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.

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