CIEE

Traveling to Ghana has been a rewarding experience like none I've had before. I enjoyed it mostly because of my continuous interactions with Ghanians throughout my stay that allowed me to learn more about our understanding of each other's cultures as well as our cultural differences. Studying in Legon I've had the opportunity to try many delicious meals, explore the city of Accra (and others included in the program), and to create new international networks and friendships that I hope to keep up! Before arriving, I was skeptical about getting around, bargaining, and making new friends in a new environment where I knew no one. However, the overwhelming support of the CIEE staff here in Legon made it impossible for anyone to be lost or left out throughout the entirety of the semester! After arriving, I felt as if I had found a whole new family of friends and colleagues. There were some troubles and bumps along the way as is expected when in a navigating a new environment. Nevertheless, this semester in Legon has been unforgettable and I look forward to returning in the future!

The classes were difficult but I know I am walking away with a lot more knowledge not only from the university, but from all over South Africa in general. Of course studying at UCT was the most irritating thing because nobody wants to study and do school work when you are in such a beautiful place like this! There is always something to do here in Cape town, the list is never ending (good thing you have a lot of time to fit it all in!). What really made it the best time was the CIEE staff. They supported us from day one and always had the best advice on what to eat, where to go, and were extremely helpful in providing all of the information we need to stay safe in South Africa. I would definitely recommend this program for everyone who is looking for adventures of all sorts!

I loved my time in Cape Town with CIEE! I spent a semester studying at UCT. The classes were challenging but I learned a lot. UCT is one of the best ranked universities in Africa, and is known worldwide. The CIEE staff in Cape Town were so helpful and kind, they supported us from beginning to end and I made some great connections with them. Additionally, the staff were extremely helpful in providing all of the information we need to stay safe in South Africa. Cape Town is beautiful and had so much to do. You have a city, mountains and the beach all in one! I came to South Africa alone, without knowing anyone here, and left with lifelong friends who were also on this program. I would definitely recommend this program for someone who is looking to get out of their comfort zone!

Arriving in Cape Town for CIEE's "Fall Block I Open Campus," I was unsure what to expect. I felt ready to experience a new part of the continent (my family is from Kenya and I lived there for 10 years, but was born in the US) in a new light. After staying in an AirBnB the first night, I arrived in Rondebosch from an Uber across from the CIEE building. The first day there was great. Meeting everyone, from the staff to the other students excited me for the next 6 weeks. The first week was a learning curve with orientation and getting to know the 4 other roommates in my apartment. There were only 5 guys out of 18 in the program which is one thing I can say I was surprised about - but I suppose guys are less likely to do study abroad programs.

I took two classes, "Poverty, Development, & Human Rights," with the amazing Professor Nompilo, and, "Intercultural Communication and Leadership," with Akisha. Both courses were excellent, and all very discussion based. The only true busy weeks were week 3 and 5-6 as our midterm essays and finals commenced. Other than that, they were a good balance of work and experiential learning as we went out on excursions nearly every Thursday or Friday. It so happened that my classes were scheduled the same day, which was good and bad. The con was that it made for very long days with each class being three hours a piece with an hour or so in between, and the pro being the fact since classes were only on Monday and Wednesday, I had the ability to plan full day trips, events, and experiences without having to worry about coming back to CIEE on time for class. The other class offered, "Atlantic Crossings," I heard was excellent as well, with many saying it was one of the best classes they had ever taken during their time in college.

During our amazing study tour we embarked on to Muizenberg, Cape Point (Cape of Good Hope), Boulder Beach (African Penguins). Besides that, we also had numerous excursions to places such as Khayelitsha, Zeitz MOCAA, and others, and of course - we made sure to go out and have fun on our own. With the South African Rand trading in favor of the dollar (about 15.5 - 16 Rand = 1 USD during our time there), we were able to truly capitalize on all Cape Town had to offer. From Long Street to Sea Point, we visited many clubs, bars, and restaurants, with one of our staples being Stones in Observatory due to its laid back conversational nature. Personally, I was able to go skydiving with Skydive Cape Town (about $300 USD with the video/pictures - beyond worth it), visit the historic Robben Island, hike up Table Mountain via Skeleton Gorge (if you truly want to experience the mountain, this is the way - great day trip, but hard hike if you don't usually hike. There are easier routes like Platteklip) and Lion's Head, spend many days at the beach at Camp's Bay or Clifton, venture to Stellenbosch for an amazing full-day wine tour, and so much more. I did all of this and much more during six weeks, actually staying under budget.

Overall, I would do CIEE again if I could. It was so worth it. I made lifelong friends of whom I am already planning to meet up with early next year, was able to reconnect with myself in a way I didn't think I would, and was able to learn so much about a country that has been so successful but faced so much hardship. Even though I only did one block as I had to return to Seattle, I must say 6 weeks is just enough to fully immerse yourself in this amazing city and country. If you want to learn more about my personal experience, we sure to check out my 5 part VLOG series I made during my time there on my Youtube channel, Alfred Mugho - the link is below!

I always knew I wanted to study abroad. The problem was, how could I pick just one location? Then I heard about CIEE's Design Your Semester Program. With this Open Campus program, I able to switch to three different locations during one semester. For me, six weeks in a city is the perfect amount of time to study in a new city. CIEE also has weekend study tours to nearby cities. The tours always provide a well rounded cultural experience. I would highly recommend the Open Campus program if you want to see and experience more when abroad. They offer many cities around the world, but mainly across Europe. I picked Madrid, Berlin, and London for my semester. Each city, in its own special way, had so much to offer. I would highly recommend the open campus program if you can't decide where you want to study abroad.