First Week of Class

By:

Romina Pinto

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Romina Pinto

<i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> Hello <i>Home Institution (your U.S. University/College):</i> University of South Carolina <i>Expected graduation year:</i> 2022 <i>Destination city & country:</i> Canterbury, United Kingdom <i>Program provider:</i> University of Kent <i>Major/minor:</i> Major: International Studies Minor: Linguistics <i>Demographics:</i> First-generation, non-traditional <i>Future career aspirations:</i> After graduation, I would like to pursue a master's degree abroad in Global Security and Borders or in Violence, Terrorism, and Security. My goal is to be a part of an international project or international nonprofit organization to help bring the best practices to law enforcement or assistance generally, to improve the lives of people. Especially vulnerable communities, where families face violence or other critical issues that threaten their safety and impede their development and progress. <i>Top 3 goals for your time abroad:</i> 1- Broaden my knowledge and gain the necessary expertise to strengthen my professional competencies regarding international cooperation and international security matters. 2- Increase my understanding regarding the UK's new role in Europe as the Brexit process takes place and how this affects the UK and neighboring countries. 3- Engage with a diverse community from whom I can draw more insight and different perspectives into the world, as well as establish lasting friendships and a network of contacts to further a cultural and professional collaboration.

Classes started this past week. Everything went well, but because of the fuel crisis some of the buses were not working according to schedule. Traffic was more problematic due to the long lines at gas stations, but I made it to school on time. I am happy with all my classes. I am glad I chose these modules because they will greatly complement my major in International Studies. The professors are nice and knowledgeable, and the students are really friendly. On Tuesdays, I have pre-recorded lectures to watch, and on Wednesdays and Thursdays, I have face-to-face seminars. On Wednesday, I had my first seminar on Foreign Policy Analysis and Management in the Woolf building, and there I met another student from the US. She attends Indiana University and is also here for one term. We immediately engaged in conversation and exchanged phone numbers. Thursdays are my long days as I have three seminars scheduled that day. The first one is the module on Politics of the European Union; this class is also in the Woolf building. In the afternoon, my classes are in the Darwin Building. I start with the module on Terrorism and Political Violence, and my last class is the module on The United Nations, which ends at 5 pm. In each class, we participated in an activity to get to know each other before we went over the organization of the module and the introduction to the material that we will cover during the term. For each class, we have an essay to write and then an exam scheduled during the summer. However, international students who are here for one term will have to write a second essay. We have lots to read, but the classes are well organized, and the seminars have a very easy-going atmosphere, which encourages students to engage in discussion. Because of Covid, there is a small number of students in each seminar. On Friday, I went to another fitness class at the local community center; this time, I tried Pilates!