Reflections On My Time at SBCC (Lise Andersson)

In January 2017, I packed up my belongings and moved across the world. I had been wanting to do this for so long. It felt like it was never going to happen, but I stayed determined and the next thing I knew, I was was settling into my new home in Santa Barbara.

I am now finishing up my last semester at Santa Barbara City College. If I were to summarize it all, I would say that it’s been a crazy, but amazing ride. I honestly can’t imagine what I would be like, and what I would be doing right now if I never moved here.

I have taken about 24 classes since starting my first semester at

SBCC. Classes ranging from Criminology, to Graphic Design, to Astronomy, to Anthropology, to Public Speaking, to Political Science, and the list goes on. I think that one of the main differences between colleges in Sweden (where I’m from) and the U.S., is that in the U.S. you have to take classes to fulfill GE (general education) requirements, which are classes such as math, English, science, and so forth. All students are obligated to take these classes in order to graduate with an Associate’s degree.

I have learned and changed immensely since I entered my first semester. In all honesty, I didn’t have a clue of what exactly I wanted to study, and I changed my major three times. I went from Psychology, to Graphic Design, to Communication which is what I ended up sticking with. Although I sometimes wish I knew from the beginning what I wanted to study, I’m also incredibly happy that I did change my mind a few  times. It allowed me to take classes I otherwise wouldn’t and some of them ended up being my favorite classes ever. Studying at SBCC granted me the chance to really figure out what I’m interested in and what I want to get out of my education. Fast forward two and a half years later, I have gained so much knowledge and grown as an individual. I finally have a goal in mind that I’m passionate about and determined to reach.

I’m so thankful for all the opportunities that I’ve had at SBCC. I got a job at Starbucks in the campus bookstore my second semester and I have since then made an endless amounts of lattes and frappuccinos. I joined a non-profit organization called The American Scandinavian Foundation of Santa Barbara as an intern and helped them with their marketing and graphic design. I became the Vice President of SBCC Graphic Design Club, and I worked as a Teacher Assistant in a Graphic Design class. With this being said, I encourage all international students to be open-minded to all the opportunities that we are given; join clubs, get an internship, become a SBCC Ambassador, or work on campus. These experiences truly helped me immerse myself in the culture and make a web of friends in a place I didn’t know anyone at first.

So was it worth it? - 110% yes! I will forever be grateful for my experiences at SBCC. I’m graduating on Friday and it is without a doubt the best decision I’ve ever made. I’m so happy that I made this happen for myself. To be continued...

Follow my dream? (Ruth Zapico)

Should I follow my dream? Should I think about being stable? Is my major going to make me succeed somehow? But wait, is there many job opportunities in this field? What would I end up becoming? How much is my profit going to be?

Hello Readers! My name is Ruth Zapico Mancebo, I am an international student from Spain studying at Santa Barbara City College. I am sure that many of you have all this questions running around your head, going also back and forth, doing couple sprints until you get headaches. I would like to talk to you about my dream job and I would like to share the advice I got from my dad which is what keeps me strong and motivated to fight to achieve my dreams. Since we are young we dream about being a productive individual and doing something valuable with our lives. Many kids dream about being police officers, singers, pilots or some kind of professional athlete. However my dream was to be an actress.

While I considered my choices, I saw a lot of advantages in acting. It is a very dynamic and social job, and it is also a job with a good salary. I believe acting is a kind of “art” because not everyone can convincingly create a fictional character by layering emotions, on top of attitude, on top of actions. I believe acting can teach us to know and control ourselves in a deeper way, and it can gives us a higher self esteem. On the other hand, acting is a really competitive profession and is a hard field to get into. In the acting world, your level of experience or education may not earn you the job you are looking for.  No matter how hard you work, if you are not liked by your viewer you will not get the job. Another downside to acting, is that it is not the usual 9 to 5 job. You may be employed one day and then looking for work opportunity the next. In my opinion acting is a talent which can not always be learned, but can be improved upon. Acting does not depend on the effort, the hours or the work you put into it, but in fact, acting is a job that has a very subjective way of being judged. Not everyone has the same kind of humor, fears or feelings and all acting is open to interpretation.  

Therefore, I decided to avoid acting as a major and just take couple classes at Santa Barbara City College. (Which was a wrong decision. I should have made acting my major because I spend all day waiting desperately for those acting classes to start. A passion, is a passion). I decided to have business as my major. My plan is to graduate with a degree in business entertainment, media and technology. This degree hopefully takes me somewhere related with acting and film. After graduating I would like to receive my master’s degree either in advertising or marketing. I imagine myself working for a big multinational company in their marketing and advertising departments. I picture myself working for brands such as Nike or Adidas but my dream would be working with either Versace or Gucci. I would love to work for either of these brands because they are big, high end, and exclusive brands that need a really powerful marketing to keep their high status.

