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A One-year BU Experience

6/7/2013

Some people say that a mix between academic and professional experience abroad is a must for successful students today. I couldn't agree more with that. After my exchange program finished at BU I can be proud to say that I grew in almost every single aspect of myself.

First, MET courses were challenging and interesting, I was learning new concepts every class. The American way of teaching was hard to understand at the beginning, but I understood at the end that each professor has his/her unique style of teaching and grading. I managed to get As and Bs during the two semesters and I am proud of it, because in every course I gave my all in order to get the most of every class. I learned as well that even if the Unites States has a different scale of grading, there will always be good scores for people who are responsible and dedicated. I also learned how to organize myself in order to have time to finish all my assignments on time.

On the other hand, my overall BU experience will help both, personally and professionally for the future as today I have improved skills that made me a more mature person with responsibility and ethics as pillars of my educational background.

Sadly, this is my last post. I would like to thank all the people who made this experience an unforgettable one, starting with the amazing MET team and my teachers; and finishing with the domestic and international friends that I met this year. I will never forget you and you will remain in my memories forever.

Friendships in Boston

6/7/2013

One of the best things that I have seen in Boston University since I arrived the first day is the vast variety of nationalities that you can find on campus. I am very happy to have friends from all over the world, from Latin Americans to Europeans and people from Asia and Africa. This is why I love Boston. Different from other cities, Boston has the advantage of being an international student hub where students arrive and have a broader image of the multiculturalist world in which we live today. This is a great advantage.

At the beginning I thought that I would only make friends with Latin Americans since we share plenty of cultural characteristics, and I was wrong. The first weeks I used to hang out just with Mexicans and Latin Americans. However, after one month of living in Boston I made friends from different continents such as Europe Asia, and Africa. I never thought that I could make friends those people because I was a little bit close-minded when I arrived in Boston. We might be different in some aspects, but we are pretty much the same as we all are students and want to have an amazing experience at MET International and thanks to MET International, we’ve all had the opportunity to meet each other. Now that the semester is officially finishing I know that you can make good and very valuable friendships from people from every single country of the world.

On the other hand, I am sad because my program is about to finish and my stay in Boston is coming to an end. Most of my friends are going back to their home countries and will continue their studies there. I hope to see them again in a not so distant future. I am the kind of person that likes to keep in touch with people I really like and I foster my friendships even at a distance. For example, I am still talking with a friend from Venezuela and a friend from Holland. I know that it will be difficult to see them again, but I know that our friendship will last forever.

It is difficult to say goodbye to all those people with whom I shared great moments during my stay at Boston University. Nevertheless, I know that all things come to an end and I just need to thank all those people who gave me their friendship. I will never forget them and I promise that one day I will see them once again.

Living in Boston as Student

5/30/2013

Visiting a city is much more different than living in it. As a student in Boston I had the opportunity to really get to know Boston from another perspective than that of a tourist.

I live off campus in Allston, which is an area near Boston University where plenty of students live from all the colleges and universities in the Boston area. It is funny to note that when I get off the T (Abbreviation for the tramway used in Boston) to get to my apartment), most of the people that are walking on the streets are university students. People in this area are from all over the world and it is common to see people from every nationality all the time.

On the other hand, living as a student can be a challenging experience for those who have never lived outside their home before. It is not the same going to Boston for a few days, renting a car and eating in a restaurant three times a day than actually living in the city, taking public transportation and cooking your own meals every day. For example: some activities such as doing the laundry, making your bed every morning, cleaning the apartment, cooking, and doing the dishes are some responsibilities that I have now that I live in an apartment. Also paying each month for the services used like Internet, electricity, gas, and television are some extra responsibilities that take some time. Also, going to the supermarket every two weeks to buy food was a complete new experience for me as we didn’t know how to select food and cook properly the first months. At the end we learned how to manage our time and organize ourselves better.

