Hi blog readers! My name is Emily Liquin, and I’m a junior at Northwestern. I’ve been preparing for months, but I can’t believe I’m finally leaving for South Africa today. This will be the longest I’ve ever been away from the Chicago area, so I’m pretty nervous. But I’m also incredibly excited – South Africa is such an interesting country (see links to recent news articles at the end of this post), and I can’t wait to learn more about its history and current issues while I’m there. I’m a cognitive science and psychology double major, but I’ve never really done anything in the field of public health. I applied to this program in hopes of branching out, learning more about healthcare in a completely different part of the world, and seeing how I can apply that to my major and my future career. I’m so grateful to IPD for the opportunity to spend the quarter studying public health in Stellenbosch, South Africa and to blog about my experience.
I’ve spent the last few days packing – I think I finally got everything to fit in my bags. I’m a little worried that I overpacked or that I just packed a bunch of things I won’t need, but I guess only time will tell. I’m so nervous that I’m forgetting something important. I’ve looked at all of the study abroad packing lists and “27 Things To Do Before You Study Abroad” articles, so hopefully that means I have everything.
Later today, I take an 8-hour flight from Chicago to Amsterdam, followed by a 3-hour layover and an 11-hour flight from Amsterdam to Cape Town. It’s going to be a long day of travel, and I really don’t like flying. However, assuming I make it through the flights, I’ll then be in South Africa for what promises to be one of the most exciting quarters of my life! Here we go…
Links to some interesting news articles: