Tips for Studying Abroad at Soonchunhyang University (순천향대)

안녕하세요 (HELLO) EVERYONE! My name is Mia Takahashi and I have completed my Spring 2023 semester in South Korea at HPU's partner school, Soonchunhyang University. It was a splendid four months that I will forever cherish for the rest of my life. While there, I mainly took my Unrestricted Electives and Upper Division courses since I needed to complete these before starting my nursing course in the upcoming Fall semester. (Classes I took: Cultural Internship Discussion, Understanding Global Society, Understanding Contemporary Korean Film, Global Entrepreneurship of Korean Business, and Korean Entertainment.) I learned a lot about Korean history and was even able to take a few field trips with a few of my classes. 

I wanted to take some time to share some tips and tricks that I learned during the time leading up to my time in South Korea and things that I learned during my stint there that I wish I knew prior.

(Picture: Back Gate of Soonchunhyang University)

Tip #1: DO NOT OVERPACK

I know that may seem like a "DUH" type of response but it is really easy to overthink what to bring and you end up overpacking due to indecisiveness or anxiety since you only have a few days left to pack for your time abroad. I made a list of what I needed to bring, but even so, I ended up overthinking and being worried about the "WHAT IF'S" which led me to slightly overpack. Make sure to check the weather before leaving, this is essential! I went during the end of the winter season, so it still got pretty cold, especially at night with the wind chill. If you plan to go during this time, this is what I would suggest:

CLOTHES: Trust me when I say, you only need one or two really good warm, thicker jackets. I would suggest having one that you can layer underneath and another that is waterproof. These are bulky items that you will only use for a month or two and then most likely never use them again. For tops, I would suggest bringing between 10-12 tops that you can layer or style differently. (This count does include bringing 2-3 long-sleeve tops.) Again, you most likely will end up buying a few shirts anyways, even if you think you won't because believe me, you WILL. Clothing, especially tops, are affordable here and you are very likely to find a good deal at one of the multitude of shops outside of the mall. (*Pro tip: catch the train from Sinchang Station (Soonchunhyang University) to Cheonan Station; head to the mall but go across the street and explore the shops over there instead.) Next is bottoms, this is a little more tricky as pants sizes are smaller than US standard sizes, therefore it could be slightly harder to find bottoms that may fit. I would suggest bringing 3 long pants (different colors or styles), 2 jean shorts, and maybe 1-2 skirts or sweatpants. *Note: it is a lot easier to find sweatpants there due to the loose fit and comfort. 

SHOES: one pair of comfortable, yet reliable boots; this will be your lifesaver when you're freezing or when it rains. Furthermore, make sure to pack one good pair of walking shoes since you will be walking a lot more than you might be used to. I would also suggest bringing one pair of slippers or slides. These will be mainly used for every day, short distances (i.e., your dorm to the kitchen). However, do not stress too much about packing too many different pairs of shoes. During my time there, I ended up buying three different pairs of shoes because of their uniqueness, comfort, and affordability. 

UNDERGARMENTS/EXTRAS: if you are planning to go during the winter season, bring a scarf, beanie or warm hat, and gloves! These will save your life, especially when you get hit with the wind chill at night. I would also suggest only bringing 12 pairs of socks and underwear since you will be doing laundry pretty often, but I say 12 is a nice number since it is always nice to have extras just in case. Another thing is to bring the proper electricity adapter, do some research prior if you plan on bringing your own hair dryer or straightener. I had a few friends who did not have the correct adaptors since the US uses 120-volt outlets, whereas Korea uses 220-volt outlets. Bring one backpack that you can use for school or as a weekend bag. I am grateful that I brought my bigger backpack with me and I was able to use it for school as well as when we stayed in Seoul for the weekend. With that in mind, please do not bring too many bags. Korea has a wide selection of tote bags for reasonable prices and cute designs. I was able to find cute and functional tote bags of all sizes during my time there! (I love looking at Daiso for new tote bags!) Lastly, bring some type of omiyage from home. As someone who was born and raised in Hawai'i, sharing goodies is very common when you go to a new place. My family and I will always bring some type of goodie with us to share when we go on trips and everyone loves and appreciates them! I brought a variety pack of macadamia nuts and something special for my roommate (I got all of these goodies from Costco). I would highly suggest doing this as a form of an icebreaker. I introduced myself to all of my suitemates with a goodie and there was one night that everyone who was there had already gathered in one of the study rooms and we were all talking story and trading goodies from where we came from! 

