When people hear the word “summer”, they usually think about sleeping all day, traveling, or making money at a summer job and I just wanna say… I wishhhh. As an international student, my vacations are a little different. I can’t just get a job whenever or wherever I want because of my student visa, and I spend most of my time missing my family and friends and wishing I could spend some time with them.

Scheduling is one big thing here in the US. Most of my friends are living their adult lives, so most of the time they are busy with work, life and even just resting. Since it’s hard for all of us to get some time off at the same time, sometimes we have to plan a month ahead so we can go out. Sometimes we have to hang out at 8 am and go to the farmers market, sometimes we have to hang out at 11 pm and watch movies but there is always some time to catch up. 

One of my favorite things to do during my breaks is visit Lake Tahoe. Tahoe is one of the prettiest places I’ve ever been to. My friends and I like to spend the day by the lake, take way too many pictures, eat snacks, and sometimes go swimming if the water isn’t freezing (which it is most of the time for someone like me from a tropical country). Even just driving there is fun because the views are amazing. When we’re not at Lake Tahoe, we usually hang out around town. We go out for coffee or boba, watch movies, try new restaurants, or just drive around listening to music with no real destination. Those are honestly some of the best days because we laugh about the most random things.

This summer I went to Oregon and that was one of the best experiences ever. I loved everything about Oregon and the people there were very, very nice. Getting to know other states is something really nice here in the US since it feels like going to another country. It’s a completely different vibe and different things to see in every state. In Oregon, for example, I was able to see so many waterfalls (after a 2-hour hike that left me out of breath), but it’s so worth it just for the views.

Even though my vacations are different from other students, I still have a great time. I get to explore beautiful places, make memories with my friends, and enjoy a break from classes before another busy semester begins. Looking back, I think that’s what makes my experience as an international student so special: getting to live all these different experiences in my time here.