Ainsley shocked she'll be studying abroad.

I don’t think it’s really possible for me to put into words my reaction to being accepted to the UConn to Cape Town program. The idea that in three months I will be in South Africa is so incredibly exciting and over whelming at the same time. I think I am still in shock about being accepted and the whole trip in general. So much preparation went into applying and interviewing that it’s a strange to think that there’s no doubt that I’ll actually be going now. I recently transferred to UConn so I wasn’t even sure studying abroad was an option for me but ever since I heard about the program over the summer I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I think greater than the shock of being accepted though, is the shock that I am actually studying abroad. If you asked me a year ago I would have completely rejected the idea. I had no desire to go spend a semester away from my friends and family and pretend to be a resident in a major tourist city. But with transferring, an advisor mentioned the program and it immediately caught my attention. For some reason I had never considered going to South Africa before then and it clicked more than the mention of any European city ever had. But what really sold me on the idea of going was the fact that I would be able to actually participate in the country I was studying in. Instead of a long-term vacation, this was an opportunity to actually go out into the public and get a first hand education. So I am extremely grateful not only for this program changing my mind about studying abroad but for actually being accepted and being given the chance to go.