Siestas and Fiestas: A Day of Spanish Life


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9:12 a.m.: I wake up for my 10 a.m. “Spanish Composition” class after hitting the snooze button a couple times. For breakfast, I eat a small piece of toast, yogurt and sip a little cup of coffee. Spaniards like their coffee super concentrated, which is absolutely fine by me. 10:00 a.m.: After a five minute […]

A Dutch Girl at USC: First Impressions


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One month ago, 133 Marshall exchange students made their way to Los Angeles from all around the globe. For some it was a bigger culture shock than for others, but I believe I speak on behalf of all of us when I say that the past four weeks have been filled with new experiences. I […]

Introducing Indonesia


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With recruiting season now in full swing, USC students are clamoring to land internships for the school year and jobs for after graduation. However, it’s not too early to begin thinking about summer employment as well. Some of you may know that USC offers opportunities for students to study and intern abroad. Students have an […]

Swiping Right for Bilbao


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A few weeks ago, one of my best friends mentioned to me that she was starting to feel like most cities are fundamentally the same: you have your bars, your shopping centers, your restaurants and so on. The real differentiating factors, she said, are the people and memories we associate with every place. Though I […]

Wandering with no endpoint: The best way to discover London


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A few days ago in class, our professor asked us about our first impression or memory of London. Immediately, my mind jumped back to the summer of 2012, the last time I was in the UK. I was participating in a summer program at Oxford, and on a free day decided to take a bus […]

Settling down in London


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After 18 full days in the beautiful city of London, it is finally starting to feel like home. I can still remember my pre-flight jitters and nervousness — a feeling that I am sure most, if not all, travelers can relate to. The days leading up to my departure were filled with so many conflicting […]

London: Learning to embrace change by letting go


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The night before my flight, I tossed and turned and looked up at the world map faintly illuminated by the moonlight above me. All I could think of was that there was still time to change my mind. What had I gotten myself into? Oh, Alexa, there is no way out this time. In that […]

Tips for studying in London: Expect the unexpected


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  I spent months anticipating my semester abroad. I read countless travel blogs, and spoke to friends and family who have traveled abroad all in preparation for this trip. I packed and prepared as best as I could and I really thought that I had done my best. I thought I had it all under […]

First impressions: Feeling like a freshman again


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Studying abroad has been something I’ve eagerly awaited for an entire year now, and in the time leading up to it, I wanted to prepare as much as I could. In the end, no matter how many Lonely Planet books I read or Pinterest boards I perused, there was no way to quite fully grasp […]