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.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Some of my tango partners might protest to the title of this blog citing their sore toes from me stepping on them as evidence to the contrary, but I was blessed with a name that can be turned very smoothly into a modifier (adjective OR adverb, how versatile!) and who can blame me for playing the cards I was dealt?

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Spring Break is a well-deserved break after midterms for relaxation and recuperation, but like all good things, it must come to an end. And though finals are still far enough in the distance, the day-to-day tasks that were fine before Spring Break can often become unbearable after 10 days on a beach or in a tent or pretty much anywhere more scenic than Leavey.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

There’s a lot of different reasons to study abroad but one of the most common, and important, is to learn about a culture different than your own. I’ve learned first hand how challenging this can be- to embrace the unfamiliar, to accept my own cluelessness, to depend on strangers, to laugh at my mistakes, and keep on putting myself out there be it conjugating verbs or trying to use slang words correctly.

By: Kelly Kinas ‘16

I have a singular tattoo. That might be changing soon and I might get a new one soon. Now, I’m not going to go crazy and get a sleeve or anything but some people have some INSANE USC tattoos. They might possibly be the best or worst ones I’ve seen ever.

By: Kelly Kinas ‘16

Let’s be real: it’s hard to come up with an original Instagram photo and caption these days. You think of something creative and new to you and then when you search the hashtags, everyone said the same thing! For me, it’s not a bad thing to have a common photo (what some people call “basic”). If you go to school in Los Angeles, you definitely have at least 3 of these photos on your Instagram. How many do YOU have?

By: Kelly Kinas ‘16

“Why are all these people caring whether these really small schools win in March? College basketball is cool but people are like caring about every single outcome. What the hell? I always hear about March Madness but I don’t really know what it means.”

By: Kelly Kinas ‘16

Ever wondered what a professor was like outside of the classroom? Ever wondered if they’re actual people? Do you also like being active? Have you ever wished you and a cool professor could hike a trail together and talk about your hopes and dreams and hopefully get to know them better?

By: Kelly Kinas ‘16

Hockey is a pretty vague term but there is also field hockey (and my person favorite arcade game, air hockey). Specifically, this blog is about the rules, teams, and history of ice hockey. Hockey isn’t the most common sport in Los Angeles, even while the Kings are very popular, but that might be because the Staples Center is a great place to escape the heat in the summer months. Hockey is actually a pretty amazing sport! Theses guys need to be huge enough to hit another guy into a wall but still graceful enough to skate around the rink. It’s an interesting sport that a solid amount of West and Southwest people do not know too much about. Which is why I am here for you!

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

This morning at the gym I joined in Buenos Aires, a trainer wished me “Feliz Día de la Mujer” which was the first time I’ve ever been greeted this way, although for me every day is women’s day. As someone who identifies as a woman and as someone who identifies as a feminist, I decided IWD is something I should probably be more knowledgeable about and I’ve compiled this handy guide for you, as well. So whether you’re abroad, like me, or on campus when you read this, if it’s March 8th, it is International Women’s Day and you should be mindful of this, because as far as women’s rights have come, we’re not there yet and by there I mean ~equal~. The quote below from earlier today sums this up very well.