Also money is an important issue when you study here at Boston. When I first arrived to the city I didn’t know it was so expensive to live here. I found this after I went to the supermarket for the first time and when I bought my monthly ticket for public transportation.

All in all, it’s been a great learning experience in regards to living on my own for the first time and in a foreign country. I’m just glad I got to learn all this in a great city like Boston.

Getting an Internship in the US

5/29/2013

One of the biggest advantages of studying as an exchange student is that you can find plenty of options to find an internship after your stay. However, getting an internship is not easy. It is a lengthy process that can take a couple of months before getting accepted. I’ve gathered the information I learned from my own personal experience as well as the experiences of my friends and other applicants that can help you get an internship faster. The top 5 tips are:

1.    Be aware of time

At the beginning you must know that internship registration processes start with at least 4 month in advance. So you must be aware of all the requirements needed in order to submit your application as soon as registration opens. This might seem obvious for some people, but most of my friends ran out of time because they were not aware of the deadlines and had to pass on some opportunity.

2.    Have your resume and cover letter reviewed

MET International exchange student might know how to speak and communicate properly in English, nonetheless writing a resume and a cover letter to get an internship must be carefully assessed by experts. In most of the countries, resumes and cover letters have different formats, and they differ a lot from one country to another. For example: you might have an excellent resume for applying for French internship, but it might not even be a good one in the United States. Boston University has a department where they check your resume and cover letter in order to help you improve them. This way, you will be able to submit successful resumes and cover letters.

3.    Ability to speak foreign languages

Indeed it is important to speak English in the United States, but since many multinational companies have their headquarters in the US, knowing a foreign language may be a determinant factor that can help you get an internship. For instance: BMW North America has headquarters in the US, and they are looking for people who are fluent in English and German.

4.    Being an American citizen or resident

The majority of us are MET International students, hence it is expected that most of us have passports from our native countries. However, there are some cases where some students have the American residence or citizenship. For instance, one of my friends was born in Latin America and another in Europe. Nevertheless both have an American passport and this is a great advantage for them since they can get an internship easier as less documents and legal processes are required. Both got an internship for next semester.

5.    Have past work experience

Experience is everything. Showing in your resume that you have professional experience or other internships make you an attractive intern so be sure to write down all your past jobs. Likewise, it is important to highlight just those jobs that are relevant to the position you are trying to apply for, otherwise, it would make no sense to cite jobs that are not related to that field. For example: it is not advised to write your past job in the dining hall if you are applying for a marketing position at Apple.

I hope these tips are helpful. Good luck!

A Day at the Charles River

5/28/2013

Spring has arrived. Warm temperatures are now present in Boston and my friends and I decided to take advantage of the weather and spend a day at the Charles River. We decided to go on Sunday as the highest temperature of the week was going to be that day. We all met at Marsh Chapel, went past the BU beach, and found a dock that was a couple hundred meters away from the MIT Bridge. As the day was so nice, we all laid down at the dock for a couple of hours to get a tan, which was necessary due to the transparent color of our Skins (Thanks to the winter). My friends and I then decided to go and rent kayaks and use them in the Charles River.

Even though the renting office was far from where we were (in front of the river near Prudential) we chose to walk all the way up through Kendall Square. It was worth it. Since the weather was incredible, we were lucky to appreciate the beautiful view that Charles River had to offer. We crossed the bridge and continued walking to get to the Kayak renting office.

When we arrived at the office, we didn’t know anything about all the services that they offered, so we just rented 4 double kayaks. The experience was unforgettable. Even though the water was a little bit chilly, the breeze of the river was simply awesome. The four kayaks were taken into the river and we started rowing. It was very funny to see how not all of us were experts in kayaking, but it wasn’t very difficult to row and to use the paddles correctly. At the beginning we all started to get wet because we weren’t aware that using the paddles incorrectly would splash water on us. We were soaked 10 minutes after we started rowing.

