Reading Week

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.

This week I have been busy reading and writing, trying to get ahead with my essays. I am almost done with the second one, and I hope to start the third one next week. On Monday, I went to Zumba class, and after that, I went to the center of town to run some errands. One of the ladies from class gave me a ride; it was nice to get to know her a little better. They are all very nice, and they always ask about my classes and how I am doing. This week, I also met with my group to work on the presentation for the module on Terrorism and Political Violence. We decided to make our presentation about the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). We split the questions among the members of the group, and we will meet again next week to go over the information we have gathered so far. Besides the essay I am currently working on, I also spent some time working on the PKK presentation and studying for a quiz I had to take for my module on Politics of the European Union. The quiz had twenty-five questions, and I think I did well. I only felt unsure about a couple of questions. I don’t have my grade yet. To take a little break this week, I went to Whitstable to walk by the Marina and grab something to eat. I had been to Whitstable before with Wafaa, but since it is close to Herne Bay, I thought it was something I could do to relax a bit and then continue with my homework. This week, I also made an appointment with the Student Learning Advisory Service to go over the essay that I have already finished. I just want to double-check a few things regarding citations. My appointment is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. I am looking forward to working on the last details of this essay!