University of Arkansas Office of Study Abroad: #HogsAbroad in South Africa

Hi! My name is Karsen Sims. I am a Fulbright College Honors Student with a major in Psychology and minors in Anthropology and Legal Studies. I just recently completed a study abroad trip in South Africa. Prior to this trip, I had never been out of the United States. Honestly, I hadn’t been many places in the United States. I always knew that I wanted to study abroad, I just wasn’t sure if I would ever get the chance. Studying abroad is a big commitment, but let me tell you, it is worth it.

South Africa was not always my first choice of places to go I’ll admit. For some reason however, when I read the description on the study abroad website, I felt like it was perfect for me. South Africa has dealt with many struggles throughout the past decades. Apartheid, an extreme segregation of people, affected all non-white South Africans. This form of government was dominating the country until 1994 when Nelson Mandela was elected president. In the future, I plan on attending law school and fighting for protecting the civil rights of American people. This trip opened my eyes, heart, and mind more than I ever could have dreamed.

For this program, I earned a history credit, therefore our focus during the entire trip was on learning and enveloping ourselves in South African history. Despite looking into South Africa’s unfortunate past however, I was able to experience it’s amazing present. South Africa is the most beautiful place I have ever been. Not only is the landscape spectacular, but the people and culture as well. The diversity is unreal. We spent the majority of our trip in Cape Town, the most beautiful city I have ever been too.

The amount of culture I experienced in the small time I was there was incredible. Besides the people, I even had the best food of my life as well! I feel like I am trying to sell this trip, which is not my point, but hey, whatever does the job. My point of this is just to let you know, don’t be scared to go somewhere you’ve never been or maybe even somewhere you’ve never thought of going. Studying abroad is an experience that should be a part of anyone’s college career if possible. Just let these pictures explain why!