Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a senior English and Women’s Studies double major. During my time at Colby I’ve done Amnesty International, America Reads/America Counts, CCAK, and phone-a-thon. But last year, I went abroad for the year. Oh… and I used to do pottery club!
Wow you’re really involved! There aren’t many people that go abroad for an entire year. Where were you?
I went to Ghana in the fall and Athens, Greece in the spring.
How did you decide on those two places? Also, how’d you decide to spend an entire year away from the hill?
One of the reasons I came to Colby was because of the study abroad program. I knew I’d be able to study for the whole year. I’ve never had an opportunity to go to other countries, so I wanted to be able to do it while I still can. I chose Ghana because I had studied the West African Women’s movement—I went along with my interests. I chose Greece because I wanted to go somewhere in Europe, but not somewhere where I thought I would ever go on my own.
Obviously Ghana and Greece were drastically different from one another. How did your two experiences differ?
Well, logistically, in Ghana, I was traveling every two weeks, and I was living in home-stays. Ghana’s a third-world country, so I had limited amenities. Plus, in Ghana, with the way that the country is and the way that the program was, I never knew what I would be doing each day. I really didn’t have a schedule, whereas in Greece I lived in an apartment with three other Americans and went to classes everyday. I also traveled on my own, so I got to visit different countries every weekend. At the end of the year, I realized that I understood Ghanaian culture better than Greek culture just because I was so immersed in the Ghanaian way of life.
What did you study each semester?
In Ghana I took some “overview” cultural seminars, a two-week intensive language course, and I did an independent study about puberty rituals in the eastern region. In Greece I took ancient Greek history courses, a language course, and a modern Greek literature course.
Could you see yourself back in either of these countries in the future?
Yeah, I would love to move back to Ghana!
What did you miss most about Colby while you were abroad?
I missed my friends!
Thanks, Cam! We can’t wait to see you around back on the hill!