In the end, I have no idea where I am going to end up or what I am going to end up doing. All I know is that the harder I work and prepare myself for the future the better my resume is going to be and the easiest and faster I will find the job that makes me happy. My dad always told me that we have to do what makes us happy. If it makes us happy, we are not going to care about the amount of effort we put in or the hours we spend doing it. For this reason it will make us succeed easily. The money will come with that success; in fact we will have a personal success too. It looks like everything is a proportional and related logic. With happiness we will succeed and with the success will come the money.


Thank you Reader for getting all the way here. I hope you find whatever makes you happy!!

See you soon!

Ruth.

My experience at Santa Barbara City College (Astrid Sidibe)

It’s a bittersweet feeling that the semester is coming to an end. I have had such a great experience here in Santa Barbara both in and out of school. I have spent this semester with new found friends, myself and my amazing husband. In my last blog post I would like to share some good experiences I have gotten during my time here, mostly from school. The first thing was that I got this job as a blogger from the international student office my first semester here. Thank you Shelby! It made my semester even better!

The student Health Services, have been part of my support system while being here and that is a great place in school that offers a lot of different types of services. You can get 6 meetings with a counselor that you can talk to about anything for free during the semester. My counselor Betsy has been a great support during my time here. She is like mother nature herself with lots of  love and compassion.

THE WELL

I also fell in love with The Well this semester. It is a great spot for people to go to and work on their wellness. I am so thankful for Rebecca and her crew! You guys are giving us an opportunity and place to go and heal and grow. You ROCK!!

Thank you “Food Pantry” for all the food you have given us students! You are doing an wonderful thing for the students.

The CLRC center offer workshops that are very interesting and for free. I’ve been to 4 of them this semester and I have one more I would like to attend. They have been really helpful and/or a lot of fun. I hope more people take advantage and attend because you can learn so much and it gives a lot of value, at least to me. I really appreciate the workshops! It has been great! Also all of my teachers have been killing it during class this semester. They been really focused and driven to teach us what they know. So to my teachers I would like to say THANK YOU! I have had a great time here at SBCC!

San Francisco

Last I would like to share a little from our road trip last weekend. I went to San Francisco with my mother, brother and husband. It was a great weekend! We rode bikes over the Golden Gate Bridge, made a stop on our way to the bridge at the palace of fine arts, spent some time on Pier 39 and visit the famous prison Alcatraz. It is a lot to see in that city and also on the way back home especially on road 1, it was magnificent nature with beautiful views.  

If you ever get the chance to go there, then I think you should! Have a great day!

Love // Astrid S.

Trip Through Golden Coast (Antonio Monteiro)

How My Trip Through The Golden Coast Taught Me To Become a Better Student at SBCC

When we think of someone as being successful, we normally assume that he or she is resourceful, knows how to deal with adversities, and is an action taker. Being a successful student, like any other craft, requires these three aspects that I mentioned.

But to learn how to be more resourceful, or make things happen, you don't have to just sit in front of a class, work on a job, or read a book.

In my opinion, one of the best ways to learn how to be more capable in terms of adapting to new environments, challenges, and situations, is by traveling.

And my spring break trip, a van trip down the Golden Coast through San Clemente, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside, San Diego, Murrieta, Joshua Tree desert, and the Big Bear mountains, thought me how to become a better student.

I'll share my insights with you right now, as a way to show you that being a student here is not only about academics, but also about learning how to mature and become a helpful adult in society.

This 6-day trip was programmed with the intention of having a path, but not a strict schedule. Therefore, we just agreed that we would surf for the first two days, and then move on to the desert, and the mountains.

My friend, Pierce, owned the van with a bed, Cássio, my other friend, and I was sleeping on sleeping bags in the van as well. As you might imagine, it was not a comfortable situation. But here lies the first lesson.

Be comfortable with uncomfortable situations, because they're mostly temporary.

By sleeping in a van for 5 nights, I learned that all the discomfort that I went through to sleep, for example, thought me to value what I already have in life, and what I aspire to accomplish as well.  

The main reason lies in the fact that is going to take discipline and hard work to make a good job, at school, work, relationships and so on.

Therefore, the appreciation of discomfort changed my perspective about how to endure long study periods, work shifts, and times when I needed to push through in order to get a good result

Another lesson that I learned came by seeing so many different natural environments in such a short period of time. In 6 days we saw the beautiful spring blossoms around the salty coast, the dry, harsh and yet full of life desert in Joshua Tree, and the snowy forests of Big Bear.

All these different environments developed fairly near to each other, but yet they are different, and this was the same for me and my friends.

