For the independent and curious people, studying abroad comes with a loooong list of benefits that can offer an invaluable start to a happy, considerable future. You can learn new things about who you are and what you want. Also, not everyone has the opportunity to fully experience a different culture, it is special.
We arrived two weeks ago and it feels like we can’t realize yet that we are really here. From the very beginning we felt welcomed at this place because everyone is super friendly, you can’t imagine. It is very easy to meet a ton of lovely people and to make new friends especially at the campus. It is my first time in the United States of America and I am impressed how beautiful America is. We spent our first day at Los Angeles and saw different avenues and couldn’t get enough of this amazing city. I mean it’s better than you could ever imagine like an American Dream.
We are living at Port Hueneme near Camarillo and it’s really nice because the beach is directly in front of your door. I am living here with 3 other students from Stuttgart in a condo we found at Airbnb. We also rented a car by Arrow-rent-a car in Los Angeles because if you don’t have a car it might be difficult by time. Believe me or not but you can get burgers at every corner and it’s difficult to get some healthy food because cooking healthy is not cheap. Fun fact: 3 other groups rented a condo at the same place and we are just a few seconds away by foot and everyone was surprised. Easier to start a party night!
A lot of people will tell you that it is not a good idea to do your semester abroad in the USA if you are not 21 years old, but believe me it is. Don’t get distracted of your dreams and do what you have to do. I believe that our semester abroad will be the best ever! And an important notice for the party animals: you can still party and have fun. Los Angeles creates parties at age 19, so don’t worry!
The California State University of Channel Islands is a huge campus and has many buildings for classes, library and student housing. It has lots of opportunities to get in touch with people who have the same interests as you. You meet many people while working in groups like in school: you get homework, write tests during the semester and at the end there are finals or presentations. Also, participation and attendance are quite important. Our schedules were different that’s why most of us were separated and had longer days than others. Of course, it can happen that you get different schedules than your friends but you meet new people faster than you could imagine and you are not alone. At campus there are various options of food, green areas where you can chill out or go to the gym and be part of sport activities.
Besides studying you can also make road trips to Los Angeles, Santa Barbara or Malibu in under one hour. Seeing different beaches and cities are amazing because every place is special in it‘s own way. So, you can do a lot in your free time and you will never get tired of the beautiful places! If you plan to visit other cities like San Francisco, Las Vegas or San Diego use for example the Labor Day weekend or plan a road trip after you finish your exams at December. We decided to do this and besides of road trips we are going to visit football games and concerts or parks like Disneyland. I believe I will never get tired of this wonderful place!
10 Things you have to do if you study at CSUCI:
– Beach days at Ventura
– In&Out Burger
– Camarillo Premium Outlet
– Surfing
– CI Cheerleading
– Campus events like Pool Party
– Golf N’ Stuff at Oxnard
– Santa Monica Pier
– Melrose and Fairfax Avenue
– Hiking to the Hollywood Sign
Enjoy!
by Valeria, Neele and Berna
