Barbados - Fun in the Sun

One of the best perks about having friends who study abroad and who have international careers is having the opportunity to go and visit them. My friend Joia who was the first person I interviewed for the Career Corner section of KoMiSa's World (click here to check out the interview with Joia) works is a Foreign Services Officer stationed in Barbados. I have been planning to visit her in Barbados all year so I was excited to bored the plane and to make my way to the gorgeous island in the Caribbean Sea for a long weekend.


I had an amazing time visiting the U.S. Embassy, meeting Joia's coworkers and later having great conversations over Korean Food and later sitting on the terrace enjoying the tropical night air. I also enjoyed the local cuisine and was very happy that I could get ginger beer everywhere I went.

Joia was an amazing tour guide. We made the best of every adventure. We also had a great time partying with two of the most popular morning show deejays on the island. If plan to go to Barbados soon be sure to check out Barbados native, Alex Jordan's morning radio show!!! It was on to Frisky Fridays the next night to meet up with more of Joia's friends and dance the night away. With all the delicious food that I ate I definitely was glad to work it all off on the dance floor in the evenings. I even enjoyed going to the grocery store, gas station, and other things we often do in our daily lives. Visiting these places gives me yet another glimpse of the culture, an opportunity to interact with native people and seeing how those who live on the island live their daily lives.

Family and friends are oh so important to me so when I went to Joia's coworkers/friends birthday brunch and was embraced like family it was the perfect addition to a fabulous trip. Great people, delicious food, drinks flowing, an amazing Caribbean backdrop and the celebration of a birthday made me feel right at home.

No Caribbean vacation is complete without a trip to the beach so we definitely took advantage and had some fun in the sun.

A huge thank you to Joia and her amazing friends in Barbados for welcoming me and for taking part in my fabulous vacation!!!!

Thanks for reading!!!

Hasta el proximo Vez,

KoMiSa

P.S. I hope everyone is having an amazing holiday season. May you be abundantly blessed in 2013.

First Lady Obama’s Support for Study Abroad

I recently received an email from the LinkedIn group Study Abroad Faculty and Professionals and an article highlighting Study Abroad and First Lady Michelle Obama was the first article listed and I got excited. After reading the article I was overjoyed to learn more about President and First Lady Obama’s encouragement and support for studying abroad.

Last year First Lady Obama spoke to a thousand young people at Howard University (shout out to a fellow HBCU) in Washington D.C. and discussed the importance of Studying Abroad and the 100,000 Strong Initiative. The 100,000 Strong Initiative, which was revealed during President Obama’s visit to China in 2009. The goal of this initiative is to increase the diversity of American students who choose to study abroad in China. This is definitely a cause after my own heart. After all I am such the supporter of increasing the diversity of Americans who study abroad, whether it be in China or another country of the student's choosing.

I wholeheartedly agree with the following statement by First Lady Michelle Obama.

“The fact is, with every friendship you make, and every bond of trust you establish, you are shaping the image of America projected to the rest of the world.  That is so important.  So when you study abroad, you’re actually helping to make America stronger.... That’s why it is so important for more of our young people to live and study in each other’s countries. That’s how, student by student, we develop that habit of cooperation, by immersing yourself in someone else’s culture, by sharing your stories and letting them share theirs, by taking the time to get past the stereotypes and misperceptions that too often divide us.”

I can definitely attest to this statement. Studying Abroad has not only opened my mind and helped to shape the person that I have become; it has also shaped my career path and goals. I know that studying abroad has positively affected others who have taken the opportunity to go for the experience as well.

Knowing that President and First Lady Obama supports and promotes study abroad initiatives gives me yet another reason to admire them.

To see the entire White House Blog click on the title “First Lady Michelle Obama: When You Study Abroad, You’re Helping to Make America Stronger" by Kori Schulman

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/01/19/first-lady-michelle-obama-when-you-study-abroad-you-re-helping-make-america-stronger?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl&goback=.gde_158718_member_183579891

To read more about the 100,000 Strong Educational Exchange Initiative see the link below:

http://www.state.gov/100k/

Amy Wu,  journalism educator at Shue Yan University and Huffington Post Contributor  recently wrote an interesting article about the 100 Strong Initiative entitled, "Pushing for Global Campuses a la US-China. Check it out here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-wu/study-abroad-china_b_2183306.html 

Thanks for reading!

Hasta el Proximo Vez,

KoMiSa