by Qiangfung F | Aug 19, 2016 | Africa, Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, Summer
Monkey Sanctuary With the sunrise of the morning, we stepped on the road to the monkey sanctuary.It was a long trip that we headed north part of Ghana for almost 4 hours. When the driver drove our van on the main street, I found that the deforest rate is significantly...
by Qiangfung F | Aug 16, 2016 | Africa, Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, Summer
African Traditional Religion With the sunrise of Kumasi into the room we lived, everyone got up and headed down to eat the breakfast. The flavor of Kumasi’s breakfast is a little bit different from the breakfast in Sunyani. The breakfast here has the sausage, which...
by Paula R | Jul 25, 2016 | Africa, Faculty-Led, Nursing, Summer
After a long 17 hour flight back to America, and two more flights ahead before arriving back to Birmingham, I am very tired but excited to get home to a hot shower and soft bed. Yet, I am also really missing those sweet Ethiopian faces and their warm hospitality. As I...
by Paula R | Jul 1, 2016 | Africa, Faculty-Led, Nursing, Summer
While studying abroad in Ethiopia I was able to meet hundreds of Ethiopians as my team and I set up medical clinics in the locals’ villages. The people were very welcoming and happy to see us. Some would stare in amazement at the color of our skin because they...
by Liddy D | Jul 1, 2016 | Africa, Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, Summer
Eating Abroad One of the things you’ll find that you’ll miss the most from home about studying abroad will probably be eating your favorite foods. This problem also happens when you come back to your home country, and you’ll find that you miss foods...
by Paula R | Jun 30, 2016 | Africa, Faculty-Led, Nursing, Summer
Preparing for Ethiopia was a little different than preparing for any other study abroad trip. Common items such as toilet paper, tissues, soap, etc. are not readily available in Africa. Therefore, most of my packing involved minimal clothing and lots of snacks,...
by Liddy D | Jun 28, 2016 | Africa, Faculty-Led, Nursing, Summer
It’s been nearly two weeks since I left for my trip to Elmina, Ghana. Since then I’ve learned a lot about the culture and the people here! Every day I see exciting new things, and I always learn something new. Working in healthcare in Ghana allows me to...
by Liddy D | Jun 22, 2016 | Africa, Arts & Sciences, Community Health Sciences, Faculty-Led, Human Environmental Sciences, Summer
Today is my first day in Ghana! After over 24 hours of plane rides and layovers and 3 flights, we made it. I’m excited to spend the next month in Elmina, and to explore Accra and other towns and villages. My first impressions of here are that Accra is a very...
by Lindsey H | Jun 22, 2015 | Africa, Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, Summer
Now that I have been in Ghana for about 3 weeks, I have learned so much about the people and culture. When walking through the streets of Elmina, the light skin of myself and my classmates sticks out like a sore thumb. Despite this physical difference, the Ghanaians...
by Lindsey H | Jun 4, 2015 | Africa, Arts & Sciences, Faculty-Led, Summer
It’s finally here! Tomorrow morning I will be leaving for my month long medical mission trip in Elmina, Ghana. At the moment I am a mixture of excitement and a little bit of nerves. Planning this trip, everything seemed so far into the future, and the...
by Sandy D | Dec 5, 2014 | Africa, Education, Semester, UA-Affiliate
I’ve been back in the USA for two days now. The jet lag is ferocious, but I am glad to be home. It was bittersweet leaving a place that has become so close to my heart. The sensations I felt seeing my loved ones was so strong, but so are the feelings for those...
by Sarah J. | Dec 1, 2014 | Africa, Education, Semester, UA-Affiliate
I’ve been back in the States for a little over a week. It’s been strange to be back on the right side of the road and to not hear Kiwi accents everywhere I go, and it’s even weirder to not have morning tea every day. To be homesick for another...
by Maegan G | Nov 24, 2014 | Africa, Education, Semester, UA-Affiliate
Now that I am back home I am feeling a little bit of everything! I was so excited to see my friends and family when I got back, but I already miss SA so much. I left a little piece of my heart there. First of all, the jet lag was real when I got home. It took me a few...
by Sandy D | Nov 4, 2014 | Africa, Education, Semester, UA-Affiliate, _
Everywhere I go, “Oh you are from Alabama? Sweeeet Hommeeeee Alabamaaaaa!” That’s the only phrase from the Lynrd Skynyrd song they recall, but it never ceases to make me smile. South Africans remind me of Alabamians. They are hospitable; they have a...
by Charlotte S | Nov 2, 2014 | Africa, Semester, UA Non-Affiliate, _
The reaction played out so similarly every time that I came to expect it. My friend or family member would ask about my plans for the fall to which I’d reply that I was going to Jordan. There was always a moment of surprise followed by a look of confusion and slight...
by Maegan G | Oct 7, 2014 | Africa, Education, Semester, UA-Affiliate
First Impressions – What were your first impressions when you arrived in your host country? What thoughts were running through your head? How did you feel? What situations/experiences did you encounter when you first arrived? What was new/different/interesting? What...
by Sandy D | Sep 19, 2014 | Africa, Education, Semester, UA-Affiliate
Fall of my senior year at Alabama my best friend Sarah Justus, also a Music Education undergraduate, told me about the COST program (The Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching). The thought of teaching abroad terrified me. I imagined the worst–being alone,...
by Maegan G | Aug 26, 2014 | Africa, Education, Semester, UA-Affiliate
I chose to study abroad because I have always loved to travel. Ever since freshman year of college, I have had the desire to study abroad. I have talked to numerous students who have done it and every single one had a great experience. Everyone talked to kept...
