Author: jerrytovar

My Tips!

I studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, during the Spring Semester of 2022. It was honestly one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and was a time I will truly never forget.
Being already an international student here at CLU, I felt pretty comfortable with the idea of studying abroad and therefore, probably felt less anxious than someone who hasn’t traveled/studied abroad before.
However, my advice would be not to worry! Once you arrive at your destination, everything just kind of falls into place and you find yourself feeling comfortable within no time.
Obviously, everyone experiences a level of homesickness at one point during their semester abroad, so I have some suggestions for you to help cope with it!

Firstly, initiate conversations and start making friends as soon as you arrive! Push yourself out of your comfort zone and make the effort to find your “people” or home away from home. I found that a lot of my friends were experiencing the same sense of fatigue and had cravings for home comforts. These shared feelings made it a lot easier to feel less alone. We were all living in a different country, within a different culture, and this experience is unique but also challenging! The friends I made in Spain were truly the best part of my experience. They helped me through the good times and the difficult times of studying abroad.

Secondly, keep in touch with your family and friends back home too. Just because you are in a new place and have 1000 different things going on, doesn’t mean you can’t make time to call your loved ones at least once a week. It’s important to keep them in the loop and this also helps your transition when you go home because they are informed on what you got up to during your semester.

Finally, take every opportunity that comes your way! I often found that the busier I was, the less I found myself feeling homesick. During your time abroad you will probably be traveling to different places each weekend, exploring the city you’re in, trying new food, going to bars/clubs, and just generally living a faster-paced lifestyle than perhaps the one you have in Thousand Oaks! So don’t assume you’re going to have a lot of time on your hands to feel homesick anyways.

Be excited for your next adventure and treasure every moment of it!

Written by: Sophie Davis ‘23

Molly Mirabelli: CGE’s Newest Addition to the 22-23 Year!

The Center for Global Engagement is very glad to welcome Molly Mirabeli as the CGE- Assistant. Molly oversees the student staff alongside very crucial responsibilities in our office. Therefore, on Wednesday October 12th, she invited all the student staff to a welcome dinner where she wanted to bond with us and to get to know more about us. Molly had a solid plan to go through multiple important aspects of our work requirements. She talked about work ethics, responsibilities, and other tasks.There was actually no ice to break between the student staff and Molly. Rafia, Sophie, Alyssa, Emma and I connected with Molly on different levels.

 

Molly recently graduated from Saint Mary’s College, where she gained an interest in the impact of political instability and conflict on women’s social and political rights. While she has worked in a variety of research and administrative positions, Molly is passionate about international higher education and fostering connections with like-minded global citizens. When she isn’t working, Molly enjoys scuba diving, travel, and cooking. She also discussed her love of reading books, and mentioned some of her role models, including Dr. Nemam Ghafouri and bell hooks. 

Molly had tasteful treats for us to munch on during our long conversations. She had home-made cookies, Italian pizza, garlic bread, and Fettuccine Al Fredo. We had to make sure we took pictures in the most unique way, so we took multiple polaroids and hung them in her office.

Our meeting was effortlessly friendly and easy-going as she also got to know more about our majors, music taste, where we come from and other interests. Communication was a very easy task as we shared the same opinions and started planning for future CGE projects.

By: Yassine Kefi

Studying in Aix-En-Provence

Everyone should study abroad in Aix-En-Provence, France with IAU! When looking for abroad programs, I was open to any country and culture in the European region. When I heard about Aix-en-Provence, France, I knew that it was the best place for me. Aix is a small city in the south countryside of France. It is located just less than an hour away from the Mediterranean which sold me as I love warm weather and being near bodies of water. I was equally excited and nervous to immerse myself into a brand new culture across the world. I didn’t know any other languages besides English and a little bit of Spanish which made me timid about my navigation and communication skills that I would need in a different country.

Institute for American Universities is the program offered in Aix-en-Provence which was very helpful because all of my classes were in English. The school itself was very small, only located in two buildings a block away from each other. Similar to Cal Lutheran, the professors were all very helpful and caring when it came to school work. Classes ranged anywhere from 5 people to 20 people, which was what I was used to back home. It made it really easy to ask questions and make friends in class. Aix is a very quaint city and is known for having a large population of university students. There are two other local colleges in town, making the city young and lively.

The vast history of Aix makes for a popular tourist destination, especially in late spring and early summer. I found a lot of local restaurants and coffee shops, but also a lot of familiar places. Aix has a pita pit, a subway, a dominos, etc, which made me feel like I wasn’t too far from home. For shopping, the town had small boutiques in the center but also brands like Zara, H&M, Levi’s, and more.

Homestay:

Specifically for this program most students tend to live with host families. I lived with a young couple who were both in their early 30’s. Thankfully, IAU had a survey to fill out regarding language spoken in the household. I had said that I was a beginner in French and that led me to two host moms who both had their PhD’s in English Linguistics. This helped a lot because they were able to help my roommate and I with our French homework. And, not only did they speak French, but one of them was actually Lebanese and the other Italian. This brought in a lot of culture and yummy food every night. They cooked us dinner every evening and bought us breakfast food. We were on our own for lunch which pushed me to try almost every restaurant in the city. I had my own room downstairs and one roommate who had her own room as well just across the hall from me. Like a lot of neighborhoods in Aix, I lived in the suburbs and had a 35 minute walk to class every morning. It was hard for me in the beginning to walk 1.5 miles in the blistering cold at 7 am, but within a couple of weeks my walks to and from the center of the city became very therapeutic. I spent most of this time listening to podcasts or facetiming friends and family from home.

