Take advantage of USAC office and change forever
Memo Sanchez
The No. 1 thing that I love about the University of Nevada, Reno is the Universities Study Abroad Consortium. And Milton Glick. He’s pretty much my hero.
However (and probably to your disappointment) I’m here to talk about the former.
My fondness is not because of the Basque cross in the middle of the USAC logo (though it is a symbol of my other home across the pond in Astigarraga, Gipuzkoa, where the sidra flows like wine and the beautiful Basque women instinctively flock like the bacalao of the East Atlantic).
Rather, I love the fact that studying abroad is a part of our school culture and community.
I remember that within my circle of friends, the question was not if, but when and where they were going to study abroad.
It seems like you can’t go anywhere on campus without a picture of China or a testimonial from Ghana being hurled at you in the form of a brochure, at an informational fair or a table manned by a throng of bright-eyed, bushy-tailed ex-travelers, reeking of worldly experience and enthusiasm.
What is unique about the whole study abroad experience is that it lasts much longer than the semester you’re gone for.
In fact, it even begins long before your departure from the good ol’ USA and has a tenacious habit of sticking with you the rest of your life, putting you through sporadic bouts of nostalgia, mild depression and an insatiable desire to travel more than your budget will ever allow.
This brings me to my point that everyone who has studied in another country loves to talk about it. It becomes a regular topic of conversation for that person in and around campus.
Everyone has their stories from days at the beach, their encounters at the international film festival and their very own experiences of how their drinking habits were transformed from one culture to another.
It’s a beautiful thing, really.
Once you find out other people have also spent enough time in another country to immerse themselves in its culture, you immediately have a connection with them.
Usually they’re as eager as you are to swap stories of incredible festivals, colossal soccer club rivalries and funny cultural taboos (think chicks with mullets).
The sheer number of USAC alumni is amazing to me. The fact that the main office of a study abroad program representing a variety of schools is in the heart of our campus is something we certainly haven’t taken for granted and neither should you.
From the long line of international flags lining the Virginia Street Gym to the strong presence of a global perspective at our beloved university, USAC has had a profound impact on shaping our image as an above-par institution.
For those of you who haven’t already, do yourself a favor and swing by the USAC office and get lost in a USAC program catalog.
Memo Sanchez is a columnist for The Nevada Sagebrush. He can be reached at editor@sagebrush.com.
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