Florida Culture for the Week of May 2, 2016 by Josh Garrick

Thousands of students travel to different parts of the world per year in order to further their education abroad. But it's not easy to adapt to a new environment and culture. Here is a list of exchange student tips that they can follow in order to make their lives easy. 

Opening nights are ever an exciting and elegant gala, celebrating months of hard work. This year on May 12 – at SpringWorks indie theatre & arts festival – will be no exception. Though there may be a bit more rocking out as Sharron Matthews takes the stage with her signature irreverent wit and solid gold mash-ups in a comedic tour-de-force concert.

In my previous article, I expressed my disappointment in my students’ choice of majors (I’m a student advisor for predominantly Chinese international students at an ESL school). Most of them choose either business, management, finance, or accounting because they believe those majors are less complicated for international students and the job prospects in those fields are relatively more compelling.   

On a recent trip to Florence, I had the pleasure of sitting down for a cappuccino with two American expat friends of mine. Both lead guided tours on the art and history of Florence and teach courses at the local universities. Our meeting spot, the coffee bar at the Palazzo Strozzi museum, turned out to be a popular place for the Florence museum elite. With only a bachelor’s degree in women’s studies, I felt a bit intimidated, but I never felt out of my element.

Planning for a vacation is an exciting time for everyone, whether it’s for one or for a family. For some, it happens once a year, for those lucky ones, it happens more often, either way, thinking where to go and when to go is fun to do. What is not as exciting is the actually planning and getting everything ready, as far as searching for the right location, how to get there, the cost,  or wondering if the hotel or resort will be as nice as it looks on the web. All of this is stressful - after working hard and wanting to relax, the last thing anyone wants is to have a lousy vacation.

Florida Culture for the Week of April 25, 2016 by Josh Garrick

Las Galeras is a beautiful town on the coast of The Dominican Republic. It has sparkling oceans, sandy beaches, and small restaurants. Every afternoon, you can see local fisherman arrive on the shore with their catch.