University of Wisconsin–Madison

Sri Lanka: Maisha Islam

Program: UW Global Health Community Health & Asset-Based Community Development in Sri Lanka, Winter Intersession

Maisha’s Majors: Biology, Life Sciences Communication

Nine students posing around a large rock. Tree-covered hills are behind them.
This is an image of us when we were on a safari.

How were your program academics similar or different from taking classes at UW-Madison?

The most memorable experience from my program was when we engaged with the community members in the village. We all worked together on different community projects to make certain a part of the village more accessible.

What did you learn about yourself or the world because of your experience?

From this experience, I learned that I am interested in working abroad in rural communities. I realized I want to work in the public health sector and on community-based projects.

What challenges or barriers did you face as you prepared to go abroad and/or during your time abroad? How did you work through them?

One of the challenges that I faced was the language barrier. When we stayed with our host family in the village, it was difficult for us to communicate with our host family. In order to communicate, we used hand gestures and a very small amount of Sinhala we knew.