For University of Pennsylvania senior Olivia Route, some of the most exciting and enriching experiences she’s had as a student have happened while studying abroad.

In 2014, Route spent the spring semester in Ukraine. Then, this past summer, through Penn Abroad’s International Internship Program, she was in Nepal teaching elementary school students.

An international relations and Russian major, Route chose to study in Ukraine because she’s interested in conflict in the former Soviet Union and in the Russian language. 

“I'd studied in Russia in the past, and was looking for a new adventure in my semester abroad,” says Route.

Route arrived in Kiev in January as part of a program through KROK University and the School of Russian and Asian Studies.

After just one week there, the conflict intensified in the region and Route and two other university students in the program had to be relocated to Odessa for two weeks. They later returned to Kiev but, because of new safety concerns, they were again moved, this time to Bishkek, Kyrgystan,to participate in another branch of the program.

“We found out that the Crimean situation was growing very serious,” says Route. “At that point, our program advisors decided that we should relocate outside of Ukraine for the long-term.”

Route says she was “more sad than scared” about the instability in the region and having to move because she felt a strong connection with her host family and had made friends in Kiev.

Through each relocation, she was able via Skype to continue the course she had started at KROK University. 

Route spent her final five weeks of the program in Tblisi, Georgia.

After the program in Eastern Europe, Route spent a week at home in Anchorage, Alaska, before departing on her next study abroad adventure.

She spent nine weeks working for United Helping Hands Nepal, a non-governmental organization. She taught English and math to elementary school students and conducted basic research on education in Nepal for the organization.

She arrived speaking no Nepali; however, many people in Nepal speak English, so she was able to communicate with local residents and travel through the country with ease. Over time she did learn some of the Nepali language.

“After a summer surrounded by Nepali 4-12-year-old kids, I've got a vocabulary mostly composed of animals, geographic features and phrases like, ‘My name is ...,’ ‘I live in ...’ and ‘Please, sit down.’’

Route says she enjoyed learning about local politics, culture and the relationship between Nepal and India. During her trip, India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, visited Nepal, and she had a chance to experience “a general sense of excitement in the streets.” 

Route says she was drawn to Nepal because of her interest in countries where there have been conflicts and which are in a period of transition or redevelopment.

“During the past decade, civil war played a large role in Nepal's development process,” says Route. “I thought the country offered an interesting, real-world combination of the two.”

During the trip, Route had the opportunity to explore Kathmandu, including visiting the Boudhinath Stupa, the center of Tibetan Buddhism. She also rode elephants in the Chitwan National Park and hiked.

“Mountains in Nepal are kind of magical,” says Route. “They hug around Kathmandu Valley in such a way that, from our homestay, you can see peaks in all directions. You can hike to different locations to see the Himalayas on a clear day.”

“Study abroad has really enhanced my understanding of ideas and concepts discussed in courses at Penn by linking them with real-world experiences,” says Route. The opportunity to travel abroad and to expand her cross-cultural view fulfills the Penn Compact 2020 goal of engaging globally.

Her experience in Eastern Europe will be the basis of her international relations thesis project.