By: Anna Lipscomb ‘19

There is something about being abroad - whether it’s for a few days or a few months - that changes the way you view the world. It’s the new sights, sounds, smells, and experiences you encounter every moment that stick with you and constantly remind you that there is always more to explore.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

It’s important that you know, both for accuracy of pronunciation and the sake of the rhyme scheme that Jujuy is pronounced “Hoo-hooey”. And our road-trip through the northern part of this province in Argentina was nothing short of breathtaking.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

When you’re thousands of miles away from home, everyday annoyances can seem like serious dilemmas, especially when they’re harder to solve in a country you aren’t as familiar with. It’s upsetting but not the end of the world when your laptop malfunctions at USC or your credit card gets lost or canceled, but when you’re several countries away from the nearest Apple store and your bank has no branches in your host country, it can be fairly terrifying to say the least. It happens to everyone at some point or another and just like that, the honeymoon phase is over.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

When I moved into my Casa Compartida in the Palermo barrio of Buenos Aires, I knew nothing about the house or the neighborhood- my friend Katy did all the hunting and I just showed up with cash for the deposit at the address she sent me. Of course, my parents immediately asked me about the location. “Is it safe?” I think so. “Is it clean?” I wouldn’t eat off the floor. “Are you close to campus?” Not in the traditional sense of the word…

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Last weekend I set several alarms for 3 AM Friday morning, strapped on my massive backpack filled to the brim with assorted snacks and jackets, double-checked I had my passport, and hopped into a taxi with my friend and fellow Trojan, Francesca, for our obscenely early flight (saving some moola, gaining some time) to El Calafate in the southern part of Argentina, a region called Patagonia. It may come as a surprise to some of you that your trendy-yet-functional-cold-weather-Patagonia-brand gear is named after a real place, but I can now officially confirm this fact first-hand and let me tell you, it sure is a beauty.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

When you’re adjusting to a new city, of course you need to give yourself some time to figure out how everything works. Waiting to feel comfortable and for some semblance of confidence is frustrating to say the least, especially when you can’t help making comparisons to how things work “so smoothly” back home.

By: Carolina Canseco ‘16

If someone told me I would spend my spring break with 18 strangers in a foreign country and love every second of it, I would have been skeptical. But now that spring break is over, I can’t believe how lucky I was to go on this amazing trip. Hours of volunteer work, late nights playing Mafia, and tours of the city left me more exhausted than any midterm season ever could. However, every long day made the trip an unforgettable experience.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

In my experience, the most difficult times abroad, whether for the culture shock or the homesickness, are during holidays back home. If you would like anecdotal proof, last Thanksgiving I was probably going on hour ten or so working in front of my laptop and a fan on my ISP in Nicaragua when I FaceTimed by family during Thanksgiving dinner. Eating a bag of peanuts and raisins from the pulpería while everyone I missed dearly passed the phone around mid-feast, including my new “brother” Kevin (who’s from Nicaragua studying in my home town), was a less than festive experience.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Last Thursday, I did what any productive exchange student would do in between classes- checked my instagram and ate yesterday’s dinner leftovers from my new tupperware. Such multi-tasking was dangerous and nearly caused me to choke on a spoonful of lentils because within the first few photos alone, I realized my fellow Trojans were with Hillary Rodham Clinton.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Last week I went to my first asado, which is essentially what in the U.S. we would call a barbecue. After speaking with the Argentinian students present, apparently this wasn’t a “real asado” because it was more of a meet and greet (or meat and greet if you catch my drift) for the international students than the extensive sit-down affair that asados normally are. Still, I’m counting it as an asado because it had all the makings of one (chorripan, which is sausage on a toasted bun, a parilla, which is the big open-fire grill, and lots of sides and ensaladas, thank goodness.)

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Last weekend I went to Lollapalooza, a musical festival, that’s become quite global with locations in São Paulo, Santiago, Berlin, Bogotá, and of course, my home of Chicago, where I first experienced the magic. This time, however, I experienced Lollapalooza Argentina in San Isidro, a suburb of Buenos Aires.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

When you study abroad you have a few different types of programs to choose from. You can go to one of the USC Abroad locations, which I did last summer in Madrid, where you are taught by USC professors but in a new city. You can also choose to go through a study abroad provider, like CIES or SIT, which I did last fall through SIT Nicaragua. The benefits to going with a study abroad provider are, in my experience, a strong relationship with the local community, reciprocity, authenticity, and well-organized group excursions included in program costs. Currently, I am doing a direct enrollment study abroad experience, which means I am enrolled as a student as this University and take classes alongside Argentinian students. During my time at USC, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know a number of exchange students, and it’s been very interesting to now be on the other side of that.