For her off-campus study, Kathleen accompanied students and faculty from the Nursing Department on their annual trip to Kenya. As she plans to become a physician assistant, the experience she gained on this trip was invaluable. She observed and assisted medical personnel with a variety of health situations, some of which are not often seen in the U.S.—if at all. She also learned to appreciate a different culture and how to adapt to different situations. Overall, her time in Kenya was a profound experience.

The first stop on the trip was a government-run hospital in the city of Kisumu. She and the other students from UM-Flint had orientation with Kenyan nursing students their first day at the hospital. Although she had known beforehand that the hospital did not have the technology and resources that hospitals in the U.S. had, she had not anticipated how much it would affect its practice and cleanliness. For example, they did not always have the supplies available to wipe down examination tables or clean their hands with antibacterial wash. It was very difficult for her to see that people were dying because they did not have the supplies necessary to help them. Her first rotation took place in the Emergency Department where a single nurse examined patients with the help of a few nursing students. People were lined up on benches waiting to be seen and even patients brought in by ambulance had to wait at least fifteen minutes to be examined. During one such drop-off, a girl passed away before she could be seen. Kathleen has encountered death in emergency situations before and thought that she would be prepared, but this case was different. She was sad that no one was able to examine her before she passed and that no one was with her. However, she did not blame anyone because she knew that the small staff was doing the best they could with the resources they had. She admired the nurse for her courage and perseverance. “It was amazing to see how these nurses practice and continue to want to work in those environments because, if she wasn’t there, who would help the patients?”

Kathleen also had the opportunity to spend time in a dispensary in a village outside Kisumu. She was able to help out in the pharmacy by counting medication and also in the immunization room where she was shown a variety of things such as how to measure, weigh, and record immunizations; how to administer immunizations; and how to check for malaria. The experience was very valuable and she felt like she was lessening the workload for the staff.

The second half of the trip was spent in Nairobi where she did rotations at St. Mary’s Mission Hospital and helped the nurses from St. Mary’s provide medical care at the Good Samaritan Orphanage in the slums. “The orphans and surrounding families lived in such meager conditions. However, these conditions that we may think would be horrendous and unlivable for us did not affect the happiness or love they shared. They were so joyous and welcoming towards our group. Just experiencing the love from these children showed me the innocence of these kids and how they are just like any other kid. They had such hope and happiness for the future. It was very inspiring.”

The experiences of this trip have significantly impacted her life.  First, it has helped her become more culturally sensitive. Second, it has taught her how to adapt to certain situations, which include a lack of medical supplies and communication barriers. She learned that, by opening yourself up and learning all that you can, you can forge connections with others. “I was definitely pushed out of my comfort zone but, with that, I grew and now I have more confidence in stepping out and taking risks. I am so blessed to be able to experience this trip and I am excited to see how this will impact my future plans and job.”

Our first day was packed with tours and site-seeing. We received a rundown of the entire Taiwan experience as well as pointers and tips. We took a tour of the National Palace Museum and also went to the Taipei 101 Observatory. Both places were absolutely stunning and the information we received was fantastic. In Taipei, we were using public transportation or our feet. Even after going to only two or three places we were exhausted. In the days that followed, we attended several lectures on the Taiwanese economy and the booming business sector in Taiwan at the National Taipei Public University. We also visited the Tarako Gorge and the Tarako National Park in eastern Taiwan. At the park, I and three other participants climbed a hundred stairs to get to a temple in the mountains. It was breathtaking. On the last day of our trip, we went to visit the Bunun Tribe and the Kuanfu sugar plant. The day we headed back to Taipei, we were exhausted from three days of nonstop adventures.

Being a business student, I observed the marketing strategies all around me. The advertising was nothing like I had seen before. What I noticed was the use of bright colors in most of the advertisements, the cartoon-like mascots for practically everything (especially electronics), and their emphasis on the youth as spokespeople for some items. Because Taiwan is a leader in technology innovation and production, I saw a large variety of computers, cell phones, PDAs, etc. One unique aspect was the amount of customization available.

The next day, we were off to the airport to fly to Osaka, Japan. Here, we were staying in Hikone where the Japanese Center for Michigan Universities (JCMU) is located. We attended a Survival Japanese class where each one of us was called on to answer a Japanese question in Japanese; the experience was full of laughs and embarrassment. The next day, we went on a day trip to Kyoto. We visited Nijojo and the United Nations World Heritage Site and we went to Kinkakuji. That night, we went to Gion Corner where we saw geishas and I was part of a tea ceremony, which was very cool. We were also part of the JCMU 20^th Anniversary celebration where we met a lot of students and were exposed to many different cultural things. We also took a day trip to Nagoya where we took a tour of a Toyota plant. On our last day, we visited Hikone castle and attended a lecture on Japanese culture and history.

