Bianca

Hello! My name is Bianca and I'm from San Diego, California. I'm majoring in psychology with a concentration in cognition. Class of 2018!! Fun fact: I love comic books and superheroes. Read on, and feel free to ask me questions!

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Dancing the Night Away

Last night was SLU Madrid’s dance showcase. At the end of every semester, the dance classes come together to show off all that they have learned. I am enrolled in Latin Rhythms and Dance and had to opportunity to participate in this semester’s showcase. I spent the past four months learning how to Tango, Salsa, Merengue, and the Bachata as well and the history and culture behind it. It was so much fun to bring everything that I had learned together and perform it in front of my friends and teachers here at SLU Madrid. It was truly a rewarding experience to take such a leap out of my comfort zone. Our theme was Aladdin we used Latin dance as well as adding in hip hop, belly dancing, and acting to recreate the story.

~Bianca

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Madrid Food Truck Festival

This past weekend I attended one of Madrid’s food truck festivals, Madtreat. It’s held in the Casa de Campo neighborhood every month.  Although it was absolutely pouring rain this weekend, I had a blast trying a bunch of different types of food. The food trucks had food ranging in, but not limited to, Brazilian food, Mexican food, tapas, seafood, desserts, and even had different types of organic and vegetarian food. Every month my hometown hosts a similar, but smaller, version of this with a bunch of food trucks from restaurants within the community. It was nice to see that I could still celebrate some of the traditions I participate in from back home here in Madrid. I also had a great time meeting and talking to many of the different chefs at various food trucks. I met a group of guys who own a dessert shop in Valencia, Spain who come down to Madrid every month just to participate in the Madtreat festival. Overall it was a fantastic experience that showed the abundant diversity Madrid has.

~Bianca

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Atlas Week 2016

Last week was Atlas Week here at SLU Madrid. One of my favorite things about SLU is Atlas Week and learning about so many different cultures from around the world. It’s amazing to see SLU’s diversity put into action with a week full of speakers, activities, and most importantly food. Last years Atlas Week blew me away so I was beyond happy to be able to participate in Atlas Week here in Madrid and learn more about topics such as the Syrian Refugees, Human Rights, and Recycling.  As well as see various dance and music performances throughout the week.

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GOOOOAAAAL

Yesterday, I got to enjoy my first professional soccer game here in Spain. My parents are here visiting this week, so my dad and I decided to go to a Real Madrid soccer game. It was one of my favorite nights in Madrid so far. Not only did Real Madrid win 4-0 against Seville, just seeing the spirit of the fans was an experience on its own. Everyone is so passionate about the sport and it truly showed. Real Madrid is one of the best teams in the league and getting to see them play in person is something I’ll never forget. 

~Bianca

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Learning a New Language

One of the goals that I had set for myself before I left for study abroad was to learn Spanish while I was in Spain. There is honestly no better way to learn anything than to be fully immersed and encompassed by it. Even though I knew close to no Spanish before I came here, I decided to stay with a host family that spoke close to no English. At first, I was definitely out of my element, however, over the past few weeks I have really began to see my Spanish improving. I am more than excited to see how much Spanish I have picked up by the end of the semester!

~Bianca

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Skydiving

Skydiving has reminded me that even the things that make you the most nervous, anxious, and scared are some of the things that benefit you the most. The thought of jumping out of a plane has always made me apprehensive yet intrigued. Skydiving was something I have always wanted to do, but I never believed that I would actually accomplish. This past weekend I went skydiving in Switzerland and I do not regret it for a second. I overcame my fear of something that will end up being one of my most memorable experiences. With that said, always challenge yourself every once in a while. Push yourself to leave your comfort zone and try something that has always interested you. It doesn’t have to be as extreme as jumping out of a plane, but even something as simple as trying new foods or traveling to a new place can prove to be rewarding. As Neale Donald Walsch once said, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”.

~Bianca

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Midterms In Madrid

It is currently midterms week here at SLU Madrid and, contrary to popular belief, people actually do go to class and study during their semesters abroad. I have been taking some of my favorite classes this semester on topics ranging from the theory of personality to women and gender studies. This semester has given me the opportunity to take classes that I wouldn’t ordinarily take back home while still allowing these classes to count for credit toward my core curriculum requirements.

~Bianca

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Our World in Perspective

This past weekend I took a trip to the wonderful city of Amsterdam. I instantly fell in love with its free spirited lifestyle and carefree bikers. However, what I most loved about the city was its willingness to give back; whether it’s to the environment, through keeping it healthy or to its people and people of the world. I stayed in a hostel near the train station and everyday there were signs stating, “Welcome refugees, we are here to help you”. People were handing out blankets etc. to people in need, which I thought was truly beautiful. I fell in love with people’s eagerness and motivation to help those in situations much harder than their own. So far for me, being in Europe has really helped me put our world into a perspective that I had not been able to reach while living in the United States.

Over the past year, I have read many articles and seen on the news much of what has been happening in Syria, but everything has seen so distant until coming to this side of the world and feeling the reality of what is going on in our world.  However, although there are terrible things happening around the world today, it is very humbling and reassuring that there are many people willing to take steps to counteract these devastating things.

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world” –Anne Frank

(In honor of my visit to the Anne Frank museum)

 ~Bianca

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SLU in España

This semester I am studying in Madrid, Spain at SLU’s Madrid campus. I’ve already been here for some time now, but I still can’t get over how amazing this opportunity is. Having the chance to go to school in a different country from your own is a truly special experience. My classes are a mix of people from all over the world and it is awesome to be immersed in an environment where everyone has a different perspective of the world unlike your own. I am very anxious for and welcome to all the experiences I will have this semester.

