Stickers add personality and life to ordinary objects

I love stickers.

As a preface, I am an international student. Back home in Ethiopia, the only type of stickers I would see daily were completely nonsensical phrases taxi drivers used to put everywhere on their vehicles, and I mean everywhere. Windows? Full of stickers. The hood? Overtaken by the one and only.

The phrases I saw most often were usually in Amharic, but there would always be a few in English. Still nonsensical, and neither I nor anyone else I know would have ever been able to derive meaning from it.

I remember seeing “Watch out!” or something like that almost every day; it seemed so hostile but hilarious. Watch out for what? Will you leave your vehicle shortly during traffic to start a fight? I hope not. I reckon that wouldn’t have been so shocking if it had happened anyways.

Once I came to the States, I first went to Washington, D.C., California and Minnesota before I finally arrived at my new home, (all in two months, might I add). It was so hectic. Even so, I consistently saw stickers everywhere. Traffic lights were decorated in stickers, and I was reminded of Christmas trees decorated with tinsel, cute little charms and whatnot.

Everything was so vivid. Stickers were genuinely bringing life and personality to everything. I saw them on bottles, headphones, and most often on laptops, which I think is even better since everyone has one on them at all times.

It was only a matter of time until I was greatly influenced, and my belongings were soon covered in stickers, just like everyone else.

Stickers tell a lot about a person without a conversation. I think this is pretty awesome since I am an introvert and would rather do anything than exchange a few “heys” and “hellos” with anyone.

I find it pretty awesome that groups of people, whether they be intercontinental or regional, have their unique types of stickers. They can range from one end of the spectrum to the other, be completely serious and used to spread knowledge, or just be downright ludicrous.

Stickers are pretty cool.