Tip #2: LEARN HANGEUL 

When I decided to study abroad, I began studying Korean on my own time. (Unfortunately, HPU does not offer any courses in the Korean language.) While my program does not require any Korean language experience, having some before going to Korea will be in your favor. Now, this does not mean you need to have fluent conversations and be able to fluently write in Korea, but simply being able to read the Korean alphabet (Hangeul) will help with the added stresses of being in a foreign country. In my case, I am nowhere close to being fluent in Korean, but being able to sound out things, like locations or food on a menu, made traveling around a lot easier. This leads us to my next tip. 

Tip #3: DOWNLOADING THESE APPS

TRANSPORTATION: When you go to Korea, you will need to download either Kakao Maps or Naver Maps. I prefer to use Kakao Maps, as I found that it gave a better navigation system, however, I had friends that used Naver and they seemed to enjoy it. Google Maps and Apple Maps will not work as well as the former since they are connected to the Korean public transit systems. A couple of other transportation apps that are useful to have are the following: KorailTalk (for purchasing KTX and similar tickets) and Kakao Taxi (for ordering a taxi). (*Pro tip: in general, it is best to search for the place you are looking for in Hangeul. Also if you use Kakao Maps, you can scroll to the bottom of your route options and you can see how much it could cost for a taxi.) Just as a friendly reminder, you are in another country, so don't be surprised that most transportation drivers do not speak English. Also, don't be surprised if your taxi driver calls you; most of the time they are either calling you to let you know that they will be there soon or they're trying to find out where you are close by. It can be intimidating, but keep calm and remember you got this!

LANGUAGE: While it is quite accessible to get around Korea, I would recommend you download Papago. This app is better than Google Translate or Apple Translate and is highly used throughout Korea. You can take pictures of almost anything and it will be able to immediately translate it for you. (There are other languages available to translate to English as well.) This is an essential app for a nonfluent speaker; it will be helpful for solo traveling, communicating with native speakers, and figuring out directions on various items. But as I previously stated, having the foundation built (in other words, being able to read and pronounce Hanguel) will help you tremendously. I suggest apps like Duolingo, Lingodeer, and Write Korean to help you learn some of the basics, but please keep in mind that no app is perfect and won't teach you everything you will need to know.

Tip #4: WIFI AND KOREAN SIM CARD

In Korea, wifi is very accessible and almost always a place to connect (even on the train)! With that being said, you shouldn't rely on the free wifi always being available, especially in smaller-rural towns. While my cellphone plan on T-mobile would have allowed me to connect to the internet and cell towers in Korea, I decided to get a Korean SIM card. I chose to get mine from Chingu Mobile, per a recommendation from my cousin who goes to school in Korea, and it was only $64.00. I chose the unlimited data plan for 4 months and picked it up conveniently at the airport. Most times, your American phone number will not work for certain reward points or apps. Having a Korean number will allow you to call taxis, order takeout, and even shipping items will require a Korean number. 

Tip #5: PHOTO BOOTHS
In almost every place I visited during my four months in Korea, I was able to find at least 1-3 photo booths. I highly recommend taking photo booth pictures as it is a way to keep a memory of the day you spent! Most prints also have the date (and sometimes the time) of when you took them which is a nice memorabilia to look back on. *Pro tip: DO NOT FORGET TO DOWNLOAD YOUR PICTURE AND VIDEO!* I would say mostly all of the photo booths that I went to allow you to download a digital picture as well as a short video clip of you while in the photo booth. This is such a nice option to have, that way you have both a digital and a physical copy to look back and reminisce on. You can also find cute photo binders to keep all of the pictures you take during your time there! (I was able to fill every page in the photo book and even had a few that were unable to fit!) As I look back at my photos, I love that I took so many to capture my time there, and am grateful for each one I have. It is definitely worth the money spent!

Classes at Soonchunhyang University

Classes at Soonchunhyang University

        Happy Holidays Everyone! The fall semester has ended and exams finished in Mid December. Attending this school under the Asian Studies program, you have a minimum of 12 credits and a maximum of 19 credits to be a full-time student. I took 6 classes that summed up to a whopping 19 credits!

Academics:

        Here is a rundown of how the classes work. So you are not required to take any certain type of class, but be a full-time student. Below are the classes I took and how it went:

        Cultural Internship Discussion class. This is where you would discuss the journey of adapting to a new environment. This is the class that is 6 credits but would be transferred as a General Education in Global Crossroads and Diversity.

