Naomi Clear-Vekinis, Study Abroad semester at the American University's Washington Semester Programme, USA

I spent the first semester of my final year at Vesalius College participating in American University’s Washington Semester Program in Washington, DC. The Washington Semester Program allows students to choose a subject area of interest and follow lecture series, conferences, and interesting class discussions on various topics. I chose to take the US Foreign Policy program, which covered US interests in almost all parts of the globe. As part of the program, I visited government institutions [such as the United States Senate], attended conferences and lectures at various think tanks and museums, and listened to former ambassadors and CIA agents give insight into the world of political affairs. Academically, I benefited greatly from this experience and came away with a new outlook on the United States’ role in international relations.

From a professional point of view, I was given the opportunity to work as an intern in the International Affairs Office of the US Department of Education (USDE) throughout my stay in Washington, DC. My responsibilities included writing profiles on education systems of countries around the world for the Secretary of Education and organizing events for their annual International Education Week. Primarily, I spent my time organizing a videoconference between elementary students in Washington, DC and in Haiti with the Education Curator for the National Museum of African Art. The museum had been hosting an exhibit entitled “The Healing Power of Art” featuring artwork created by children in Haiti after the earthquake of 2010. We drew inspiration from this exhibit and decided to create an event that would allow young students to engage in international conversation and send each other positive messages. I really believe that it had a lasting impact on the children who participated, most of whom had never spoken to individuals from another country and had surely not participated in a videoconference.

From a social and personal perspective, I developed many friendships during the program that I will keep for a very long time. Living in student accommodation was an adjustment, but definitely a fun time. If you are over 21 there are many bars and clubs to visit, but there is lots to do even if you aren’t. There are many over-18 clubs and house parties occur fairly often. Aside from nightlife, there is so much to do during the day such as go to one of the Smithsonian museums, which are all free to enter. There are sporting events to attend all year round. I also went to the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, which was unlike anything I’d ever been to before, surrounded by 250,000 people. I ate at many of the wonderful restaurants Washington, DC has to offer and went shopping in true American fashion. While I was in the States, I also visited Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and went camping in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. It was definitely a wonderful few months away from Brussels, and I’d recommend studying abroad in Washington, DC to anyone who has a keen desire for a new and exciting experience.