What an amazing weekend!!! Kelsey and Anna, two of the friends I met while studying abroad, visited L.A. for the weekend, and we had the great pleasure of showing them around. I studied abroad at HEC Paris last Spring through Marshall’s International Exchange Program, along with five other USC kids, which is where we met Kelsey from Texas and Anna from Russia. [Fun fact: Andrew, a fellow MSA, studied abroad at HEC, too!]
The six of us picked up right where we left off, the giddy nostalgia of being abroad suffusing every happy minute. We reminisced about our Eastern Europe adventure and adjustment to the school’s cafeteria food, we talked about the eight months that elapsed since we saw each other, and we shared in the bittersweet knowledge that this might be the last time (in a very, very long time) that we’d all be together… especially with Anna!
So first we had lunch at the quintessentially L.A. Urth Caffé. I had a soy milk boba, which was surprisingly tasty, and shared Urth’s ONE AND ONLY pumpkin pie. (Note: all these lovely pics were taken by my friend, Janet!)
Then we walked around Beverly Hills to the beautifully manicured Rodeo Drive, taking the necessary tourist pics. We also spotted some paparazzi waiting for Jersey Shore‘s The Situation to emerge from a store (not a fan in the least, but it’s always exciting to spot a “celeb”). We then drove downtown and had sushi at Octopus. Great night!
The next afternoon, Anna and Kelsey came back to USC, and we gave them a personalized campus tour and finished it with Yogurtland (another quintessential USC and L.A. activity). Showing them around was probably one of the most fulfilling parts of the weekend. Anna, who is already one of the most lovely, enthusiastic people I know, gushed about how “amazing” our campus was, and it made me feel extremely lucky to be at USC. There are so many things to love about this place, and it made us so happy to be able to show them our home. Here we are chatting “casually” and “naturally” outside Leavey Library.
I’m soooooooooo happy we got to meet up. It’s not everyday you can hang out with your Russian friend! I would never have had gained these sorts of friendships had I not gone abroad – I wouldn’t have met them nor been able to share in so many unforgettable memories and grow so much as a person. My greatest takeaway from studying abroad is that perspective matters. A lot. I would love the chance to go at it again – to see the world and learn more about myself!
Wishing you many travels and lifelong friendships,
Nadine