The early 90s were somewhat charged with cross-cultural issues, accentuated by the Audubon Ballroom construction plans. I had decided a year before, as a wise fool, that I would take the rural south head-on through Teach for America and that I needed to learn more about African cultures. I found a study abroad program with SIT in Kenya and switched from a decade-long study of Spanish to Swahili.

Columbia had prepared me as well as it could with some conversational language skills and exposure to the Morningside Heights cultural soup. Still, my semester in Kenya had its wonderful share of surprises and challenges. Academically, it was a bit of a vacation -- I remember lounging on a tropical beach, eating a pineapple, while my friends were freezing and cramming for midterms -- but that's beside the point of such an experience. I grew and learned a tremendous amount by seeing a small, very different part of the world from within and the United States from without.

I returned to Columbia and, to my parents' befuddlement, completed my language requirement in Swahili. I didn't end up doing Teach for America, but my time in Kenya did lead me first to international development, then to a broader career within the nonprofit sector.

Not meaning to discount anyone else's experience, I encourage everyone to think beyond western Europe when considering study abroad.