How a Semester in Senegal Shaped our Lives

This post comes from Abroad101 friend and Guest Blogger Mairéad O’Grady, who currently resides in Washington, DC and works at The School for Ethics and Global Leadership as a French teacher and Residential Advisor. Inspired by her MSID semester in Senegal, Mairéad accepted a Grinnell Corps teaching position in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2010, where she spent her first postgraduate year. Now back in America, her work focuses on helping motivated high school students shape themselves into ethical global leaders who create positive change in our world.

Seneglasses

Four years ago last month, I boarded an airplane full of strangers destined for Dakar, Senegal.  Most of my fellow passengers were dressed in the colorful garb so emblematic of West Africa, chattering in a language I could not yet recognize with babies slung gracefully across their backs.  The few who wore wide-eyed expressions and more familiar attire were my fellow study abroad students, and we gravitated to each other as we boarded, talking amongst ourselves while nervously imagining the next time we’d touch dry land. Continue reading

The Most Interesting Facts About Singapore

Submitted by Alexandra Markus, Global Ambassador in Singapore: Spring 2012

Singapore MILO

Yummy treats, Singapore style!

It’s been a month since I returned from Singapore and I still miss it a ton. Studying abroad has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Although my grades are unlikely to be as good as expected due to the strict bell-curve and the high caliber of students, I met some amazing people whom I will never forget and hope to see again. Below are the most interesting facts about Singapore that I’ve learned during my time abroad. Take the opportunity to study in Singapore!

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The Top 5 Things I love about Singapore!

Submitted by Alexandra Markus, Abrod101’s Global Ambassador in Singapore

I love Singapore so much that I created a list of 5 top things about Singapore:

Beautiful Singapore palm trees

  • The weather! It’s a tropical paradise all year round, so I don’t have to bundle up in a winter coat and wait for or chase the bus in 2 feet of snow during a -30ºC (without windchill!) blizzard. In fact, NUS takes advantage of its awesome weather by offering students study spaces that look like this. No, this isn’t a tropical vacation resort. This is a designated study carrel at NUS. Continue reading