EESA (Eastern European Study Abroad)

In November 2018, I took a one week fall break trip with EESA to Lviv, Ukraine, Kraków, Poland, and Prague, Czech Republic. A few months earlier, I was just searching on the internet and came across their website and emailed in curiosity about the trip, not actually thinking it would be a possibility for me. I was assigned an academic advisor who explained everything to me and was willing to help me with everything, including finding plane tickets to my destination and being willing to adjust the schedule to my preferences. When I arrived, I was greeted by my guide for the trip at the airport, who turned into one of my great friends. Then later, I met the other person in our group who also was a fantastic companion. For the next several days, we traveled from country to country exploring, eating food, and having a great time. With several tours and places to visit, I learned a plethora about all of these countries and their cultures. I cannot express enough how much I enjoyed this short trip. In my experience, it was definitely worth the effort and will continue to fuel my passion to travel.

In November 2018, I took a one week fall break trip with EESA to Lviv, Ukraine, Kraków, Poland, and Prague, Czech Republic. A few months earlier, I was just searching on the internet and came across their website and emailed in curiosity about the trip, not actually thinking it would be a possibility for me. I was assigned an academic advisor who explained everything to me and was willing to help me with everything, including finding plane tickets to my destination and being willing to adjust the schedule to my preferences. When I arrived, I was greeted by my guide for the trip at the airport, who turned into one of my great friends. Then later, I met the other person in our group who also was a fantastic companion. For the next several days, we traveled from country to country exploring, eating food, and having a great time. With several tours and places to visit, I learned a plethora about all of these countries and their cultures. I cannot express enough how much I enjoyed this short trip. In my experience, it was definitely worth the effort and will continue to fuel my passion to travel.

Eastern European Study Abroad is an awesome opportunity to experience Ukrainian and Russian culture firsthand. And as of Fall 2013, with field trips in four more countries, the program offers a completely unique and unforgettable study abroad adventure. During my semester, I had an amazing time visiting Moscow and St. Petersburg, and later Kyiv and Lviv. And living in Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine after the capital of Kyiv, is perfect in that there are many international students (I met some from Germany, Nigeria, Iraq, and Mexico) as well as thousands of friendly locals. The EESA staff are very kind and helpful. They will go to great lengths to make sure that your stay in Eastern Europe is as enjoyable and rewarding as possible. If you have any connection to Russian or Ukrainian culture, this is without a question the study abroad program for you. And if you don't, you will still return home with fantastic memories and a new appreciation of this part of the world.

Choosing a study abroad program is not an easy decision. I myself had a very difficult time deciding with which program to study, but I can honestly say that studying abroad with EESA was a fantastic choice and that I had an incredible experience during my academic year in Kharkov, Ukraine. From the very beginning the staff was responsive to all of my questions and concerns and continuously worked to make sure that my experience on the program was a positive one. The quality of instruction in the courses was high and the chance to enroll both in courses with my American groupmates and in courses with other Ukrainian students was very beneficial. The directors work to accommodate the specific interests of every student academically and in extra-curricular and volunteer activities. Even when I was the only student from my group who wanted to study Ukrainian language, I was given individual lessons with the professor. Within the first weeks of our stay a volunteer opportunity was arranged for me with the help of the directors, in which I was heavily involved throughout the school year. As far as other activities are concerned - Kharkov will not leave you bored! It is the perfect host city for a study abroad program, as it is a city of students. Student groups are constantly organizing events and projects and they will always be happy to have you join them. If you take advantage of the opportunities available to you, you will never be bored! The academic field trips were also a great part of the EESA program. The cost of the trips is included in the program tuition and the trips are designed to include site-seeing, meetings with international organizations or companies, and free-time to enjoy the cities as you like.
Studying abroad in Ukraine sets you apart from your peers and will leave you with memories which you will never forget. So take the chance and experience an unforgettable year abroad with Eastern European Study Abroad!