         A Korean Culture Class - Calligraphy (1 credit). A time where I would come in for 2 hours and just distress as you practice your calligraphy on phrases the teacher wants you to write.

 

        The two business classes that are the only two offered that semester. Global Entrepreneurship was a class where you learn about powerful business leaders and you would make group presentation and group work. The other class, International Trade and Finance are more of a lecture class with the only midterm, final exam, and a small presentation. Also, these two classes took us on field trips to Samsung Innovation Museum and Hyundai Motors Factory, two of Korea's biggest businesses or conglomerates. (The picture below is a group picture on a souvenir mouse pad from Samsung company tour)



        Korean Speaking and Writing (2 different classes). Even though they are on two different days, you will have the same teacher and will cover both subjects simultaneously. Before entering, you take an entrance exam at orientation. You would either be automatically placed in Level 1 or your place to a higher level. Usually, you need to have taken professionally taught class previously before SCH to get placed into a higher level. If you are self-taught, you would need to make a request. If you have taken Korean class before, do not be afraid and take the test to place higher.

        Ultimately, you will not have a hard time learning as most of the classes are taught in English. The community of people are great so it is manageable to do the class work. Keep in mind that most classes, only 30% of the students can receive an A in the class. I worked hard, made sure to participate in class and ask suitemates for help. My transcripts are out and I’m proud of my grades.

       Next time I will talk about student life and how to manage your money in South Korea! Enjoy the Holidays :)

Fall at Soonchunhyang and Korean Holidays

Entering Soonchunhyang University (South Korea)

Ft. Korean Thanksgiving - Holidays

Communication before entering school:

The morning of my flight to Korea, I got a notification that my flight will be 3 hours late! I was worried that the school facilitated bus will leave me because I will arrive 10:00 pm instead of 7:00 pm. I emailed and facebook messaged the hosting universities study abroad director but did not get an answer before leaving my flight. Fortunately, the incoming and returning exchange students had a big group chat and they were able to contact the director. Upon arrival, I found out many of our flights were delayed and we took the bus together to enter our dorms at 11:30 pm. Overall, the communication between other exchange students and program director is great!

Entering a suite of 12 students:

I have always anticipated the dorm room experience as I live at home in Hawaii. When arriving in your dorm, only the foreign exchange students (around 3 per suite) will be present, then a week later the Koreans will come over. It was an interesting transition, but fortunately, they had good English conversation skills. I also brought them some Hawaiian Chocolate Macadamia Nuts to share with them.

One month later… KOREAN THANKSGIVING (추석 - Chuseok)

This is a very important three day holiday where they gather with families in celebration of full moon harvest every fall. At this time, it is normal to visit ancestral graves and maintain it by picking up the weeds. A representing dish is songpyeon, which is a type of rice cake prepared with rice powder, assorted with different fillings such as sesame seed, red beans, other beans, chestnuts and so on. Upon the start of the holidays, the global office of the school shared some songpyeon and rice drinks.

This year, the holiday was on October 3-5, but they extended the holiday observing days in school starting Oct. 2 (Monday) to Oct. 6 (Friday). The following Monday, October 9 was Hangul Independence days, celebrating the writing system of Korea, thus practically having a 10 day holidays (weekends included).

My plan for the Korean Thanksgiving:

Three days, Two night stay in Hongdae, Seoul. Hongdae is one of the districts that are great for foreigners to stay in. I got an affordable Airbnb with two friends with a great park and stream where families hang out all day and night. Also, got a needed classic American Breakfast there :) And finally got to see the annual Fireworks at the famous Han River.

Bungee Jumping in Gapyeong, north of Seoul. I went with my suitemates and his friends as it is $40 to bungee jump. It was held at Nami Island, a famous water park. It is 4 hours away from my school, but 2.5 hours away from central Seoul. It was a great way to try new things and feel adrenaline.

Jinju Lantern festival, one night stay. I made a Korean friend in HPU when they are visiting to learn English for a week. When I met with her in Korea, she told me to visit this place and I decided to bring friends and meet a fellow Korean student. It is far south of Korea and I took an express bus there.

Meet a suitemate in Gyeongju, a historical place where he grew up. Straight from the lantern festival, I took another express bus to the east of Korea to visit a city full of historical landmarks and villages. My suitemate was a great tour guide and we rented a Hanbok,  traditional clothing of Korea.

Holidays are over… STUDY TIME!

