Kaitlyn in St. Croix

Another long week! Classes are going great so far, I have classes everyday. This means I also have assignments most days. I've been doing pretty good with managing my school work and social life. This week's first activity was "Safe Sex and Coladas" and I had a delicious s'mores milkshake.  My weekend was very exciting! I went on a shopping trip with my roommate on Friday. We both got bags and bags of clothes and shoes. The only bad part about this was walking to the nearest bus stop with our heavy bags. It was all worth it! On Friday night, we went bowling and I am still horrible at bowling. There were several rounds where I had zero points, but I had a great time hanging out with everyone!  On Saturday, I spent all day at a local beach. I'm used to lots of sand on the beach with occasional seaweed. This beach had rocks as soon as you enter the water, so I slipped several times. It felt amazing floating in the water. We grabbed a bite to eat at a local restau...

Classes started on Monday and I was so nervous because I had no idea what to expect. This semester, I  have 2 classes via zoom and 3 classes in-person. I love the in-person classes because I get to interact with people and I'm tired of online classes. My professors are lovely so far, my largest class has about 20 students and my smallest one is 2 students (another student and I). Campus is very small compared to UofSC. There are also only a few classrooms, so I definitely can't get lost.  Residence Life hosts many events throughout the week and I am very grateful for that. This week, we had  a game night, a paint night, and ended the week with a trip to the local movie theater. I was so surprised by the food prices! Everything was affordable compared to movie theater food at home, which is so expensive. I remember a small popcorn and drink was $4, they also had wings, quesadillas, nachos, hotdogs, and so much more. We saw Protege, which was an amazing movie, and I would r...

This has been a busy first week! I arrived last Sunday and have enjoyed every minute since. My heart was racing leaving the airport because I had no idea what my next few months would be like away from home. Everyone on campus was very welcoming and I made friends immediately.  I was pleased with my roommate and began unpacking. I was able to unpack and set up my room pretty quickly because I could only bring two suitcases worth of stuff. There's no AC here in the dorms, so I purchased a fan to keep us cool. I would say I've been most surprised by some of the price differences. Most foods are about double, if not triple the price of the states. Items like chips, caprisuns, and microwavable meals are much higher.  Throughout the week, I met some of the other NSE students and learned the dos and donuts on the islands from the locals here. They reminded me to always speak to everyone and greet them with "morning," "afternoon," or "night" depending on ...

Personal Goals:  Personally, I want to be able to grow as an individual. This experience of being away from family and friends for a long period of time is new to me. I want to be able to not only meet new people, but form relationships that last far beyond my time there. I want to fully experience all that St. Croix has to offer as far as food, music, traditions, etc. I also want to try at least one thing out of my comfort zone!  Academic Goals:  Academically, I hope to excel in the classroom. I'm interested to see how their lectures and use of technology for assignments works. I know this will be different from my home university in many areas. I am looking forward to the classes I will be taking because these are classes not offered at UofSC. I hope to gain lots of knowledge and insight to bring back to my home university.  Bucket List:  1. Snorkeling 2. Trying foods exclusive to the U.S. Virgin Islands 3.Traveling over to Puerto Rico I am definitely excited ...

I decided to participate in the National Student Exchange program to experience a school and culture outside of my own. I had no idea what to expect but nonetheless, I was eager to find out more information and apply. I wanted tropical location, so St. Croix was at the top of my list! The initial application process was fairly smooth, there were several steps on the checklist to complete. My circumstance was special because I was a transfer student with a strict course load. This was a once in a lifetime experience, so I decided to write a petition to my college to shift a few courses around. I'm happy to say my advisor was helpful throughout the process and I got my petition approved. Upon approval,  I was able to complete my application with no problem. I can't describe the emotions I went through when I found out I received a placement at the University of Virgin Islands, St. Croix. I spoke with the director at my host school and got the classes I needed fairly quickly. I am...