Greenwich

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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.

This week has been busy but also productive. On Monday, I met with an advisor at the Student Learning Advisory Service; we did go over my questions, and with that, I was able to make the last adjustments to my first essay, which is now ready to be submitted. After this appointment, I went to the library to check out a couple of books I needed for my second essay. I have been working on this one this week, and it is almost ready. At the library, I also met with my group to go over the presentation for the module on Terrorism and Political Violence, which we presented on Thursday. We did well and received compliments from Professor Voller. This week, I have also started searching for the sources I need for my third essay, for the module on The United Nations. The prompt for this essay requires the assessment of how far the UN Security Council approval justifies the use of force in international relations, particularly relating to certain conflicts throughout history. I have chosen to discuss the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. This past Thursday was my birthday! Wafaa and Robert prepared a birthday dinner for me on Tuesday night, and the neighbors came over. This was such a nice gesture! I was very touched. Wafaa also had gifts for me; she is so thoughtful. On Wednesday, I went out for dinner with friends at a restaurant located in Bridge, a small village near Canterbury. The food was very good, and we had a great time. On Thursday, I had classes all day, so I didn’t do much for my birthday that day but received phone calls and messages from family and friends. This week, I also had a virtual appointment with the Career Center at the University of South Carolina. I scheduled this appointment to go over my resume and get advice on how to update it. Since I will be graduating in the summer of 2022, I want to have it ready to start looking for job opportunities. Over the weekend, I have been reading quite a bit for the third essay I am about to start writing and watching lectures too, but today I went to Greenwich. This town is close to London, and it is here where the Royal Observatory is located, which is the site to the Greenwich meridian line. There is a lot to see here, like the Cutty Sark, a 19th-century ship, the National Maritime Museum, many restaurants, and the Greenwich Market. Today, I walked around town, visited the market, and went by the Cutty Sark. I will try to come back to go to the Royal Observatory.