Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Celebrating my birthday abroad (Vanessa To)



Studying abroad in Santa Barbara means to me discovering the intriguing, great and beautiful country in the United States on my own, being almost independent by living on my own with a great international community thanks to my lovely parents caring a lot for me!
After that, I can develop my own personality such as being more self-confident; more mature and also more organized etc. In addition to it, I really like to meet many new people; students as well as teachers or professors in SBCC. I am really open-minded about new cultures and new people from all over the world. Furthermore, I can maybe to get to know a lot of international friends and have maybe a friendship with them for a lifetime.

Me and my friends eating in Empty Bowl Gourmet Noodle Bar
On the 24th of February, I went for my nineteenth birthday for lunch at Empty Bowl Gourmet Noodle Bar  (38 W Victoria Street) which was a Thai restaurant in the Public Market with some of my friends from my acting class. One of them is also our International Blogger for SBCC. Her name is Astrid.
Celebrating my 19th Birthday
Hangover Noodles and Thai Tea

While we were inside of the Thai restaurant I ordered the dish “Hangover Noodles” and I chose “Thai Tea” for lunch. The noodles were really good flavored with a hint of spicy taste as well the “Thai Tea” was perfect sweetened.
 
After eating in the restaurant we went to Creamistry and had a lot of fun while we have been there. I had a really nice and unforgettable birthday with them.
My birthday cake by Lilac Pâtisserie
In the afternoon, I picked up my really cute and beautiful birthday cake from Lilac Pâtisserie (1017 State Street) which is a gluten free bakery and café with a French flair. The name of my cake was “The Berry Patch Cake”. I could change the flavour from the inside. So I decided on chocolate. This cake was a really great choice because from the inside the cream was made of raspberries and strawberries and from the outside I had as toppings also blueberries and green leaves with vanilla flavor.


Vanilla ice cream and deep fried banana dessert
After picking up my cake from the bakery I celebrated in the garden of my house and invited some of my other friends from Santa Barbara City College. The time I spent with them in the late afternoon was really unique. Thereupon, we chose together a restaurant and decided to go to Sushi Teri. In that restaurant I ordered Sushi, Miso Soup and Agedashi Tofu (deep-fried tofu) and my friends ordered a salad and some of them ordered Tempura Shrimp and Tempura Shrimp Rolls. At the end of my time in that restaurant I got a little surprise after eating. I got a tasty dessert with a candle which comprised vanilla ice cream with pineapple pieces and cake under the ice cream and deep fried bananas topped with chocolate sauce.

You can find me on social media to stay tuned:
Snapchat: vanessaa.to




Best wishes,
Your International Blogger, Vanessa

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

California (Ruth Zapico)

The first President of the United States, George Washington was born on the 18th of February. Which means that we do not have school on the 18th. The perfect reason to make a trip to Los Angeles and to always keep exploring.

Hello Readers! My name is Ruth Zapico Mancebo, I am an international student from Spain studying at Santa Barbara City College. I just wanted to tell you how my experience is going so far as well as my personal opinion about California and what I have learned about myself.

First of all, in Spain, when you mention that you are going to the United States, without a doubt the next thing to be asked is: are you going to California or New York? California is well known for its good wealth, weather, health, freedom and for being a romantic place. In fact, if we think about it, how has California become such a well-known place? California has earned itself all these titles due in part to its socially accepting sanctuary for the diverse and unique number of people living there and for the initiation of companies like Apple, Disney or Netflix as well as millions of other clothing brands known all over the world such as Patagonia, The North Face or O’Neill. To explain the titles that define California, we could put more emphasis on the multiculturalism that takes place in California, which allows the exchange of knowledge between people with different mindsets, cultures, and desires. Having a larger amount and more diverse array of knowledge only encourages the production of trends, creativity and marks the difference between California and other states in the United States.

California became a dream to many because of the high expectations and speculations. Thanks to the entertainment California acquired a great image. I am sure many of you have heard “Malibu,” a song from Miley Cyrus which has an awesome video clip with images from the California beaches. The band Sweet California already has the message on their group name and songs like “Hotel California,” “California Gurls,” “Californication,” or the classic “California Dreaming” are many pretty letters dedicated to California that make you imagine something that does not always match the reality. As far as my experience has gone, I came to California with the high expectations that media, including movies, social media, marketing, and society put on me thanks to the globalization. I was looking for a good life or for the “summer” life that movies have shown over time. However, this weekend I visited Los Angeles and nothing was as I imagined it. Or maybe it was but the expectations were so high that it felt like it did not matter. Nothing surprised me, neither the restaurants, the streets, the buildings, the beaches, or the lifestyle. Nevertheless, this did not bother me and I decided to see the good side of everything because every place, and every moment has always a good side. The good side and the reasons why California keeps me here is because of Santa Barbara City College. The resources here are incredible but even better are the professors. They make learning to be fun, motivating, based on understanding and in a way that it hooks you and makes you want to learn more and more. In my English 110 class, we are learning about California and Professor Jason File makes us think and be creative which is something I love because he is giving me the opportunity to express myself and have a voice. Professor Cindy Benelli teaches me ECON 101, and her class is amazing because she explains everything with real-life examples and situations to which most of us can relate. Professor Caren Adorni teaches Acting for the Camera and it is the class I live for since acting is my passion. Last but not least, my BUS 101 class is taught by Professor Dorthe Walker who is really interesting listening to because of all the knowledge and experience she has.


To sum up, if you are one of the Readers that is feeling like for some reason you have not connected with California, try to relate by looking at the good facts or the positive points it has. Be open-minded to situations, and travel to grow personally and discover new places. You never know where and when the biggest opportunity is going to call your name, so keep the positive side of every place you go to.

