Monday, June 11, 2007

Time flies

Today I was thinking while I was answering an email about how was my experience at Drake than just a few months ago I was looking videos of Drake and thinking how it was going to be. And now it's over.
I want to summarize why my experience was so good, and in the case that any international student is reading this blog you can do it to:
- Speak English all the time, don't worry about mistakes: when I arrived my pronunciation was terrible, awesome, picture or choir were some of these words that nobody could understood!!
- Try to meet new people since the first day: I only knew one person at Drake when I arrived, but I tried to meet new people since the first day.
- If you have questions ask them or just send an email: everybody at Drake uses the email and they always answer you very fast.
- Be involve in all the activities you can: I try to take part in the International Students and Journalism School activities but I went to almost all the events on campus.
- Write for the university's newspaper or the magazine: you learn a lot, you meet new people, you take experience, you have some clips for your resume, etc.
- Go to class everyday: in Spain is not so common to go to all the classes, and it was hard to wake up to go to 8 a.m. classes! But there is so much participation in the class that when you miss one class, you miss a lot.
- Go to the professors office hours: I had problems with some classes, JMC 59, JMC 30 and JMC 119 specially, but professor Wright, Renkoski and Flansburg were always very helpful with me.
- Go to the library: I went to Cowles library a lot. I made good friends there, people there know a lot and always can help you finding books and material, we were almost the same group, we help each other, we took smalls breaks and coffee together, and they helped a lot at my nervous moments!!
- Go to all the events: don't be afraid, even if you are going alone, then you will find someone familiar there, or in the same situation as you are.
- Enjoy Relays: yes, it is crazy, the week before final exams and final papers. There are so many things going on! Relays, street painting, parade, foam party, fraternity parties, games, etc.
- Go to the International night and ISA Formal: the best events ever! They are organized by the International Student Association and there are people from all over the world. You learn a lot from other people and it is so much fun! Everybody is so excited and happy!
- Share your language and culture with DULAP: I was working teaching Spanish all the year and it was a great experience. I learn about American culture and students and I share my culture and language with them. I think it was a good idea to do it. Probably I will be a professor one day in the future.
- Work on campus: you meet more people, you earn some money (in my case to travel around the States)... I work for The Times-Delphic, at Lois Santi office, at this blog, for DULAP and with professor Priscila Piper.
- Travel around Iowa and the Unites States: I made a lot of weekend trips with friends from Drake and to visit other friends in other states. It was amazing. I have never traveled so much in all my life: Las Vegas, Chicago, Miami, New York, Maryland, Washington D.C., etc.
- Visit the International Center: you can ask them for international issues, visas, summer courses, study abroad, etc. I'm in China thanks to all Lauren Derebey help!!
- Live on campus: in my opinion it is better for the first year because you meet more people and you are very close to the buildings. I lived at Carpenter dorm and it was good. My roommate was from Zimbabwe and we are good friends now. Also I did activities with my RA, mine was Duhita and we did painting, cooking, bowling, snow fighting, lunch & dinners together, etc.
- Make international and American friends: don't be only with internationals! Americans are nice too, probably it's harder because of the language, culture and because they are at home, but you can have fun with them too.
- Go to the basketball games, American football, and tennis games: the basketball games were great, male and female games.
- Go to international restaurants next to Drake: specially El Rodeo and El Aguila Real, for me The Cheesecake Factory is international too.
- Volunteer with refugees on Tuesdays: I discovered it the last few weeks and it was great to spend time with these children. I miss them so much now!
- Visit The Des Moines Register newspaper and Juice magazine in downtown Des Moines.
- Go to musicals like the Phantom of the Opera and Mamma Mia at the Civic Center
- Go to see some presidential candidates as Obama in downtown...
- And more things that I don't remember now...

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