Week 4: 8/29-9/5

We are currently in the midst of hurricane season (lasting from June until November) here in St. Thomas, and this Labor Day weekend we got to experience the edge of Hurricane Earl. Originally labeled as a tropical storm, it has been predicted that Earl will become this season's first major hurricane. Starting off with some scattered rain showers, I still went to the beach down the street from campus and went for a swim. It was so refreshing to feel the rain trickle down on me as I waded in the warm tropical waters, but when the rain started to pick up, I was limited to the four walls of my dorm bedroom. It was a pretty uneventful Labor Day weekend due to the weather, but I still made the most out of it. I'm already a month into classes, so they're starting to pick up a bit and it was nice to be able to get a good amount of studying and schoolwork done. I usually love the rain at home, so I enjoyed my few strolls to the dining hall and the library in the throes of the storm.

Despite it being a slower week, it was still a very definitive one in my experience due to a sudden unfortunate turn of events.

I am aware the NSE will no longer be running at UofSC, but I would like to include this piece for advice for any prospective NSE students coming to the Virgin Islands in the spring or maybe from another school...

DO YOUR RESEARCH!!

A total of five NSE students have already decided to end their exchange and go home this week due to lack of preparation. Although I believe anyone can learn to love living here with enough time to adapt, there are certain personality types that don't mesh well with island life. Although it is a U.S. territory, it is very different from the states., you don't have a lot of the resources you did back home. Places aren't within walking distance and there isn't really a large selection of stores you can take public transportation to.

In addition, it's important that you do some research about the University. UVI is also very different from colleges in the states, especially UofSC in terms of the meal plan, clubs, classes and day-to-day life in general. I would recommend talking to some previous NSE students and asking them personally what the pros and cons are.

My final piece of advice for when you arrive here, is to give yourself time. It's very easy to let the hostility phase overcome you and decide that you hate it here without even really giving it a chance. Despite any disadvantages, the beauty of this place and all the amazing people you meet will outweigh them all in my opinion.

I hope this was helpful. I have some fun things planned for this weekend, so I'll make sure to check back in next week:-)