There was public transportation in Aix but it wasn’t always available through the night time. Aix has buses that run from 6 am to 10 pm, but plenty of ubers to order which I did most of the time when coming home from being out at night with my friends.

Travels:

France is somewhat in the center of Europe, which made it really easy for me to travel to other countries in Europe. I was able to go to 6 different countries, Spain, Switzerland, The UK, Germany, Italy, and Greece with less than 2 hours per plane ride. I got to see some amazing cities thanks to RyanAir which is a low cost fare company. More often than not, I paid less than $100 for a round trip ticket. A lot of the time RyanAir had deals and I was able to fly for less than $15 to Italy.

Traveling tips:

Do NOT bring a big suitcase to split the cost and space with your friends. My friends and I made the mistake and thought it would be more convenient to pack a big suitcase and take turns rolling it while traveling. Although it was cost effective if you wanted to pack more things that could not fit in your carryon, it was way more of a hassle to lug around a huge suitcase in metro systems. Also, most of the streets in Europe have a lot of cobblestone streets making it difficult to roll a suitcase. There is just no reason to pack more than two outfits when traveling for only a weekend. Only pack what can fit in your backpack/carryon. You might also do a little bit of shopping in the city that you are traveling to as well, so leave room for that.

Book an Air bnb / Hostile closer to the time that you land in the country. A lot of the time, my friends and I flew in very early to the city we were traveling to in order to have an “extra day”. However, it was kind of a drag having to wait for your check in time with a heavy backpack or bag.

Always have your passport on you. I always had my passport either in my jacket pocket with a zipper or in my waistband. I was terrified of having it stolen so I did everything I could to keep it as close to me as possible. I would put it in my bag as well, but I made sure it was in the zipper pocket of a bag with a zipper.

-Alyssa Fellows ’23

Balancing Two Cultures

In my life, there have been two sides, two cultures. Growing up in America, diversity is everywhere and in everything. In my youth, I was immersed in my parent’s culture, as they had grown up in Mexico. I would go ride horses, go to rodeos, and speak an entirely different language. I thought that that was my world since that’s all I had ever known, and I loved it. Although I did see different people, it didn’t really occur to me that they lived completely different lives and had different struggles. It wasn’t until I got to school did I only realize how different everything was. Many of these kids were like me, but they weren’t. Most, if not all, spoke perfect English, and many didn’t know another language. These people were completely different from me and I didn’t know how to reconcile that. Eventually, I learned that I had to meld myself to the dominant culture to survive, which meant losing the other.

I slowly began to detach myself from my parents’ culture and quite literally everything I had known, and had to trek on a new shaky world. I tripped and stumbled a lot, it was definitely a struggle to find my way. Of course I had my older sister to help with the journey, but we both experienced the world in different ways and thus couldn’t entirely compare stories.
I spoke less Spanish, no longer rode horses, and went from being outdoors every chance I had to staying inside and watching tv. I was a completely different person. The awful part was that I started to view my parents in a different light. It meant that all the things they did that were “different” compared to other parents was embarrassing because I had tried so hard to be like everyone else and they were ruining it! This meant that I detached myself from them as well, which was something that happens to many others as you assimilate to a new culture.
Something I lost almost completely was music. I loved and still love music. Many genres have their own style and energy that I enjoy. I listened to Spanish music from cumbias to zapateados, my range was vast. Out in the world I lost that. There was R&B, Pop, Reggae, and so many other genres to experience. When I didn’t know a popular song people judged me for it and wondered a lot about me and where I grew up. These judgments weren’t always the best. In order to adapt, it meant no longer listening to Spanish music and immersing myself into the world of English music. Even now though, people still act surprised when I don’t know a song, or play an oldie on repeat, because it may have been my first time listening to it or experiencing it. They don’t understand what it feels like to lose that part of themselves, or to learn something that is completely new, like a boomer trying to figure out facetime.

Eventually, coming to Cal Lutheran, I grew up. I saw the world differently, and I learned that there were more cultures than just mine and the dominant culture in America. I learned that I wasn’t alone and many others had the same experiences and struggles. I didn’t need to hide who I was anymore, and taught myself to be proud. Not just of myself, but of my parents and my culture. I truly had lost something so vibrant and joyous in my life to survive. As time has gone on, I have slowly begun to reincorporate traditions and most importantly my parents into my life. It has been hard and a process, but it is worth it. To regain a piece of you that was once lost feels ethereal. To know that one day, you can regain what you once lost.

With this, I leave you with a message. Do not lose who and what you are. Hold onto it and treasure it because the world won’t. The people by your side, friends, and family will. Speak the language, treasure the memories, and remember who you are.

Written by: Jerry Tovar