Our goal was to go rowing all the way down to Marsh Chapel back. We made three stops: the first one was at the 100 meter mark from the base to wait for the others; the second one was under the MIT Bridge, and the last one was right in front of Marsh Chapel. In the end we all rowed for more than one and a half, and we were exhausted! Nevertheless, all the exercise done was worth it and we took advantage of one of the most traditional activities in Boston.

I fully recommend this attraction to future students. Also it is a very effective workout for both boys and girls. Besides kayaking, there are other activities such as sailing and canoeing. Many canoes, kayaks, and sailboats tread the waters of the Charles River, making it even more beautiful than it already is.

The USS Constitution

5/1/2013

My roomie and I decided to go and visit a beautiful ship that we saw one day while walking near the harbor. However, it was not just an old boat, but the oldest ship in the United States. The USS Constitution is one of Boston´s jewels that enrich the city’s historical background even more.

The USS Constitution first sailed in Boston in 1797. One of the most interesting facts is that the ship still has most of it's original parts in tact. When we first arrived and entered the ship, we felt as if we had gone back in time to the United Sates’ colonial years. The ship is no longer in used to avoid erosion from the salt of the sea and to preserve it as much as possible. I need to highlight that it was in perfect conditions and astonishingly clean. Anyhow, the USS Constitution still has a captain and his crew who are in charge of giving tours to tourists and local visitors that want to know a little bit more about the ship.

One of the most important facts that I can remember is that the crew that was needed to sail the ship consisted of 500 people. Also the ship had different levels and still had the cannons that were fired whenever they fought against other ships. I am still wondering how all those men lived in a ship all together for months without stepping on land. I can’t even imagine how they all managed to eat, sleep, and take a shower in those times inside a ship.

The USS Constitution is considered a national park so we needed to pass through security levels as if we were going to board a plane at the airport. Indeed Americans take care of their history. Security guys there were very friendly though and they kept giving us tips for our visit.

There was also an official store where you could buy a lot of stuff related to the history of the USS Constitution, from mugs to wooden pistols, little things to remember the early days of the United States. Near the official store there is a small museum where they have more information available regarding the USS Constitution and all the historical events the ship lived before anchoring in the Boston harbor. There are also samples of the cannonballs and ropes used in the past. The pictures and drawings are amazing. I strongly recommend staying there for a couple of hours and reading all the information offered to visitors.

My roomie and I took a lot of pictures because we were very impressed with the size of the ship. We never thought that Boston could offer such an attraction and we were simply amazed by this tour. At the end en of the day, we went back to our apartment very excited and told our friends that they needed to go and visit the USS Constitution.

Finally, Spring Has Arrived!

4/29/2013

As a Mexican, I need to confess that one of the few things that I dislike about Boston is the weather. The main reason for this is the extremely low temperatures (considered low by me and my Latin friends) that the city gets each winter.

This year was a particularly cold one. The lowest temperature registered was 7° F (About -14° C) with a windshield of -10° F (-23° C). For a normal citizen of the New England region, it is not that cold, but for a Latin (especially me), it is really cold. Sometimes I felt like a polar bear was going to show up on my doorstep one morning.

Never have I ever felt such an extreme coldness in my entire body. One day, I was walking from the gym to my place and I was carrying a bottle of water with me. I put it in my backpack with just a sip or two left in the bottle. When I arrived at my place after the 20-minute walk I found the water inside my bottle had frozen! It was really shocking for me. That was the first and last day that I walked back home with those crazy temperatures, as I realized how insane my idea was.

Thankfully, this cold weather is gone (yes, one month after spring officially arrived) and I can walk freely without freezing. The grass is now growing again in the green areas and people are outside enjoying the climate and getting a suntan that a few weeks ago was impossible to get. The leaves of the trees are growing and everything seems to be better. Now I appreciate the climate of Boston during spring and summer so much more. I can leave my jackets at home and go outside without being covered in layers of clothes to avoid being cold during the day.