After this holiday you have a week to review as it is midterm time! Classes here are really interesting, and I will tell you more all about my studies in the next blog post. Within the next two weeks, I have final exams and last week of classes. Experiencing the change of seasons from Summer to Fall to Winter is keeping me motivated. Let’s work hard and see you guys again!

PACKING TIPS that may just save your life.

Before leaving for Spain I probably spent HOURS adding things, removing things, panicking, shopping, and waking up in the middle of the night wondering what the heck else I could shove in my 1 suitcase for 5 months abroad in a different country. Of course theres never a right way to pack, but shortly after arriving here there were sooo many that I wish I had packed or left.  Boy, did I wish I would have read a blog telling me helpful hints on what to pack. Don't worry folks, I'M HERE FOR YA.

Here's a list of the tips that I know now, that I wish I knew before:

















OVERPACKING: First of all, remember not to stress out over packing too much. Whatever you don't bring you can usually always buy in the country you go to. I can't tell you how much I brought & seriously never used. Especially with clothes & accessories. If anything, you'll find that Primark is sooo flipping cheap & you'll wanna buy tons of clothes there to bring back home with you. 


SHOES: 1 pair of hiking shoes, 1 pair of regular tennis shoes, 1 pair of nice dressy shoes, and maybe some boots for winter is the ideal. You could pack a ton of fancy shoes to keep up with the fashionistas of Europe, but ill tell ya now, while traveling, you're gonna pick Nikes over cute shoes any day of the week.

PLASTIC BAGGIES: Can someone please tell me why it's so hard to find zip lock baggies in Europe?! Pack a box of those in your suit case and you'll be glad you did. Or you could be like me and carry your trail mix, snacks, and toiletries around in the thin little "fruit holder" bags you find in grocery stores.

FOR GIRLS: Make sure you pack a decent amount of lady products. Some of the options offered in Europe are a little scarce, and its just a good thing to have decent supply of those anyways. 

REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE: When traveling around Europe this will be one of your best friends. Drinking fountains are not always the easiest thing to find and a lot of restaurants will make you pay for your water. Plus they are good for the environment (:

                                                        

PORTABLE CHARGER: I can't tell you how many times I was out exploring a city for hours when my phone died. A portable charger will most definitely save your life in this situation when you need to look up bus schedules, get home, or communicate with someone! 

AIPLANE PILLOW: This ones pretty funny but I think it's worth the mention--on your flight to your study abroad destination, if they have those tiny little airplane pillows... TAKE ONE. It will be your best friend over your travels for the next couple months. They're so easy to carry around & long bus rides, sleeping in the airport, & plane rides wouldn't have been the same without mine 😝. 

                                        

TRANSPORTATION, MUESEUMS, ECT: Book everything online ahead of time. It's so much cheaper. 

STUDENT DISCOUNTS: always ask for student discounts. It will often times save you a few bucks! If you know that you're going to be visiting museums or tourist attractions, bring your passport so that you can prove that you're a European student.

                                      

CHEAP FLIGHTS: when booking flights, think twice about the cheap RyanAir or Wizz flights. In most cases, the budget airlines are amazing deals. Yet sometimes they end up costing the exact same amount as if you were to fly with the bigger commercial airlines. Here's why: many budget airlines fly you to an airport that is literally IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE. This practically forces you to pay an arm & a leg for a private bus or some sort of transportation to get you to the main city center. They know you have no way else of leaving the airport so it's often around $15-$20. For this reason, keep this in mind while comparing flight prices & always check what airport you are flying into ! 

Side note: Paris Bourdeaux airport royally STINKS. 

DAY PACKS: Get yourself a good day pack. My day pack consisted of an old Jansport backpack and boy was I greatful for it. Make sure it's large enough to carry water, cameras, souvenirs bought along the way, snacks, your wallet, & all that jazz. 

PICK POCKETING:  Never ever EVER put your phone, wallet, or purse in the front pocket of your bag or your back pocket. I'm not kidding, pick pocketers are everywhere & they are SLY... you'll never even notice it's gone. I caught a girl reaching into my over the shoulder bag that was hanging by my side. Always be aware, especially in the metro stations.

                                                 

ATMS: when paying with a card or withdrawing money from the ATM, the machine will often ask you if you want to charge euros or dollars. Always chose euros. If you chose dollars you are paying extra for them to make the conversion for you. 