I am amazed at the experiences I had, the people I met, and the things I took back. Truly a lifetime experience.

I was fortunate to locate and liaise with members from the University of Glasgow’s Urban Studies Department. My primary contact and later advisor, Dr. Iain Docherty, aided me with developing my proposal. Dr. Docherty’s dissertation was an analysis of the regional governing deficiencies of the fragmentized southern cities in the UK with a comparison to the regional council of Glasgow. This would later be a great help concerning my project. With the counsel of Dr. Docherty and another contact from the University of Aberdeen, Dr. Jon Shaw, I was able to develop a project which would coincide with Dr. Shaw’s. This project was to be an analysis of the effectiveness of European transportation sustainability movement on UK cities. My function was to be primarily that of a research assistant.

During the first week, I became familiar with the city of Glasgow, shopped for necessary supplies, settled in at my flat, spent some time in the library, and consulted with my advisor. It was at this time that I realized that the project that I set up with Dr. Shaw would not be feasible because of new circumstances affecting Dr. Shaw’s responsibilities. I had to develop a project that was not dependent on anybody else’s work, and I had to do it fast. Dr. Docherty and I were then able to set up a completely new project that would be my own. Dr. Docherty’s advice and assistance were still a great help as well as the services of the department even though my project became an independent one.

I spent the next couple weeks completing a new bibliography and theoretical framework. Most of the books were recommended and even loaned to me from my advisor. These works and lunches with Dr. Iain helped give me the insight and knowledge that I would need later to complete the interviews successfully. The project was now to take place solely in Glasgow, studying the effects of the new, “informal” regional government using the sustainable transport issues as a guide to assessing the government structure and governance of those involved.

After a month or so of preparing and reading, I sent formal letters requesting interviews with public officials at the direction of my advisor. I had a good response rate due to the relationship these people had with my advisor. I performed the interviews over the next four weeks and transcribe them into electronic text. These interviews were very productive and contributed greatly to my project.

Cairo was a completely different experience with its own acquaintances and experiences. This I did with my own resources as a side trip that I had always wanted to take. The climate change was very extreme, going from sixty degrees Fahrenheit for a high in Glasgow to over one-hundred in Egypt, was quite extreme. I was able to take in many of the typical tourist attractions including the pyramids and the Egyptian museum. I was also lucky to meet a family from Giza that invited me to stay with them to see life in the countryside and even an Egyptian wedding. I was glad that I took the time to experience such a trip because it was unlike any other European destination that I have encountered.

I had a most excellent and academically beneficial time. I feel that I was able to find a good balance between enjoying the different opportunities offered by studying away from home; such as meeting new people, and developing and executing a successful undergraduate thesis project. I cannot think of a better way to spend three months. I was given the chance to perform research with the guidance of experienced and brilliant minds as well as see part of the world culture and the people that compose a large international community. This experience has undoubtedly changed the way I view life, people, and even my academic studies in planning, pubic administration, and politics. I am very grateful that the Honors Program at the University of Michigan-Flint has given me the opportunity to broaden my horizons and prove myself academically for the betterment of myself and the public which I will one day serve.

I was thrilled when I received my acceptance letter for the International Summer Schools Programme at Cambridge University. I could not have been more excited when I decided to research an aspect of the King Arthur legacy as I have always loved reading about him. One of the classes in the Medieval Studies Programme was on King Arthur and I was extremely interested in finding out what the British thought about him.

While studying at Cambridge University, I spent much of my free time collecting material that I could use for my research, either from books I found in the Summer School’s library, or directly from the professors of my classes. In addition to the information I learned in my King Arthur class, I also learned interesting facts that I did not know, such as the presence of a round table at Windsor Castle at one time. I learned this in a plenary lecture titled “Searching for King Arthur from Windsor to Tintagel” by Julian Munby.

Studying in and traveling around the British Isles for two months was a fantastic experience for me. I not only learned a great deal from the classes I took, but I was also able to gather a lot of necessary information for my thesis. I discovered that King Arthur is an integral part of British culture. His legacy would have crossed my path many times, even if I had not been searching for it. This opportunity has without a doubt changed my life. While traveling around and in Cambridge, I met many people from all over the world. I learned a great deal about other cultures, and in the process I made some very close friends. This experience also gave me the ability to learn more about myself; I became more independent and extroverted, and I discovered a couple of careers that I am highly interested in. I also experienced the British school system and now I would love to pursue graduate school in the UK. I hope that I will someday be able to return to Britain.