Today, I no longer have to worry about the terrible coldness, and I am enjoying the great things that come with warm weather: people jogging in the streets, birds flying, and squirrels climbing from tree to tree. My friends and I are planning to take advantage of these days, so we are going sailing at the Charles River in a few weeks. We will also go to beaches in Cape Cod which is only one and a half hours away from Boston. Bostonians are telling us to go there as it is a beautiful must-visit place before we go back to our countries.

I used to always complain about low temperatures in Mexico, but thanks to Boston and its weather, now I know the true definition of cold. As soon as I go back to my country, I will enjoy the awesome weather there.

An Unforgettable Experience at Niagara Falls

4/26/2013

It all started on the middle of October of last year. We didn’t know that due to the low temperatures, some of the attractions of Niagara Falls close until spring. So we decided to go before they closed. We were eight students from different countries.
Two Spaniards, two Mexicans, a Scottish, a Bulgarian, a French, and a Dutch. We decided to go Thursday night and return to Boston on Saturday.

We drove all of Thursday night for eight hours and arrived at Buffalo on Friday morning. Even though the road was nice, the weather conditions were horrible and it rained the entire night. We had to drive very slowly in order to get to Buffalo safely. When we arrived, we checked in at the hostel that we had booked in Buffalo, which is the city closest to Niagara Falls. We arrived there at 9 a.m. and decided to take a nap in order to visit the Falls a few hours later. At 1 p.m. we went to Niagara Falls, which is just 30 minutes away from Buffalo and we parked the SUVs there. We took the tour on the American side. Since we had already traveled so far, we decided we might as well take the boat tour that would get us closest to the Falls so that we could take some pictures.

Our experience on the boat was amazing. We got on the boat and we got funny pink ponchos due to an advertising campaign about breast cancer. When the boat was approaching the waterfalls, the mist did its job and we got all wet even though we had our ponchos on. The view was just spectacular and we were all very impressed by the size of Niagara Falls. The tour was the best part of the trip and it was worth the eight hour drive from Boston. We finished our tour and went to the official store to get some rest, as we were still tired.

We went to TGI Fridays to eat, and the service was extremely slow because the city was empty, it looked as if it was a ghost city because it seemed as though we were the only people there. The streets were empty, with the exception of a couple of tourists and local people.

We went back to the hostel and drank some beers while we shared our experiences with everyone when. We decided to go to the famous restaurant where the buffalo chicken wings got famous and order wings, of course, with pizza.

Next morning the group was divided in two, as one car decided to continue the trip onto Toronto and the other car went back to Boston. I arrived at Boston Saturday night exhausted, but I assure you, I will never forget our amazing experience at Niagara Falls.

Trip to Newport, Rhode Island

4/18/2013

After winter ended, the international students wanted to start visiting places that are popular here in America. So my friends and I decided to go to Newport for one day, as it is just a 90 minute drive from Boston by car. We wanted to visit Newport because people from Boston told us that Bostonians tend to go there during the summer because of its beaches and as a break from the cold Boston weather.

The trip started early on Saturday morning. We all met at the Enterprise that is in front of BU and rented two cars. Initially we were planning to get small ones, but the nice people at Enterprise gave us an upgrade. For only $10.00 more we got a Dodge Charger and a Chevrolet Malibu. Our smartphones became our GPS and we went all the way down to the beautiful city of Newport. We arrived early and we left the cars in a parking lot. People told us that the best way to visit Newport was walking and we did listen to them. Besides, we were lucky it was a very sunny day.

We decided to take a walk all along the coast of Newport, arrived at the harbor, and then went backed to a restaurant to get lunch. We were keen on trying lobster, but we decided to wait until dinner to try the local shellfish. I ordered a lobster roll and after that the local fish and chips. Even though I wanted lobster, I couldn’t complain.

