The greatest and most rewarding experience of my life.

I wanted an experience that was completely outside my comfort zone, and that's exactly what I got studying abroad at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji with GlobaLinks Learning Abroad. It's impressive to see how much one semester abroad in Fiji can change you. My time abroad I became more independent, outgoing, and most importantly appreciate and am very grateful for the life that I have. GlobaLinks provides a orientation week which helps so much, so the initial culture shock isn't too overwhelming. We were able to stay a few days at a fijian village and experience the every day lifestyle of a fijian and also did some community service during the village stay. The staff at GlobaLinks are wonderful and make everything so much easier for you. The University of the South Pacific takes care of the international students very well, the academic aspect of the school isn't as tough as we are used to. Also the teachers there don't respond to you as fast, so you have to be patient or make sure you talk to them face to face. The housing was wonderful, we each had one roommate, but had our own bedroom and bathroom, and had a shared living room and kitchen. With the kitchen we were able to cook on our own, which I enjoyed a lot. Also, try to get as involved in school activities as possible. I joined the basketball team at USP, and I have met so many local friends from Fiji and still keep in touch with them. With local friends, I had so much more fun because I was able to live more like a Fijian and experience more cultural things. One of my favorite aspects was being able to travel around Fiji so much. Go out and explore, Fiji is beautiful and island hopping and traveling around the main island is easy and not too expensive. Also the safety in Fiji is not too bad, just make sure you are always with someone at night to avoid a dangerous situation. To help prepare for the program I talked to a previous alumni of the program, and she helped me so much, so if possible try to connect with an alumni to help you out. She helped me with things such as what to pack, places to go, things to try, and so much more. I only stayed for one semester, but I really wish I could have stayed longer. I consider Fiji my second home now, and I will definitely be back to visit the beautiful islands and my friends. I would recommend this program to everyone. It's been the best and most rewarding experience of my life.