What Happens When A Class Project Turns Into A Study Abroad Experience

Henry in Kenya

“It’s one of the most important things I’ve ever done. It’s about immersing yourself in another culture, understanding that culture, and learning cross cultural communication” — Henry West

Henry West went to Kenya which is located here:

The reason he went to Kenya is actually because of a class project. With out giving away too much detail; the project dealt with water supply and how to improve the current process that takes place.

You’ll have to listen to figure out the how and why.

There are also two firsts in this episode:

First: The first time I’ve interviewed someone who studied abroad in Kenya and…

Second: The first time studying abroad affected the trajectory of someone’s major

Henry laid it all out like a blueprint, and if you listen, you can probably get a few pointers so you can make your study abroad experience stick out from all the others.

SHOW NOTES

  • Henry’s logical explanation for choosing to study abroad in Kenya [1:39]
  • The philanthropic outcome of the water vests [4:07]
  • The intricacy of Henry’s project and study abroad [5:21]
  • Getting a grant to help with the costs of the project [8:25]
  • The exact length of Henry’s project [9:23]
  • Getting to know the ins & outs of Kenya [10:00]
  • Mixing and mingling on the project [12:01]
  • Ok, so on every episode I ask for an interesting story or something that went wrong. Henry, as luck would have it, kept a journal of his daily activities, so we got a great recollection of stories from this gnarly trip to Kenya [12:36]
  • A) Did they all speak english and B) Were they all black? [18:08]
  • “The Kenyan food was incredible” [20:28]
  • Drinking the tea in Kenya [23:32]
  • Why Henry changed his major because of study abroad [24:29]
  • Why Henry chose Wisconsin [27:17]
  • Recommendations [32:32]
The water vests in action!

Mukimo and beef

Water Crisis Statistics [Infographic]

Water statistics