Jules's Adventures

 Hello everyone!  I have now been on the island for 20 days. The first week here was super fun and I did many touristy things which were good experiences but it made me realize how expensive everything is on the island because it is all imported. I knew things here were going to be expensive but for some reason, I had a little hope that it would be like San Cristobal (Galapagos) where the waterfront is expensive but the rest of the town isn't. We did an island tour with the university which was super cool. We went to Mountain Top, Country, Tutu, Red Hook, and Charlotte Amalie. On my first weekend here I went to Water Island for the day. The name Water Island was very fitting because it rained most of the time we were there but I still had a good time.        I have spent many hours at Brewer's Beach. I really like this beach because it's a short walk from my dorm and not many people go there. I have seen so many sea turtles, stingrays, hermit crabs, and fis...

Traveling to my host school was pretty easy because it was a direct flight. I had 5 bags including my carry-ons which was a little hectic but a nice man helped me at the airport once I arrived. I got a taxi to the university and the check-in process began. Some things I noticed right away were that it felt weird to be driving on the opposite side of the road, the campus is quite literally on a mountain, and that island time is real. Everyone I have met so far is really nice. 

While on exchange I want to make a lot of friends and get to experience the islands as much as possible. I want to make friends with people in my classes and I will work hard in my classes. I am super excited about the beaches, snorkeling, scuba diving, and most of my classes. I am a little nervous that I won't get along with all my roommates. Some of my bucket list items are scuba diving, going to St. John, and going to the British Virgin Islands. NSE was a good choice for me academically and for career preparation, because I am taking major, minor, Carolina Core, and elective courses. The Virgin Islands is also a place where I could possibly see myself working in the future. 

I decided to do NSE compared to a study abroad program because of the global pandemic and to be closer to home while still being away. It was the best option for me financially as well. When looking at schools, I knew I wanted to go somewhere near the water where I could take major and minor courses. That led me to look at Florida, Hawaii, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands. I ended up selecting US Virgin Islands - St. Thomas as my first choice. When applying for NSE I did a lot of research about the schools before I even met with the Student Success Center. At my initial meeting, we went over different places I wanted to go to and the likelihood that I would get accepted. I was also walked through the NSE website and the Student Success Center’s website. This is where I was shown how to start my application. The application process was very easy and straightforward. Once accepted to my host school (UVI - St. Thomas), I had some paperwork to fill out for housing and meal plans. I sent the...