A Little About Myself:

Hi everyone! My name is Ashley Carrasco-Hernandez. I am a First-Generation Latina attending the University of Redlands in California and the first in my family to study abroad! Thank you for choosing to read my blogs and come along this four month journey with me. I hope these inspire yourself or other to study abroad to Salamanca, Spain or just study abroad in general!

Countdown - 6 days, 8 hours, and 52 minutes until departure.

Since around this time last year, studying abroad has at times felt like a never ending to - do list. Countless emails, forms, applications, research, meetings, and somehow it has all boiled down to just a few more steps. So as I sign my last couple of entrance documents, and zip up my suitcases, I thought I would share what it has all boiled down to - my 3 P’s of Pre Departure. 

Are you thinking about studying away? Scouring the depths of the internet for some inspiration or motivation? Well, there's A LOT of advice out there — trust me I consumed loads of blogs, articles, and youtube videos before making my decision. But honestly, at times I felt a bit lost in the racket of pithy blog titles and filtered photos. Whose top five tips for applying to study away programs are the best? Which destination is everyone else enjoying — I saw that one cool upperclassman friend group all went to Florence?  How many scholarships should I apply to?

I chose to study abroad in Korea mostly from a place of curiosity. I had heard from a friend that Seoul was an exciting, vibrant city with a lot to do, and I wanted to try living somewhere that I knew would have a very different culture than what I was used to. This summer, I started to get a little nervous when I realized that I was completely clueless about everything Korean—I didn’t know the language, I had never really watched any Korean media (besides Squid Game), and I didn’t know anything about K-pop. I feared that I would have a very difficult time adjusting to life in Seoul.