This past weekend, I was able to go to an annual thrifting event named Bombazar. It was essentially like one big pop-up shop for different vendors and thrift stores to set up- everything ranging from clothes, shoes, accessories, to even old radios and keyboards and general antique items could be found! I was on a limited budget, so I had intentions of just finding a nice pair of jeans and I had to hold myself back from completely splurging.
I was lucky enough to go with some local friends I had been talking to but only met that very day- one of them is a girl named Ari who’s just a year younger than me, and we got together on our college campus that morning for brunch before she showed me how to get on the bus downtown. I take public transportation all the time in Philadelphia, but I’ve been anxious about taking it on my own here, so it was nice having a buddy to get used to the routes!
Once we got to the event, another friend I was excited to meet- Pablo- met us there! I was taking a risk, but something told me they would get along from what I could gauge from their personalities speaking to them individually. Sure enough, they hit it off right away, which made me really happy. Two of Pablo’s friends also joined us a bit later, so I made even more friends than expected throughout the day!
I’m typically not the kind of person to put myself out there the way I’ve been doing during my experience here so far, so I’m really proud of myself for being proactive and achieving my goals of befriending locals and improving my language skills. Almost everyone I encounter compliments my Spanish and is always very kind, and I can feel that my efforts to immerse and improve my communication are noticeable and appreciated.
We are at the halfway mark now and I’m grateful that I have some established friendships at this point! I look forward to spending more time with them for my last 6 weeks here, and we’ve already agreed that we’ll stay in touch when I’m gone. They know that if they ever visit Philadelphia, they’ll have a couch to crash on.
A Message from the Office of Global Engagement:
The safety and security of Drexel students is a priority for the University. As part of the efforts to support Drexel students that are studying abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Global Engagement has conducted a rigorous review of programming and provided additional support to participating students with customized pre-departure orientations and regular check-ins during the required self-isolation period and the term.
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