KEI Abroad

I loved my trip to London and stay with KEI! It was amazing housing and a trio of a lifetime. London was a great place to be able to study abroad. I traveled here with one of my roommates but we had separate rooms while abroad. My KEI rep while in London was amazing, Susannah brought us to many locations and was always there for any of us while we needed in London. Being in London it was a great place to be to be able to travel to other locations which was amazing!

Studying abroad in India was one of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made. I learned so much both inside and outside of the classroom. While at Symbiosis University, I took Religion and Rebellion, Development Economics, Hindi (language), and Contemporary India (history). My favorite parts from the classroom experience were the unique personalities of the students and professors, as well as the implementation of the Indian culture into each lesson. One example of a unique personality was my professor who did not own a cell phone or a watch, so he would check the position of the sun in the sky to determine the time. Outside of the classroom I had the pleasure of talking with people about their life experiences, religious beliefs, and cultural history. I also had an opportunity to travel extensively throughout the subcontinent on the weekends. Overall, my experience challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and become more independent.

Through this program, I was able to travel outside of the United States for the first time, I was able to travel alone for the first time, and I was also able to go somewhere where no one knew me for the first time. This pushed me way out of my comfort zone in the best way possible. I made so many new friends, made new connections, and saw so many things that never would have been possible had I not taken this trip. It showed me what I was good at, what I liked, and really showed me what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. This trip also gave me the opportunity to understand what I really love about East Africa and Kenyan Culture.

Along with amazing opportunity to study like the Irish, I met the most amazing friends that I am still in contact with to this day! I had the opportunity to hold a baby sheep out in the country, taste the most amazing ice cream I have ever had, set my eyes on the beautiful Cliffs of Moher, as well as meet locals that I plan on going back and visiting in the future! Not only did I get to travel all around Ireland, but I was able to travel around Europe as well!

London is one of those places for study abroad that individuals either immediately think of or immediately say "no" to. However, I would say to give this amazing city a chance. Initially, I wanted to go somewhere where I thought would have more "culture" than a city I assumed was extremely Americanized. While it is similar in many ways (considering it has some fast food restaurants we have), I was shocked at the differences that London had to offer. With KEI, we were centrally located, and were able to experience all of the different aspects of London. KEI was concerned with our safety and well-being and supported us throughout the entire process. KEI set it up so that our program participants and on site support became like a family. If I had the chance to study abroad again, I wouldn't hesitate to pick either KEI or London over and over again.