Juliette Des Rosiers ’26 and Frances Walton ’26
Editors-In-Chief
Dear Frances and Elita,
Hello again! Wow, A LOT has happened since we last talked. I went on a winery tour (I felt so fancy yet so naive), road-tripped to Dunedin for St. Patrick’s Day, and have been galavanting around the New Zealand mountains and coast. Across all these weeks, I feel a large theme for me has been social dynamics.
I have made good friends here, through my IFSA cohort and through my classes. It has been so much fun to get to know new people, asking questions about their family, learning their funny habits, and hearing stories about their time at their U.S. university. Since we live in apartments, we definitely don’t see each other as much as I do my friends at Scripps, but we make sure to get coffee and meals a few times a week.
Additionally, to make up for lost time, we go on weekend trips and day hikes often. This different living and social structure has been a great exercise for what I anticipate ‘real life’ (read: post-grad) can be like. It will require more effort to meet up with and make time for friends, instead of just happening across them in a common room or automatically eating most meals together. Do you find that you see study abroad friends more or less often than you would normally see friends? Do you wish you saw them more often, or is this change in socializing pace nice?
Additionally, I have recently really been missing the queer-dominated culture of Scripps. This is something I somewhat anticipated, as I know that none of my friends at co-ed universities have the same queer spaces as we do at Scripps, but I don’t think I predicted how I would react. Put simply, I am tired of talking about men and how hot they might be. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good crush and I love hearing my friends gush about their crushes. However, even if I, in theory, ‘care’ about a person’s attractiveness, regardless of their gender expression, I don’t care to talk about the hotness of a Kiwi man repeatedly.
Honestly, I am definitely dwelling on a handful of conversations that do not dominate or dictate our conversations in totality. There are other people in my program who identify as LGBTQ+ and everyone is very multi-faceted and has interesting, dynamic conversations the vast majority of the time. Let’s just say this was a special type of culture shock and I am embracing my Scrippsie-man-hating stereotype with a crown on my head.
My most recent version of quality time with friends was this past weekend when I went camping with three other girls in my program. We drove two hours down the coast to a small town called Kaikōura where we laid on the warm black pebble beaches and took in the lustrous mountains alongside the beach. That evening we cooked peanut noodles and tofu together and broke bread over the classic conversation of rose, bud, thorn.
I really appreciated that conversation, not just to talk about what I was enjoying through my time in New Zealand, but also to share vulnerable moments. We talked about unrequited confessions of love, physical injuries, and mental blocks. Following dinner, we split up for bed and I spent a few hours chatting with my friend Elise while we were stunned by the most incredible starry sky.
As we stared at the galaxy above us, we debated free will and talked about people or situations that have challenged or surprised us since being abroad. We talked about space and the tragedy of the commons, and about our wildest goals for our futures. The whole evening, I was so grateful I get to spend time with such compassionate, intelligent, and witty people that were also attracted to the IFSA program in Christchurch.
In the next week, I unfortunately will be sequestering myself away from my friends to finish all of my midterm exams and assignments before our term break. During that three week break (!), I will be spending a lot of time travelling, both with friends and solo. I am really looking forward to going a bit off the grid while I kayak through Abel Tasman National Park and roadtrip to Fjordlands. I cannot wait to share those adventures with you and cannot wait to hear more about yours! Did you already have break? If so, where did you go? If not, where do you want to go?
I love and miss you infinitely!
With love from across the world,
Juliette
Hi Sweetie,
I am proud to report that I have overcome my illness (replaced with a new, milder iteration), and I am back in action. I still love Madrid, and my friends from home love it too. Both my friends studying abroad in other cities and friends visiting from home have found it to be a really vibrant and comfortable city. It has been hard adjusting to the college culture of another school, Scripps is really a unique experience (at least compared to Syracuse…). The vibes are less queer and more sorority, which has been a change to say the least. I definitely feel the hole of my sunshine-y, gay oasis that is Scripps culture.
I have found another love, though, in Porto, Portugal. I went to visit my friends who are studying abroad in Lisbon, and it was truly a beautiful city. After weeks of rain and sickness in Madrid, Portugal was a refreshing experience. I’ve found that the sun is a really big factor in my experience of a city. I don’t think I ever noticed this before studying abroad because I was always in California, but being away in the rain made me realize how much I miss the sun.
Tell me more about your travels! Has any place really stood out to you? Can’t wait to hear from you again soon.
Love,
Frances
Photo Courtesy of Juliette Des Rosiers ’26
