Golfing Abroad, or Whatever You Please.

I don’t often watch golf on TV just for fun. Scratch that…I never watch golf on TV just for fun. So yesterday’s Easter Dinner with a few friends was a first when a friend tuned into the final minutes of the Master’s. We started watching just in time to see American, Bubba Watson and South African, Louis Oosthuizen, go into sudden death overtime to determine the winner. I must say sudden death overtime made things a bit more exciting! In the end, it was Watson who won the tournament, along with the fancy green jacket.

This got me thinking about all of the sport options available for our students to get involved in while abroad. There is of course, golf, with everywhere from the famous course in St. Andrews, Scotland, to some of the courses that Oosthuizen may have trained at around Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town.

Alumni Spotlight: Climbing Out of Your Comfort Zone

For months you plan ahead for your semester abroad – what courses to take, what to pack, where to travel. After a successful (though possibly emotional) departure from the US, you arrive at your destination. The first days are a whirlwind of excitement and new experiences but somewhere around week two, it might hit you…what now? Getting involved in campus activities is one of the best ways to fill that time between class and homework while abroad and meet new people at the same time.

Here’s how one Interstudy Alum, Andrea Fasen, from Colorado State University, got involved on the Queen’s University, Belfast campus during her Fall 2010 semester abroad. Andrea’s involvement in the Mountaineering Club shaped her time abroad and shows the importance of “climbing” out of your comfort zone in more ways then one!

Alumni Spotlight: Leaving a Lasting Mark

Many students who study in South Africa go there with the intention of volunteering in some capacity. Whether it’s at a local orphanage, or a clinic in a neighboring township, the opportunities in almost all of interstudy’s program locations are plentiful. Many times universities have clubs or student run organizations that have established lasting relationships with local areas in need, and it is this sustainable, or continuous aid which is most helpful. While studying at Rhodes University, 4 of our interstudy alums made a big impact, and ended up leaving a lasting mark not only on a local community outside of Grahamstown, South Africa, but also in a grocery store near you.