My year as an exchange student at San Diego State has truly been a unique and revealing experience.
Going abroad is always a big decision that might seem scary at first. But I found that I totally enjoyed it once I allowed myself to step out of my comfort zone and to dare to try.
The greatest thing about living in a new place is discovering the many sides to that place. Studying abroad in the United States has not only opened up the beautiful city of San Diego to me, it has also opened up California. There are many customs and events that I have discovered, but the one that I enjoyed the most has to be the how excited students here at San Diego State are about Coachella.
What is Coachella?
I always wondered that from my campus at the University of British Columbia. I got many answers coming to San Diego. Americans generally (not only residents of California) are really excited about this music festival, usually lasting over two weeks, during which they get to see their favorite artists perform, meet new people, party with their friends and bond with total strangers.
Spring break is purely an American experience. As an exchange student, this was the first time I have ever enjoyed this break, and it was probably one of the best moments I had this year.
Here is what I learned about spring break culture:
Continue reading “Experiencing an American Spring Break … in Mexico!”
Did you know that the two highest IQ scores in recorded history belong to women?
The month of March is known for celebrating women all around the world, their achievements and what they mean to us. Being a woman myself, I cannot stress how much this part of my identity influences my daily life and is something that I celebrate in my everyday life. In honor of the many women who influence my identity and also devote their lives to making the world a better place, I have decided to devote this post to them through an analysis of the different ways they are celebrated around the globe.
Having lived in different countries, my perception of Black History Month has shifted a lot depending on the countries I’ve lived in. The idea of celebrating black history in this way was first introduced to me when I moved from Senegal to Canada and I quickly realized that it was a very important topic to many.
Going abroad however made me realize how particularly important this topic is in the United States, in comparison to Canada or Senegal. Here, Black History Month is the celebration of the achievements by African Americans. During the month of February, this celebration reminds us of the important role of African Americans in history.
But this celebration differs from society to society.
Continue reading “Black History Month, From an African Perspective”
There’s probably nothing worse then spending Christmas — or any holiday — away from your family. For me, studying in the U.S., it was actually the first time that I had to spend Christmas away from home and away from my family. Although I first thought that this would be an unpleasant experience, I was really surprised by the multiple things San Diego offered during Christmas time that made me feel less homesick.
It is really hard not to notice all the things that are missing when you move to a new place and how everything is different. For me it was quite an interesting experience because I spent most of my Christmas holidays in my native Senegal and then started celebrating them in Canada when I moved there for school.
My first Christmas in the United States was thus very different from my previous experiences in Senegal and in Canada.
The global experience, as told by SDSU students 