HAVE THE BEST TIME EVER: Walk everywhere, speak the language, get lost, explore every inch of your city, make friends, stay out all night, write in a journal, travel. It's gonna be some of the greatest months of your life & it's gonna go by in a blink of an eye. 

                                  

I hope these tips helped you as much as they helped me! Pass them on & enjoy your trip!

SPAIN "Some call it cheap, I call it SMART".

Blog Post by: Michelle Manganello

Some call it cheap, I call it SMART.

​​SMXLL

Do you LOVE travel?! Are YOU ballin on a budget?! Are you also cheap?!

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then boy do I have news for you!

For just five EASY payments of $19.99 I will share with you, yes YOU, all of my handy dandy travel tips.

No, didn't sell ya? Yeah I didn't think so.* I will still share them with you though.

​​SMXLL

Enough funny business**, let's get down to it.

​​SMXLL

·         Book with budget airlines. Always.

·         Read their fine print. A lot of times they will nickel and dime you for EVERYTHING. For example, Ryanair will charge you 70€ if you don't print out your boarding pass.

·         If your trip is over four days Ryanair won't let you print out your departing pass until you are actually at your destination.  To avoid trouble, once you get where you are going, or just before you leave, go to the closest fancy hotel. They have free printing for non guests*** just go to the computer area and print it out there. Or put on your biggest smiley face and just ask the people at the front desk.

·         Have smart phone because I am about to throw some life changing apps your way.

·         Skyscanner. What a beautiful app. It searches EVERY SINGLE search engine out there. You can even type in "anywhere" and\or "anytime" and it shows you the CHEAPEST flights to and from anywhere in the world. I could give you more flight apps but this one searches through all of them.

·         Blabla Car: This is the safe and the nonfree way to hitchhike. But it is still pretty cheap. Cars will check in to the app and say hey hello I have this many open seats and I am heading here to there. And you pay a small price and Voila. It's basically a carpooling app.

·         Couch surfing. I swear by this app. It's amazing. I have used this everywhere. It's amazing. It's exactly like Airbnb. But free. This way you get to know real locals and meet people from all over the world. It works like this: Hey! I am_____! I am traveling here! I am from here. This is what I love. This is what is really cool about your profile. I will be there on these dates. Would it be possible to stay with you with my friend. It would be so appreciated and if you are ever here. You have a home with me. Thank you so much. And don't worry. People have hundreds of reviews and you can read them all, good and bad. Everyone is also verified. Great app. Sometimes it can be competitive so be sure to give a really nice message and lots more personal than that example haha.

·         Map.Me: This is an app that you can download maps of any city in the world. So you then can map yourself around with out using wifi.

·         Google maps: Fun fact: this app will still keep mapping you with out data if you start mapping in a wifi area.

·         Airbnb: people rent out rooms in their house, sometimes even the whole house. You can even rent out bungalows, tree houses, castles, igloos, and so much more.

·         Are you bored of apps? If not message me for more and I have tons. But these are the go to's.

·         CLEAR YOUR DANG COOKIES BEFORE YOUR BOOKING. Computers track what you search so it will always have a higher price if the airline sight knows you are interested.

·         Get on Facebook. Join so many groups. Girls love travel is great. Just type in travel, the place you are going, or backpacking. The help you will get from people is astonishing.

·         Sandeman Tours: These are some of the best walking tours EVER. Did I mention they are free? (But don't forget to tip your guide my people)

·         (In Europe) the train is not always the cheapest way to get somewhere. Try looking for busses to get places. Flix Bus is great

·          

·          

*Donations and affirmations are still accepted. I can be reached at mmangane@im.totallykidding.tnks

**There is actually never enough funny business.

SPAIN...CONTINUED

Blog Post by: Michelle Manganello

You WILL get there

Let me start off by telling you that I am reporting live from my bed, in my wonderful host family's home, in MADRID, ESPANA.

Now, let me also tell you this. It. was. Hell. And. A. Half. to get here.

My advice to you:

​​SLXLM

-KEEP WITH IT.

-Keep some sort of faith that all will work out...even when shit hits the fan. It's going to hit the fan...accept it now.

-Stay ORGANIZED.

-Keep in touch with your Study Abroad advisor. Because you will forget that thing that you weren't supposed to forget.

-Make lists. Make so many to do lists.

-PERSISTANCE PERSISTANCE PERSISTANCE.

-One more time for the homies in the back, DO NOT GIVE UP.

-BREATHE

-Have a folder on your phone of the place you want to go, make it your phone background, give yourself a beautiful reminder of what you are working towards.

