The past week has been one of the most difficult periods I’ve been through. Having to say bye to the most beautiful people I have ever met has made watching the clock tick closer to my departure, even harder. Though I spent my last week doing all my favourite things: being at the beach, going to national parks, seeing everyone I love, I still felt very melancholic. Having the most amazing year of my life had a price, and leaving definitely wasn’t something I was prepared for. Coming home has been nice. I’ve surrounded myself with people I haven’t seen or even spoken to in a year. I’m sleeping in…

Aneesa Piracha, University of California, Irvine Spring break was the highlight of my year abroad. We started in Cancún, Mexico, indulging in street food and napping on the beach. Once that became too boring, we head out to Havana, Cuba. Havana was everything I could’ve imagined and more, I don’t think I can find the words to articulate just how buzzing and beautiful the city was, so I have put together a short photo diary so you can see for yourselves.  

Aneesa Piracha, Physics, University of California, Irvine, USA Hello everyone! I must admit that this post is coming a little late, sorry about that! My winter break was absolutely insane. We started in Portland, Oregon and road- tripped up to Vancouver, Canada through Seattle, Washington. I then came back to SoCal and slept for a week straight before hitting New York for the new year! It was absolute chaos but I wouldn’t have had it any other way, here is a compilation of clips I took over the trip:

Aneesa Piracha, Physics, University of California, Irvine, USA My first few months in SoCal have caused some pretty big paradigm shifts. The SoCal ways have definitely rubbed off on me and my views have adjusted accordingly. Here are the three main things I have learnt being in SoCal:

Aneesa Piracha, Physics, University of California, Irvine, USA It has only been a month in SoCal and it already feels like home. The Californian university experience is a total 180 from Manchester-and I am absolutely loving it. The past few weeks have been a complete rollercoaster of sorority recruitment, beach bonfires and weekends in LA. I have put together a few videos taken over the past month so you can see it for yourself! Enjoy!