The group finish eating and after that we continued walking throughout the coast for a couple hours, we were also looking for someone who could tell us which was the restaurant with the best steamed lobster in Newport. We found some local people who told us that Anthony´s was our spot

We arrived to the restaurant and realized that it was a place where local people went to have dinner. Prices were reasonable and finally, we could order lobster! I was very hungry so I ordered a lobster and a Norwegian salmon fillet. I couldn’t be more surprised. The taste of the food was wonderful. As if we hadn’t had enough food for the day we went to get some ice cream and cookies at a local bakery-ice cream store near the harbor. The ice cream was exceptionally delicious and the cookies very crunchy. That day we ate more food than any other day since we'd been in Boston as exchange students.

SPRING BREAK as an Exchange Student

4/16/2013

From all the cool destinations around North America, my friends and I chose to go to Miami for our 2013 spring break vacation. After going there for five days it’s safe to say it was the best decision that we could have made.

We planned to go from Wednesday to Monday, but since hostels and hotels were pretty expensive, we decided not to book a hostel and sleep at the airport the last night.

The day where it all started

I didn’t sleep on Tuesday night because my flight was at 6:00 a.m. I decided to pack my stuff from midnight to 3:00 a.m. in order to arrive on time at the airport and avoid oversleeping. When I arrived at Miami, I was astonished. The weather was nice and warm. It was an average sunny day in Miami. I went to a friend’s place to have some drinks in the afternoon, and after that, we went to a bar. Everyone was very tired from the trip so we just decided to go home early.

Limo Day!

The second day began with breakfast at
Manolo´s, a famous Argentinian place. The food was delicious and the dishes were big. After that we all went to the beach hoping to get a Miami tan. In the evening we decided to go to a nice restaurant where the food was also exceptional. We went back to the hostel and decided to get a limo that night. The limo picked us up, and took us to a bar, and then a nightclub. When we entered a nightclub in Miami we realized prices were crazy! And we thought Boston was expensive…

Alex Gaudino Night!

On Friday, we repeated the same routine during the day, beach, sun, tan, ocean and football on the beach with friends. During the night, one of our friends told us that Alex Gaudino would be mixing at Bamboo, so we decided to go to that nightclub and enjoy a good night out in Miami with an international DJ. On a side note, we were so impressed with all the sport and luxury cars on the street; from Rolls-Royce to Ferrari, all the famous car brands were present in south beach. Ocean Drive felt like an ongoing car show.

Nikki Beach

Saturday was a bit different. Some people around us were curious about our accent, which was a great conversation starter. We ended up making friends with them. They told us of a beach party at Nikki Beach so we all went together and enjoyed a typical beach party in Miami – music all day long and people dancing everywhere. When the party finished we were a little bit tired, so we decided to go to a bar downtown to celebrate the beginning of Saint Patrick’s Day. Everyone was wearing green accessories.

Ultra Music Festival 2013

Throughout the entire trip, everyone our age was asking us if we were going to Ultra. We hadn’t planned on going because it was too expensive and we needed to pay for the three days in order to get some tickets. However, a friend of a friend (true story) helped us get tickets for one day. We went to Ultra for the last day and it was amazing. People dressed up for Saint Patrick’s Day and the UMF were all around the festival. Some of the DJ´s that mixed that day were: Alesso, Steve Aoki, Armin Van Buuren, Otto Knows, Calvin Harris, Tiesto, Avicii, David Guetta and Eric Prydz. The tickets were worth it!

The festival finished at 12 a.m., so we decided to go to the airport, get some sleep, and catch 7:00 a.m. flight back to Boston. It was an amazing and unique experience. Travelling as an exchange student and meeting new people and places is simply priceless.

I can say I had a very positive impression of my first American spring break. We had the opportunity to meet with a lot of Americans and discovered that they are just as portrayed in the movies: open and friendly. It is easy to start a conversation and become friends with them and we have similar likes and dislikes because in the end, we are all around the same age. If you would like to have the full US cultural experience while you´re abroad, I strongly recommend you plan a spring break vacation.