Thoughts on Studying Abroad in France

Tout est bien, qui finit bien. I'm back in the US, and all I can say about my year abroad is 'wow'. I keep saying 'I'm blessed' and its not just something I say for the sake of saying, but rather because it is the core truth of my entire existence. Living, studying, working and being in France was an exceptional experience that I would do over again in a heartbeat.

Sure, it wasn't just a jolly ride with just fromage, vin et nutella, but despite those not so merry experiences, the entire picture came out beautiful and I'm just thankful for the experience, the places I saw - Montpellier, Paris, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Tours, Nimes, Nice, Les Bagards, Sommiere - and the wonderful people I met - the MHC Montpellier Crew; the Loth Family; Adjoa, her beautiful kids and her wonderful team at Salon Au Coupe du Monde; the CAPI crew - Jeremy, Victoria, Rachel, Nens, Jessica, Mr. Cottet-Moine, Brize, Valerie, Pascale etc; the Playaway Crew - Kevin, Jess, Hannah, Brian, Rosie, Luca, etc, the Playaway kids; My Language partners - Stephane and Jamila; Celia, Raquel and the Erasmus crew, Marine, Tom and Helene, Daniel, Clarice, Matt and fam, the UPV professors and classmates,and every single person who I interacted with in some way or another. Oh, and not forgetting - Le Sandwicherie where I got most of my sandwiches, the Kebab place where me and Nana Yaa would go for our Carnival style kebabs, the Creperie at the Comedie etc etc

So as you can see, the list of blessings I was endowed with over that 9 month period is endless. And this is just a sneak peak. I can't go in depth with every single experience I had, but ....oh, how could I forget....Nana Yaa Amoah! A definite blessing. Made living in France exceptional. Merci cherie, and my family - thanks for the support et all, and MHC peeps!!!. Yea, so as I was saying. I can't go in depth, but it was one of the most- enriching experiences ever and I would encourage anyone to go to a different town, city, village , or country if ever you get the chance. There is so much to this world that we haven't an inkling about until we experience it.

Now for the summer: I'm in DC interning at National Strategies Incorporated (http://www.nationalstrategiesinc.com) and so far so good. I do mainly policy research and I get to work on Jim Rosapepe's projects - he's a Maryland senator! I've only been there for about 1 1/2 half weeks but I've already learnt so much and I look forward to the entire thing. I get to see Oyinade who also went to MHC, so thats an added bonus. And there's another intern who's from MHC, and one more from Ghana....see, I told you I was blessed...you call these coincidences? I should think not!!!

Still not convinced I'm blessed? Okay, for the month of June, I'm living with an MHC alum -Whitney, her husband - Toby and their 2 adorable dogs Thea and Peter. Their apartment is located only 15 minutes walk from my office so I get to enjoy downtown DC as well as get to make an important MHC connection, and interact with really nice people.

Now, up next is YOWLI - Young Women's Knowledge and Leadership Institute - which will take place at Ile de Goree in Senegal. I am sooo excited for this not only because it is going to be another wonderful experience, but also because its gonna be intellectually stimulating and inspiring and right up my alley. I already met one of the participants while tryna process my transit visa and if the connection we made is any indication, July is gonna be mind-blowing! Check out their website: http://www.awomi.org

Alors maintenant, I am on the bus on the way back to DC from NYC and I am online typing away and all. How? Umm...you should ask my dad for the technical definition for this phenomenon, but basically, Its mobile wifi. Yea. and the fares are soooooooo on point! Waaay cheaper than Peterpan, Greyhound etc. And rumour has it....if you purchase your ticket well in advance, you might just pay $1 for a trip; courtesy the Bolt Bus. Check it out: http://www.boltbus.com .

Okay, so i have done enough talking for a day. So, I'll do my best to keep you all posted on happenings, but def hit me up and keep in touch! Enjoy ur summer!!

Review of 'The Perfect Picture' & the Ghanaian Movie Industry

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Circumspect interviews Maame Sampah and Emmanuel Lamptey, Executive Board Members of the Representatives for Equal Access to Community Healthcare (REACH) Ghana to find out how they got started, what projects they're currently working on, and what they're looking forward to. -- Circumspect: Tell us about yourselves. Maame Sampah (M.S.): I’m currently a graduate student. I’m with an HIV group right now, and so I basically do HIV research. Before then, I did undergrad in biochemistry and French at Grinnell College. I’m doing grad school at [Johns] Hopkins now. I went through the Ghana education system - Wesley Girls, Bishop Bowers before then. I can give you the name of my nursery school. And yeah, so here I am. I’m going to be in school for a while, and basically I’m going to end up in a career in clinical and research medicine. I have a huge family, I have four siblings. My parents both live in Ghana. My siblings however are kind of scattered in the U.K and here [U.S.] an...

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