am studying at is located in the small town of Pullman. It’s around a one-hour flight from Seattle and right on the border of Idaho. The Pullman campus is the biggest out of all the WSU campuses and is home to many lovely buildings, local businesses, and outdoor hiking and walking trails. It’s common to see squirrels running around campus, hiding away in bare branches of trees as they watch passers-by – something that reminds me of home.
So far, I’ve seen the sun, the rain, and heavy snow here – the unpredictable weather is also reminiscent of Scotland. It’s cold, but not unbearably so, and when it does snow it usually settles on the ground rather than instantly turning to slush, perfect for snowmen fanatics.
Thrift Stores
There’s a couple of thrift stores in Pullman. One is similar to charity shops back home and the other is a little pricier but caters towards retro and vintage items (most of which are high-quality). Inside you can often find NFL merchandise and WSU hoodies or t-shirts for reasonable prices.
People
After such a stressful and tiring journey, the kindness I received from strangers quickly turned my mood around. From a helpful taxi driver to friendly exchange students and everybody in between I don’t have a bad word to say about the people here. The study abroad officers also went above and beyond to make me feel at home, something so important when dealing with severe homesickness.
Walmart
Of course, I had to visit Walmart and try all the American sweets and foods I had only ever seen on YouTube videos. You’ll find that some things are more expensive than back home, but some are also cheaper, so it balances out nicely. I allowed myself this first week to buy “fun” things at Walmart to try (such as Minute Maid lemonade) before I returned to budgeting.
Classes
Classes work a little differently to Stirling University, which was expected. For me, I have class every day except from the weekend, but they only last between two and three hours. This leaves me with the rest of the day to work on assignments (which are a lot more frequent than at home, yet the workload is spread throughout the year rather than on two or three assignments) and continue to explore campus.
Now that the first week of classes is over, I am excited to see what the future holds for my time abroad. Hopefully, this little list has helped some of you thinking of studying abroad visualise the differences, or maybe it’s encouraged you to sign up for the program!
Featured Image Credit: Emma Christie
Fourth year student journalist studying Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Journalism Studies.
Words at Brig, The Daily Evergreen, Alloa Advertiser, Discovery Music Scotland, and The Mourning Paper.
