My name is Ian Moloney and I am a senior at Central Michigan University. I am majoring in History, Philosophy, and Political Science with a minor in Ethics. I have always wanted to travel outside of the United States to see what life is like in a different part of the globe. Through my studies I have learned many things about other areas; however, it always felt like I needed some firsthand experience. This disposition put me into contact with the Study Abroad office where I learned about the many opportunities offered. The opportunities ranged from studying art in Italy to an internship in Bolivia. All of the options sounded fantastic; however, there were three criteria that I had already set up to find my perfect destination. The first was that I needed to go to a place where I could maintain my usual 15 credit hour workload. Secondly, I found a great joy in helping others; therefore, I needed to find a place where I could truly be of service to other individuals. Thirdly, I needed to find an area that did not cost much more than my usual CMU tuition. With these three factors in mind I found my study abroad location, the University of Ghana.
Ghana is a former French colony with its capital of Accra on the coast it seems like a very beautiful place to call home for the next semester. I am very excited for this trip and I look forward to the new experiences that will be waiting for me the moment I leave the airplane. I have been told to not have any expectations about my time except that I will have a great time. Also, I am reminded that Ghana is much different than America; therefore, I need to “roll with the punches.” Neither of these sentiments should pose a problem because I am only expecting to have an experience that I could not receive in Mount Pleasant. Also, I am fully willing to allow the culture of Ghana to envelop me because I chose this place for a reason, and that reason is to become a part of Ghana. Overall, I am unsure of what exactly to expect, the only thing that I do anticipate is that I am going to have an amazing time abroad.
