My First Week Abroad in Paris, France with A Mental Illness
Anxiety Beforehand & What Preparations I Made Before Leaving the USA My name is Aiman Ghani. I’m earning a bachelor’s of science in elementary education in Chicago, Illinois, the beautiful, utterly magnificent city where I am from. I suffer from… READ MORE →
Three WKU Students Recognized by Freeman-ASIA Scholarship
Two Western Kentucky University (WKU) students will study abroad in Summer and Fall 2019 with support from the Freeman Awards for Study in Asia (Freeman-ASIA). Another student has been designated an alternate and will be upgraded if additional funding becomes available.… READ MORE →
Dreams of Jordan and Struggling With the Meaning of Home
It is half past midnight and I am sitting in my favorite cafe in first circle finishing up an overdue blog post. The music shuffles between soft Arabic music and covers of random American songs, and the whift of Turkish… READ MORE →
The Dive Down Under
I stand on a distant land A continent of wonders, where the beaches sparkle and the plains glow with red sand This country is an undiscovered alcove far removed from people on this Earth I spend my days surfing, my… READ MORE →
Reverse Culture Shock and the Journey Back Home
Coming back to New York City after my grand Australian journey has affected me in many ways, mainly in the form of reverse culture shock. Reverse culture shock, best described by Dean Foster of DFA Intercultural Global Solutions, is what… READ MORE →
A Shift in Perspective
I started my journey in Melbourne both nervous and excited about this new venture in my life. I discussed my thoughts and expectations in my first blog post titled, “Home is Behind, The World Ahead”. Now that I’ve been living… READ MORE →
Gilman Alumnus Kamaal Thomas’ Speech
On April 2, 2019, Gilman Scholarship stakeholders gathered to celebrate the program’s legacy. Assistant Secretary of State Marie Royce introduced Gilman Alumnus, Kamaal Thomas (Hong Kong, Academic Year 2014-2015) to share the Gilman Program’s Impact on Study Abroad for Americans.… READ MORE →
Finding Self-Love and Growth in the Middle East
As I enter my last few weeks in Amman, I ponder the important questions of return: What will I eat for lunch when there is no 1 JD shawarma or 70 cent hummus options? Where will I go for sporadic… READ MORE →
“So! How was London?”
After four months of British accents and unique words (“rubbish” seemed to be an everyday favorite, often in reference to the local football team), I was overjoyed when I walked through the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport and heard the PA system… READ MORE →
Gilman Scholar to Future Fulbrighter
I completed my Gilman Program the summer of 2017. After leaving Ecuador and returning for my final year of my undergraduate studies, I was very concerned about my “next step.” My time in Ecuador helped me to develop stronger convictions… READ MORE →