~Bianca

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Castlewood State Park

If you know me, you would know how obsessed I am with the outdoors. I love everything about it. I enjoy the fresh air, being immersed in nature, and getting the chance to explore new territories. With that being said, I absolutely and utterly love hiking.  I’m also really happy to say that I have found some pretty cool trails within the city of St. Louis; my favorite being the trails at Castlewood State Park. It is about a thirty-minute drive from campus, but it is always a nice getaway from the craziness of college life. Castlewood is extremely beautiful especially during the fall and I love hiking it to see the Meramec River that runs through the state park. Coming here is definitely one of my favorite off campus pastimes. 

~Bianca

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The College Experience

I recently went on a walk with one of my good friends and she told me something that has stuck with me for a few days now. She said, “don’t let life get in the way of living your life”. It took me some time to really, truly understand what she was saying, but I finally realized that this is such an important concept.

Think about it. We spend so much time planning for and working towards the future. We want a secure life later down the road and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, when we deny ourselves the opportunity to enjoy the current world around us because we are worried about the indefinite future, that’s when it becomes a problem.

As a current sophomore, I have been reflecting on my college experience so far. I have really enjoyed my time as a college student so far, but it is easy to get swept up with all the planning and analyzing. I want to stress that it’s okay to take a break from the studying and the worrying and the anxiety and go on a walk, or play Frisbee with your friends, or just stop and appreciate the people and things around you. Making these memories is just as important as getting an A on a test.

We have already put in so much effort to get to the point we are at right now, but it’s time that we reap the benefits of our hard work. It’s okay to work really hard to get what you want in life and we should be continuously doing this, but don’t let planning for the future consume your world.

~Bianca

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My Love for Central West End

One of my favorite things about living on campus is that there are so many things to do within the neighborhood that are within walking distance of the campus. Some things include heading over to City Diner for brunch, studying at Café Ventana, catching a show at The Fox, or biking down to the Arch. However, I would have to say one of my ultimate favorite things to do is to spend my time in Central West End. Central West End is a cute little neighborhood that is about a 20-minute walk from campus. I always catch myself down there studying at one of the various coffee shops, or getting a bite to eat at one of their abundant restaurants. I enjoy it for its calm vibes and adorable Christmas lights that are up year round.

~Bianca

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Happy Fall

It’s October 1st and it’s finally beginning to feel like fall, one of my favorite seasons! There are many reasons to get excited for fall: apple picking, hot chocolate, sweater weather, and fall break!!! However, one of my personal favorites for the season is SLU’s Make A Difference Day (MADD).

MADD is Saint Louis University’s biggest day of service. A countless number of on campus organizations and departments go out and help an organization within the Saint Louis community. The whole day is dedicated to helping out our cities local organizations and pretty much everyone on campus participates in some way. MADD is super fun and an event to look forward to every year!

~Bianca

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Billiken Buddies!

I recently found out that I will be a Billiken Buddy this semester and I could not be more excited and happy for this opportunity. It’s an awesome opportunity for potential students to visit SLU and see what it’s like to be a student here. I know many people who have actually decided to come to SLU because of a great experience with a Billiken Buddy. The idea of having Billiken Buddies is so cool because it just further helps with the adjustment into college life. You’ve already visited the school, slept in a dorm, attended classes and eaten the food so you know what to expect.  I am beyond excited to hang out with some future SLU students!  

~Bianca

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Red, White, and SLU

Happy belated Fourth of July! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend filled with great weather, barbecues, and good times. I decided to take advantage of the long weekend and visit some of my SLU friends up in Omaha, NE. I had never been there before so I was excited to see the city that my friends speak so highly of. Fortunately, the weather was amazing so we spent a lot of time outside. We laid by the pool, walked around downtown, and enjoyed the company of their family and friends in a plethora of barbecues. One of my favorite things that we did was go camping along the Platte River on Saturday night. We set off a ton of fireworks and it was super cool to see them glisten in the sky and reflect over the water. All in all it was a great weekend and I’m happy that my friends are just a short drive away and I’m appreciative to have experienced something new.

~Bianca

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Billiken At The Beach

For the past few weeks, I’ve been back at home in San Diego. It was nice to see my family and friends and catch up on how everyone had been doing. By the time I got home, all my friends had completed their first year at their respective schools. I enjoyed hearing about all of their experiences and how their year went. It was really awesome to see how much everyone loved their schools and it really showed how we all ended up at the perfect schools for ourselves.

Another great thing about going home is being able to go the beach everyday, which is the number one thing that I had missed. I sported my Billiken baseball hat every time I went to the beach and almost everywhere I went on top of that and it was surprising yet refreshing to find that a lot more people than I had initially thought actually knew about SLU and the Billikens. I met a few people who had previously attended SLU or had relatives that currently or used to attend SLU. It was great feeling SLU’s influence all the way back home thousands of miles away from campus.

~Bianca

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SLU 101

It’s orientation season here at SLU and it has been really exciting seeing the incoming first year students around campus. It is crazy to think that I was in that position only a year ago. I was filled with excitement, nervousness, and wonder with what to expect during the two days at SLU 101 and the next year as a first year student. I had only been to St. Louis one other time before I had come to SLU 101 so the city and school were still foreign territories to me, but I just remember feeling so ready to start my journey at SLU after just those few days.  The actuality of starting college was so much more real after choosing classes and meeting a few of my fellow peers.

There is so much in store for us here at SLU and SLU 101 is just the beginning. SLU 101 gives us just a small taste of everything we will endure over the course of the next few years. Living in a dorm for a night, making decisions on your own when choosing classes, being thrown into a group of people you don’t know and somehow making friends amongst them, and being around people who are just has excited, nervous, and unsuspecting as you are. Don’t be afraid to make the most of your SLU 101 experience; the opportunity for great memories await.

~Bianca