Reader, thank you for getting all the way here! Remember always to be critical with your opinions and to have a comprehensive, optimistic and open-minded view of life, it helps to live your every day in a happier mood.

See you soon! Ruth.

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Housing (Antonio Monteiro)

Moving away from our parents is not easy. Yeah... sometimes this is all we have been wishing for. You might be just moving from a different city in California or a state in the U.S., but the "moving" part is much more intense for exchange students. The cultural adaptation, homesickness, and loneliness that comes with the first few months it's all part of the journey. More maturity about your choices and the type of living situation that you are looking for yourself is going to become much more important if you chose to move away from your country, state, or city. 

In this blog post, I'll share with you some insights on what you have to look for and think about when searching for a place here in Santa Barbara. And also, I'll share my thoughts on what I perceive to be the pros and cons of the following neighborhoods: The Mesa, Downtown/East Beach, Goleta, and Isla Vista


Basically, I asked myself "what would have helped me finding a good place when moving to Santa Barbara?" And the answer it's what follows.


Variables To Be Analyzed 

We're going to analyze three main variables that will help you knowing more about housing in Santa Barbara


- Pricing around Santa Barbara
- Location & Locomotion
- Your Living Situation

Pricing Around Santa Barbara

If you don't live here in California, probably you have no idea how expensive things are around here. Coming from Brazil, and already living in Australia, I felt that here is different in terms of pricing. What you should be looking for is to pay around $750-$1200 per month for a single room. And in some places, such as Buena Vista, or Beach City (apartment complexes next to school), an one year lease is required, plus a security deposit. So keep that in mind. However, you can find places that charge monthly. But you will need to make a security deposit, which is normally the same price as the rent that you're paying if you chose to close the deal. 

Location & Locomotion

Santa Barbara is relatively small, with the population of only 92,000 people (2018 census, from Santa Barbara County). This is good because most things aren't that far, and you won't have to deal with much traffic if you happen to buy a car around here. Also, you can manage your routine with the buses that the city provide, SBCC students can get them for free with our student ID in hands. One thing though, is that the bus schedule is very limited, so you are going to have to build your routine and schedule with this in mind

Your Living Situation
You can't have it all. If you want to live in a quiet house, do not expect to be able to make pull up the living room table, stack some red cups and play blasting music. If you want to live in a party house, do not expect to be lighting up incenses and reading a book with a cup of tea on your Friday night. So, chose what you want. I would say that you can choose to live with people of your age, older folks, and a family. I've lived with all of them, all are good (except for the family) With students, if you find people that resonate with you, you're going to have more fun at home, and hang out more often. Also, you might meet more people because everyone is making friends and connecting with each other. This is the good part. But keep in mind that most students are lazy regarding household duties (a.k.a. doing dishes, laundry, keeping things clean in the bathroom...) So you might live in a mess... but that's not certain. You never truly know until you live the experience. 

With older folks (in their late twenties or thirties), it's fun too. But it is a different kind of fun. No partying, more talking about life, going to restaurants, and any other random subject that comes up. People are more mature, and therefore you should expect a more respectful, clean and "home-like" environment. This is the type of living situation that I liked the most so far.


Living with a family is not that good, because you are out 1000 miles from the student life. And families have discussions, and they are at their house. So if you are renting a room, expect to live in the room. No more than that. And I did not like that idea. 


Now let's look at the neighborhoods around town


The Neighborhoods Around Town


The Mesa
School is located at the Mesa/West Beach. So you can find places that are walking distance from the College. This is nice because you don't have to worry about buses and all of that.


Pros:
- Near school
- Supermarkets Available
- A lot bus stops
- Great for people who do not have a car
- Quiet neighborhood
- Amazing sunsets.


Cons:
- Don't expect to find $750 single rooms too easily. I would be expecting a $1000+ month for a single in a good spot. 

Downtown/East Beach
This is the most populated area of Santa Barbara, and it is near everything. Also, there is the transit station, which you can get buses to anywhere in town.

Pros:
- Near shops, places to walk/visit, supermarket, laundry mats
- Buses to school available

Cons:
- Difficult to park if you have a car and no parking spot. 

Goleta
This is a city located near Santa Barbara, I don't consider outside of Santa Barbara because both cities connect. It is a good, organized place to live. 

Pros:
   - Can find cheaper housing options

Cons:
   - Relatively far from school if you don't have a car

Isla Vista
Isla Vista, known as IV, is next to UCSB, and it is a university town. There are a lot of students there, and parties too. 

Pros:
- Student environment
- You meet a lot of people
- There are plenty of parties

Cons:
- Too much partying, difficult to study and focus at school
- It is not so safe (people might steal your bike)
- It is far from SBCC (there is an express bus though)
- If you live in a party house, there will be strangers there, so it's riskier to have your stuff hanging around the house

Bonus: Be Careful w/ Scammers (They are out there) 

If you're looking to find places to live here, you would probably have to go to craigstlist.com and search for housing there. However, I would recommend you to beware of scammers. The most common type is when someone says that he/she is out of town, but can send you the keys if you send them the security deposit. I know, it sounds so obvious... but if you're looking for a place to stay, you might be stressed out. Therefore, this could be your "only hope." But don't act too quickly if this situation comes up to you.

Another classic "scam" is when people post an unbelievable room with cheap price and ask you to sign in on Roomster or any housing website. They're not trying to sign you up for your good, they earn a commission based on that. Therefore, I would say that 95% of these postings, the room is not even real. 


To Sum:

This is a helpful guide to decrease a bit of your anxiety if you're planning to come on over. However, it is still going to be a difficult process to find a place and settle. Just pay attention to how much you want to pay, what environment you want to live, and who is offering the place, and you will be good! I wish you all of the best


Resources that might be helpful:


Sbcc housing list: https://www.sbcc.edu/housinglist/


Best, Antonio

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