In fall 2015, I got to participate in FIU National Student Exchange (NSE) program 4,836 miles away from sunny Miami to good ole Fairbanks, Alaska. Words cannot explain how amazing and eye-opening that experience was for me. Having lived in Florida my whole life, I’ve never experienced anything colder than 50˚ F. Despite that fact, I’ve always been curious of Alaska and wanted to experience living there but I never knew how.
Through NSE, I got spend a semester in a place that has captured half my heart. At the University of Alaska Fairbanks, I took classes in Sociology and took advantage of Alaska centric opportunities such as doing a week long camping trip (my first ever!), rafting the Chena River, playing hockey, and hiking up the Denali mountain range, the tallest in North America.
Although Alaska is still a part of the United States, I got lot of exposure to many different cultures and ways of living. I met people from Scotland, Finland, England, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Switzerland, and the reservation villages for Alaska Natives, Alaska’s indigenous groups. I am now happy to call the people I met in Alaska friends.
While studying at University of Alaska Fairbank, I started freelance writing for the school newspaper. That job refined my writing skill, ability to ask insightful questions, and made my experience by allowing me access to a variety of events. It was the first time I ever applied the love I had for writing.
Normal things in Fairbanks, Alaska that are weird everywhere else:
-
Homes that don’t have running water
-
Plugging in your car in the cold
-
3 hours of sunlight in winter
-
24 hours of sunlight in the summer
-
The beautiful Aura Borealis light show at night
-
Moose crossing… big gigantic moose
The natural beauty in Alaska is unmatched and I felt such a connection to nature while I was there. Although I was only there for a semester, I gained so many new experiences and undergone a great transformation by getting out my comfort zone. I grew in my cultural understanding by being submerged in an environment that is the polar opposite of Miami. I would do it over and recommend for everyone to do it too.
Semester at University of Alaska Fairbanks
