Visions of a lone backpacker and the term "walkabout" often go hand in hand. However, only two weeks into my four-month excursion here in New Zealand, I have created relationships with other travelers comparable to the "families" we cultivate while away at college. In college, your roommate becomes your best friend; abroad, your bunkmate becomes your sister. In both situations we are quickly surrounded by the unfamiliar and gravitate toward those in a similar situation.
In New Zealand I am surrounded by people who, like me, are in a foreign country and can only possess what they can carry on their backs. I meet a lot of people at every hostel I visit, and similarly, none of them have a family to go home to. Being in a strange place makes it easier to connect with those around you who are in the same situation.
In my first week in Auckland, I found myself settling in with the residents of The Brown Kiwi hostel. Not only have I made many lifelong friends, but I also have gained two brothers after my three-night-long stay there. Being in a new country, Uli, Pete and I bonded quickly over being in a new city. I spent only three nights with these guys and besides Red Bull and skiing, I had nothing in common with these boys from Germany. Yet we managed to find common ground somehow. We spent our nights in the bars or out back of the hostel, me helping them with their English (you know, textbook things like the definition of "bouncer" and the fact that Americans have successfully defined the act of drinking before drinking) and them showing me how to properly blow smoke rings.
Much like the first nights in Auckland with Uli and Pete are my memories of Welcome Week freshman year. Surrounded by strangers, I sat in the Letts-Anderson quad with a hookah and people whom I knew nothing about, silhouetted by the fire trucks and ambulances and feeling good on my first night: It was okay because all these people were in a strange place too.
The last night at The Brown Kiwi, I played poker with all of the other backpackers I had grown close to. None of us had known each other for more than three days, yet this simple game and the fact that we were all backpackers seemed to bring us together. Later, I drifted off to sleep to the sound of one of the guys playing guitar in the bunk below mine; a guy who I'd known for a day but felt like I had known for years.
When I took my leave of absence from AU last February and bought my plane ticket, I knew that I was embarking on a journey that might be uncomfortable at times. Just as I had to do during Welcome Week, I quickly learned the importance of getting to know those around me. What I did not know was how much faster these relationships would grow when I was abroad.
As I picked up the chips during that last poker game, I looked around and saw people that I knew almost nothing about three days prior, but now, this was my family. As young adults, we quickly learn how to create new families as each stage of our life passes: be it the first days of college or trying to find friendly coworkers at new job in a foreign city.
But what we often don't think about is at the end when we leave each stage. Just as I left my family for college and my friends at AU for this trip, I said goodbye to Uli, Pete and the rest of my family at The Brown Kiwi. If I had been more in my comfort zone, maybe I wouldn't have gone out on a limb to get to know these guys. To me, that is one of the greatest things about traveling, regardless of whether it's to the other side of the world or just away to college. People whom you never thought would be your friends become your family. To me, that is truly the beauty of travel.
You can reach this columnist at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
