Out of SCight, Out Of Mind
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.
The Happiest of Holidays
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
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
Today, November 25, is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, an international recognition of the violence against women that is not confined to a specific region, country, religion, culture, or societal standing.
Greetings from Managua
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.
Adios, USC Madrid
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.
Vamos a La Playa!
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.
A Delegate of Sorts
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
Last weekend, I had the distinct pleasure of representing the good old US of A, along with my roommate, as a delegate of sorts, if you will, at a 150-person, super exclusive fiesta about 40 minutes from Madrid hosted by an affluent friend of my host brother. Mind you, I didn’t ever participate in Model UN or even take the course when it was available to me sophomore year of high school (I took Comparative Religions instead because I wanted to open my mind and also because there were so many field trips), but I think after hearing how well I mingled, you may be willing to overlook my lack of qualifications.
Vamos a La Comisaria
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
You may be thinking to yourself, “Grace, what? How did you get carded in Madrid? Isn’t the drinking age there 18? Aren’t you several years older? I’ve always thought you have such a maturity about you well beyond your years!”
London Calling
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
Time to break out my ‘Ello Govnah playlist, which I’ve been constructing for upwards of 13 months now, because I’m about to leave for the airport to Londrés, which translates very nicely to London.
Anything Could Happen
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
I am going to hold myself accountable and post at least a few times a week because in the paraphrased words of the wonderful Ron Swanson, “Never half-ass anything. Except for swimsuits because that’s trendy now.” Which reminds me, I went to Barcelona a few weekends ago and have a lot to say about that, so stay tuned.
Started From The Bottom
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
When I first arrived in Madrid, I was jet-lagged, stressed, and barely able to put together an English sentence let alone one in Spanish. As she showed me around, my wonderful host mom told me to close the hallway door always “porque de las ratas” or because of the rats. This didn’t bother me one bit because she seemed very chill about it and I’m trying to be low-maintenance and honestly I’m not afraid of rats nearly as much as I’m afraid of actual scary things like sharks or my future kids growing up to be bullies.
Pocket Full of Karma
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
My first day in Madrid when I went for a run, I realized as I struggled to find my way home that someone had somehow pickpocket my running arm band of my ca$h (luckily just 10 euros at the time). Like any furious parent, I wasn’t mad, I was just disappointed.
Look, I Am Your Father
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
They say “absence makes the heart grow fonder”, but I believe a nice additive to this is “especially when you miss your father” because it kind of rhymes if you pronounce things a certain way and also it’s very timely given that today is Father’s Day.
Home is Wherever There is Food
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
People always say that the best way to really immerse yourself in a new country is to live with a homestay family, especially when you’re trying to learn a new language. And I’m going to have to agree with the masses on this one, though at first I had my doubts.
A Nod To Modern Technology
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
I would just like to take the time to thank all the great inventors and big dreamers out there who made the world what it is today. Without you folks, I would have no choice but to continuously be at a loss for words with my host family’s hairless cats as my only companions.
Mingling in Madrid
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
A few days ago at the Instituto Internacional in Madrid, I went to an intercambio/language exchange and I feel pretty good about it because now tengo una cita (I have a date/meeting) with an older man named Ignacio!