We came from different backgrounds, countries, and ways of living, and yet we managed to stay all the 6 days together. To see our differences, and how every one of us can be ourselves and respect the other, was very profound.

Here in California, you're going to see that is a cultural melting pot everywhere you go, so people won't necessarily live in the same way as you do, think the same things, and value the same practices.

You can get annoyed with that sometimes, as I did during the trip, to be honest. But as you learn to deal with differences in a more intimate way, the number of things that you learn about life, and yourself, are paramount.

By far, this trip was my best learning experience in terms of cultural differences. And thank the school, my friends, me, and the van (which was named Beth, by the way) for this amazing opportunity.

Learning how to deal with different environments, cultures, plans, and needs thought me how to better understand myself and apply all this knowledge towards my academic and professional progress while in here, and throughout my life.

So if you ever come here, do not miss out on traveling to different places, with people that are not very much like you.

Be impressed on how big this world is, in terms of ideologies, idiosyncrasies, and nature.

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:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/xunxianvanessa.to.1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifestyleblog.vt/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xun-xian-vanessa-to-379517179/

vanessaa.to

Snapchat: vanessaa.to

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYQJM_pBEpokvVAQYvvvfAA

Best wishes,

Your International Blogger, Vanessa

How to get the most out of your college experience!

It’s been a year since the big adventure in the land of opportunities started for me. An adventure that took me to study at one of the most beautiful campuses in the world. This is a story about my first year under the Californian sun at Santa Barbara City College.

Taking swimming classes

It’s not far of the truth if I say that the life I live now is a life that I have always dreamed of. Naturally, the first months at SBCC felt tough, since it took a while for me to adapt to all the new things, like the American culture and the different school system. When I got through the beginning struggles and started feeling that I belonged here, I started enjoying the Cali life for real. Thanks to SBCC’s amazing location and the great atmosphere around the campus, I manage many times to combine fun and school work. A good example of this is that I do most of my readings at the beach, sometimes even together with friends, while enjoying the ocean breeze and getting tan.

Film Studies was fun!

I take both studying and my free time seriously. The effort I’ve put in the school work during my first year has been awarded with Phi Theta Kappa Honors society membership, President's Honor Roll, and of course, with good grades. Next year I have plans to be more active around the campus. I got accepted to SBCC’s Ambassador program, which means that I’m going to be a SBCC Ambassador starting this fall. I’m also going to be volunteering and organizing different events together with the other ambassadors. My other goal for next year is to get a internship, which will hopefully give me some real life experience in my field of study. Furthermore, my active social life with both SBCC and UCSB students has brought me heaps of long-lasting friendships and tons of unforgettable memories. This has changed me as a person in a good way. Success in my studies and realization that political science is the right major for me has given me confidence to believe that I’m on the right path to fulfill my academic dreams. All the new friends and connections that I’ve made during my time in Santa Barbara have broaden my international network, which is not only just amazing, but can also be helpful when thinking about my future career as a diplomat.

But what do I do when it’s time for a study break? 

Hanging out with friends on the beach

The view from my balcony

When it's time to let my brain rest I give myself time to enjoy all the things that California has to offer. On my free time I visit other cities and sometimes even other states. So far, I have visited San Diego, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Palm Springs. Spring Break 2018 even took me all the way to beautiful Mexico. But as you probably guess, most of the time I don’t get to leave Santa Barbara because of school and that’s when I usually go hiking, surfing, swimming, play volleyball, or just chill at the beach.

Receiving the President's Honors Roll Certificate

The key of getting the most out of your SBCC experience is by being open to new things. By this I mean learning to know new people, taking classes you never thought you would or could take, and experience adventures you could only dream about before you ended up in Santa Barbara. I also think it’s important to get out of your comfort zone in order to get the most out of your college experience. This could mean making friends outside of your usual friends network. For many international students, this would mean to bond with people from other countries. Also, becoming friends with Americans (i.e locals) will help you to fit-in and get the real American college experience. In my opinion, this is also the best way to improve your language skills. By becoming friends with students who have a similar academic interest, can also help you to reach your academic goals. I also think it’s good to learn to know people from other campuses, like UCSB, because this way you will get a wider view of different campuses and universities in California. It can also be useful to know about other campuses if or when you start planning to transfer. I, for example, have lots of friends from UCSB, UCLA, and UCSD. They haven’t only helped me with my studies, but they have also shown me how things are done around their campuses. My advice for the students who want to get the most out of their college experience can be found in the old saying, "when in Rome, do as the Romans do,” meaning that it’s advisable to follow the conventions of the area in which you are residing. By putting an effort in your studies, it will make your time and money worthy, but in order to get most out of the unique Cali lifestyle, you need to remember to allow yourself to also have some fun and not to be afraid of adventures.

Sunset on the Beach