After a week of Resident Assistant training, I finally feel prepared to “conclude” my summer study abroad experience. Traveling to Shanghai and speaking Mandarin every day for two months is something I will never forget. To close out my blog posts, I would like to write about a common phrase in Mandarin I have grown…
Category: Global Program
Until Next Time Romania!
Reflecting on my time in Romania, I am coming away with so many valuable lessons, both in and out of the classroom. Throughout this trip, I learned valuable lessons about understanding other cultures from a non-judgmental perspective, time management, doing things outside my comfort zone, showing up and participating while tired, balancing work and fun, and…
“Aha” in the Bucharest Airport
My first “aha” moment of my trip, where it really sunk in to me that I was in a different country, came VERY early on in the trip. I felt this sense of being in another country as soon as I stepped off the plane and into the Bucharest Henri Coandǎ International Airport. As soon…
It’s the People That Make the Place
When reflecting on finding community during this trip, I am met with nothing but fond memories. Going into this experience, one of my biggest stressors was meeting the other people on my trip. I am a strong believer in the fact that the group of people you experience something with can make or break an…
Looking Back, Moving Forward: Lessons from the Netherlands
It’s hard to believe that four weeks of navigating canal-lined streets, studying 17th-century anatomical art, and figuring out Amsterdam’s tram system have already come to an end. When I think back to the beginning of this experience, I’m struck by how much has changed and not just in what I’ve learned academically, but in how…
Last Bits of London
After flying back from the UK and settling back in the States for over a week, I’ve finally had some quiet time to reflect on my experience. Looking back, this summer was defined by immense personal growth and incredible exposure to work. I did my absolute best to absorb as much knowledge as I could…
Oh, The Sights to See
I have been here for around two months now (I came a little earlier to enjoy Portugal without the work), and I could easily say I will never get tired of being here. The longer I stay, the more I get to visit. The beaches, the sunsets, the rooftops, the people, oh I could go…
They Locked Us In and Took Away the Delivery Apps
ENSEACK was my fourth hackathon and the first one I couldn’t leave. At the three I’d done in Montreal and in the US, you could go home at two in the morning, or order food, or at least walk somewhere. At ENSEA you were locked in for nineteen hours. Nobody had warned us to bring…
Learning My First Language Again
It was lunchtime on a Tuesday in the student lounge at ENSEA, three weeks into the semester. Someone asked what I thought about young graduates struggling to find work. It isn’t a hard question, and I had plenty to say about it. But the sentence was assembling itself in the wrong language, and what came…
Why France
I’ve moved countries three times, and each move changed which language I lived in. I was born in the Republic of Benin, a small country in West Africa, and schooled in French there through ninth grade. In tenth grade, I switched to a Nigerian school, where the curriculum was in English. In 2018, I left…