When you study abroad on our European Union Summer Program, you learn all about the past, present, and future challenges of the European integration. While your study abroad experience starts in the heart of Europe – Freiburg, Germany – your courses take you on a 16-day journey through Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece, and Cyprus, where you have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet and converse with political officials, learn about the Cyprus conflict from both the Turkish and Cypriot perspectives, and more.
Just ask our Summer 2017 European Union students, who met and engaged in discussion with a number of Cyprus’ top political and cultural elite during their visit to the divided island. Within a day and a half, students met with the former Minister of Finance Dr. Michalis Sarris, the former Minister for Foreign Affairs Markos Kyprianou, and the nationally-acclaimed poet, author, and active peace activist Nese Yasin.
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A Turkish-Cypriot from a family of acclaimed poets, Nese wrote Which Half, a poem that was later composed and became an unofficial anthem for a united Cyprus. During the IES Abroad students’ visit, Nese took students on a highly-emotional journey into her past, recounting how she and her family were forced to abandon their homes and how this has inspired writings and poetry ever since. She read a number of poems to the students, offering a very powerful end of the program’s stay on the island of Cyprus.
As IES Abroad European Union Center Director Dr. Ullrich Lohrmann stated, the trip was, “a deep and lasting learning experience for everyone involved.”
Are you ready to embark on the international adventure of a lifetime and immerse yourself in the history, politics, and economics of Europe? Learn more about our European Union study abroad programs.
