The time is coming once again to register for fall classes, so a lot of you are probably considering studying abroad and trying to answer a lot of tough questions. Where do you want to go? Will you still be getting a good education in another country? And most of all, is it worth it? Her Campus had the opportunity this week to talk with junior Maria Estlund, an anthropology major with a history minor, about studying abroad. Estlund is currently studying history at Mkwawa University of Education in Iringa, Tanzania with three other students from the University of Iowa. Estlund took the time to share her experiences and advice about studying abroad with us.
HC: What made you decide to study abroad?
ME: It wasn’t so much that I decided to study abroad as it was I decided to go to Africa. If I wasn’t here, I don’t think I would be abroad at all. It’s always been a dream of mine to go to Africa, so when a professor of mine told me about a brand new program in Africa, I decided this was my chance! I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and I saw this as an opportunity to see places I’ve always wanted to see, hoping to gain some inspiration.
HC: What was the pre-study abroad period like, deciding where to go, working it out with advisers and getting ready to leave?
ME: Since this program is in its first year, the prepping period was different from others. A lot of it was last minute, and we didn’t really know exactly what to expect. Our adviser gave us a general outline of a time table, but until we were physically in Africa, we didn’t know how long we would be anywhere. Packing was a little stressful, to say the least! Besides figuring out what clothes I would need for the next four months, I had to pack enough toiletries. We were warned that in Iringa it may be hard to find some necessities, so I packed multiples of toothpaste, hand sanitizer and enough contact solution for the entire town probably!
HC: How is the school experience there? Do you still feel like you’re getting a good education?
ME: The school experience is very different from Iowa. Lectures are at different times every day, and email is not used as a way to notify students of changes or cancellations. There are bulletin boards on campus that we have to check daily to see if our class has been moved or cancelled. Instead of buying books at the beginning of the semester and being assigned correlating chapters, professors supply selected readings to a stationary on campus, and students are responsible for making copies of each reading. I feel as though the classes are easier for me than those at home, mostly because my classes are covering information that I have already been taught. (I have my first exam tomorrow though, so let’s see if I’m speaking too soon). Something to note about the students here: they value education exponentially more than students in the US. It is a privilege for these students to be attending a university, and they don’t take that lightly. They are constantly studying and never slipping on their readings, which is more than I can say for myself.
HC: What are some of non-school related things you have done since being there?
ME: Since getting to Africa, we have been on one safari and we are going on another one next weekend! I’m very excited for the one next weekend; it’s in Ruaha, which is one of the biggest national parks in Tanzania. We’ve gone to many museums, including one about Chief Mkwawa, who our school is named after, and Bagamoyo, which was part of the slave trade. We also saw Isimila, an archaeological site from the Stone Age, which really interested me since I am an anthropology major. We are in the process now of planning some traveling at the end of our program, hopefully to Mt. Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar! We also were invited to a wedding a couple of weekends ago. That was very fun to see the differences between Tanzanian weddings and American weddings! We had traditional dresses made and everything!
HC: What has been the most education experience so far?
ME: The most educational experience outside of the classroom has probably been my homestay. I am currently living with an amazing host family. I have a mother and a father, four brothers, one sister and a house girl. Living here has taught me a lot about Tanzanian family relations and traditions, as well as improved my Swahili. These people are becoming a second family to me and will be something I miss most when I leave.
HC: What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to you while in Tanzania?
ME: Public restrooms are hard to come by downtown because most shops are very small. Some restaurants have restrooms, but again not all of them. There were two of us shopping one day and needed to use the restroom, so we asked a man at a fabric shop if he knew of one nearby. He handed a key to a boy and told us to follow. The boy led us through creepy alleys, shops, a house, someone’s bedroom, finally to a little alley with a woman handwashing clothes. Behind her was a restroom (and when I say restroom, I mean a hole in the ground). I think it was about the time we walked through the bedroom that we looked at each other and said, “This is when we get killed.”
HC: Would you recommend studying abroad to other students?
ME: I would definitely recommend studying abroad to anyone who asks! We have limited time in our life when we can pick up and move to a foreign country for four months and have no responsibilities. Take advantage of it while you can. I think the only way you can truly figure out who you are or who you are supposed to be is to separate yourself from the familiarity of home. I’ve learned more about myself on this trip than I had in my 20 years before it.