There are going to be so many things go wrong. But it is going to be worth it I promise you.

​​SMXLL

PICKING. THE. CLASSES.

I don't even know how to open this can of worms. But here goes....

First, you pick a country, then you pick the school, fall in love with the school, fantasize about eating Crepes outside your first period classroom, hype your mom up about how perfect the school is, and then find out that not all 5/5 classes will work. Back to the drawing board. Rinse. Repeat.

Don't worry. My drawing board went from Melbourne, Australia, to Ecuador, to Costa Rica, to Granada Spain, to Madrid Spain.

STUDY ABROAD PRO TIP:

If you are working at trying to fit this puzzle piece in where it just does not fit, its probably because that is not the right piece in the first place. Let me tell you, I tried for 6 months to get Deakin to work out for me, and you know what, it just was because that is not where I was supposed to go. And now here I am. In Europe for goodness sakes. Not that it was easy to get here, but it just wasn't a new struggle every day, ya know.  If it is not working out, and I mean REALLY NOT WORKING...then try something new, don't give up, but just try something new.

SLXLM​​

Most recently, I, Michelle Anne Manganello, did not have a confirmed place to live until January 2nd. I left on the 4th. The company I was going through took their sweet time on the email game, let me tell you. IM TALKING ABOUT YOU ADRIAN. I had to wake up at 4 am to talk to this company to have a misely 5 minute Skype call that had NO useful information whatsoever. Everything that was covered in this Skype call at that ungodly hour, was the same bologna information that I knew way back in October (now being the beginning of January). I did not get any word from this company until January 2nd. TWO DAYS BEFORE I LEAVE. Do you understand the stress of having to answer all of your relatives' questions, NO AUNTIE I DO NOT KNOW WHERE IM LIVING YET, YEAH STILL DON'T HAVE MY VISA YET EITHER OKAY COOL EVERYTHING'S FINE EVERYTHING IS GOOD. Things were not good. Lol I digress. Thank the Lord...... my friend found a homestay that I could go in on with her.

F'REAL GUYS: www.homestay.com

YOU WILL SAVE SO MUCH DINERO I'M TELLIN YOU.

SLXLM​​

Back to the fun stress.

There was this really fun point in time where the Consulate General of Los Angeles (I live on Oahu, and fun fact, the closest Spanish Consulate General is in Los Angles, California.) WELL. The CG of LA thought they could play a real fun joke on the poor study abroad kids. It goes like this: If you are a STUDENT of Hawaii, you need to report to the Hawaiian district of Consulates. ($800 trip to San Fransisco) BUT San Fransisco wants to play that "we don't have any appointments for two months, and it takes a month to process" game.

Love it.

I am from Connecticut, so even though I live in Hawaii, and should report to the SanFran Consulate, there was a CHANCE that I could just try the New York one. BUT these consulates need IN PERSON appointments. So if you are like me, and live in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and cannot afford a $1,500 weekend trip to the Big Apple, then here we are, in THE BIGGEST PICKLE I'VE EVER BEEN IN *read in Brian Dobson's voice* {for those who lived under a rock in the 90's, Brian Dobson narrated The Sandlot.} ANYWHO

So here is what you do.

Here is the number of the New York Spanish Consulate. +1 212-355-4080

You are going to need to call them about 77,646,309,326 times within these next few months. I would memorize it now, folks.

You may need to whip up a few tears. I'm sure it won't be too hard because at this point it is probably mid term week and you have had it up to here with the issues that have come up in trying to get abroad.

Now, just explain the situation. And BAM! They are cool with you sending all of the paper work to them via MAIL. AND if you send a prepaid self addressed envelope, then you can just have them mail it back to you.

EASY PEASY LEMON SQUEEZY.

Can we just have a really quick round of applause for The Spanish Consulate General of New York (THE REAL MVPs LET ME TELL YOU). *

​​SMXLL

Your mom is going to worry. Or maybe your dad, who ever your primary designated worrier is. They will freak out. At least once. Mostly because until you are actually in the country of choice, calling them saying you arrived to a stable place to live, and the school part of Studying Abroad is all worked out......... until then basically something will be up in the air.

And you will want them to tell you that it's going to be fine, and they will. If not, find someone who will, hell, I will tell you that it will be fine.

                                                       IT WILL BE FINE.

*There is a really great anecdote about my trip to New York to get the Visa, but it is most definitely not anything I want to blog about. But if you would love to know, feel free to message me for the inside scoop.