By: Judy Lee ‘17

Being dropped into a strange place is great, I’ve found. It not only gives you an appreciation for something new, but something you may have had along. Studying abroad in London has definitely allowed me to appreciate the states while growing fond of the land beyond the pond. Here are a few things that struck me while I’ve been here this past week:

By: Judy Lee ‘17

Traveling alone is often glorified yet not given the respect it deserves. It is also often not taken as an opportunity. However, in my opinion, it is critical and absolutely necessary for everyone to travel alone at least once. It doesn’t matter whether this entails a trip of 20 minutes or 20 months–only that you have time to be alone with yourself and figure out how you can literally live with yourself.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Before you go abroad this spring, you’re probably feeling nervous and excited, and maybe a little worried about leaving USC and your friends there behind. All of these are completely normal emotions, and as you learned in your Overseas Studies Orientation, there will inevitably times where you feel homesick not only for your family, but for your Trojans and the familiarity and comfort USC has offered you all these semesters.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

During my last few days in Managua, I had the absolute privilege of celebrating La Gritería with my amazing host family, our last hurrah. The holiday was described to us by our program director, Anita, as a mix between Fourth of July, Halloween, and Christmas, so my expectations were obviously high

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

For all those who have studied abroad and those who are welcoming home loved ones who were abroad, it is important to recognize that reverse culture shock is a very real phenomenon; it takes time and patience to readjust to life back in the U.S.

By: Judy Lee ‘17

If you’re studying abroad, you’ve got to be strategic this holiday season! Here are some things you can keep in mind in case someone asks you what you’d like this year:

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

I’m in Matagalpa now which is super cool compared to Managua, both in terms of climate and also just in terms of the general vibes it projects. I’m working on my ISP which stands for Independent Study Project, emphasis on the independent.

By: Samantha Romero ‘16

My daily French diet consisted of at least one if not all of the following: baguettes, croissants, and crepes. Everyday as I would walk to class I made it a ritual to stop by our corner bakery for a croissant au chocolat. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was savoring the freshly baked layers of buttery goodness. Croissants will never taste the same…

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

I’m writing this post from my bedroom in my homestay in Managua because I have a little free time due to the unfortunate, but undeniable fact that I am too sick to go to class this afternoon.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

It’s been far too long since I’ve posted and I’m not really sure where to begin exactly, but drawing from The Sound of Music, let’s start from the very beginning, the beginning is the place to start.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

If you kept up with my previous posts this summer, then feel free to skip this paragraph guilt-free, but if not, allow me to fill you in. From the end of May to mid-July, I participated in a study abroad program through Dornsife in which we took two Spanish courses and learned a whole lot outside the classroom, too.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

My first excursion outside of Madrid was to Barcelona because I have the good fortune of having family there at the moment and I needed a familiar face so badly I would have settled for a photo of a familiar face. Or maybe a 3D printed copy now that 3D Printers are a thing. But I didn’t have to settle, because I had the real thing- my cousin Bob is living and working in Barcelona with 14 other entrepreneurs and he graciously hosted my friend, Lauren, who is studying in Granada, and myself. Blood is thicker than water, as they say, and speaking of this, the water in Barcelona is mierda so you gotta buy it bottled everywhere you go.