About halfway through my internship program, I became overwhelmed by countless power outages, a variety of native bugs, the inescapable Senegalese heat and frustrating language barriers. My second summer class had also started, and my days felt long and dreadful. I kept asking myself, “What am I doing here?” and… read more
Africa
Coming Home
For the duration of the summer, I’ve been blessed with an opportunity to intern with House of Bacoro, a cosmetic store in the center of Dakar, the capital of Senegal. On the surface, House of Bacoro is a mere beauty supply store, but if you dig a little deeper into… read more
Bringing Global Health Perspectives to Austin
Eldoret, Kenya is known as “The City of Champions” because its consistent production of world-class runners and Olympians is well-known throughout the city and globally. Upon arrival, my first 20 minutes were spent discussing running, the culture of mobility and the expectation of excellence. I have always believed that time… read more
A Lesson in Culture Shock
There’s a feeling when you get accepted to study abroad. A sense of excitement and anticipation for the unknown rushes through you. You know that you’re going, but at the same time it feels surreal to be travelling to another country. Up until departure, you’re full of nervous energy and… read more
Three Things I’ve Done in Cape Town that Have Scared Me
My last blog post was about how studying abroad is scary, and I still stand by that statement. However, I have stayed true to my word and have really tried to lean into experiences that make me nervous and uncomfortable. One surefire way to force myself into these situations is… read more
Study Abroad Is Scary
Yeah, I said it. International travel? Layovers in foreign countries? Budgeting? Interacting with locals? All of it makes me extremely uneasy. I miss the days when my mom was in charge of all of our trips, because I feel like I am not responsible enough to handle all of this.… read more
Cape Town Chronicles
My name is Lisa Marie Resendez, I am a third-year Corporate Communications/Communication & Leadership major. I am on the Urban Economic Development Maymester Study Abroad Program in Cape Town, South Africa. I chose this program because I was informed about it in the Black Power Movement class that Vice President… read more
“Sooo… what’s the next step after graduation?”
It’s down to three days until graduation, and for most of us peer advisors, study abroad has greatly impacted the plans we have after walking the stage. As a reminder, peer advisors are available Monday through Friday from 9-5 during the semester and 12-3 during the summer on a walk-in… read more
Adventures in Botswana
Horns meet World. World meet Alexandra Gary. Alexandra is a nursing major here at UT, and she spent the summer of 2014 abroad in Gaborone, Botswana studying community public health! When I first decided to study abroad in Gaborone (the capital of Botswana), many people were surprised by my decision.… read more
Service Learning in South Africa
Horns meet world. World meet Kristen Lenz. Kristen is an Urban Studies major at UT, but just this past summer she participated in the Urban Economic Development Maymester in South Africa where she got to apply some classroom knowledge to real world problems in South Africa concerning economic development. Exhausted from forty… read more