Jocelyn McLennan shares her story on exchange at Humboldt State University in Northern California, USA.
The town I lived in, Arcata, had so much character and natural beauty everywhere I turned. Humboldt State University is built amongst the landscape of Arcata’s community forest so during walks to and from class on campus I would experience the immense beauty of the surroundings.
Living right next to the Arcata community forest was one of the most beautiful and magical experiences I was lucky to have.
Arcata is a small American town that offered a tight-knit community and a richness of culture. On weekends, local farmers’ markets were held a short 15-minute walk from campus and several festive, music and art events were held locally.
A highlight was seeing the Russian National Ballet perform Swan Lake at the Eureka Performing Arts Centre. In my dance studies, I connected with the dance cohort and was featured in three of the dance concert repertoire performances. I took on several subjects (as many as I could fit into my tight schedule) since there was no limit on extra-curricular subjects.
I participated in subjects Middle Eastern Dance and African Dance and had an enjoyable experience learning more about both cultures through dance. On top of this, I took on the role of costume coordinator for our end of semester dance concert and developed my leadership and resource coordination skills as a result.
I lived in an international dorm, so it was a comfortable transition for me living with roommates from different countries and backgrounds. My roommate from the U.K shared laughs with me over discussions of American slang terms, such as “cookies” that Americans refer to what we call biscuits, and “biscuits” they refer to as what we would call scones. Oh, there were some hilarious cultural differences!
Arcata rained a lot, and by a lot I mean, almost every single day. In the winter they receive large amounts of rainfall, but that doesn’t stop students from getting out and going hiking, or to the beach, or anywhere else for that matter. The forest was so beautiful in the rain.
By the end of the semester, it was spring. The sun was emerging, and the flowers started to pop up everywhere. I would highly recommend any students considering student exchange to leap into the unknown, as it was such a personally and professionally rewarding experience for me.
Learn more about the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance) and studying overseas.
