Welcome to the Knowledge Exchange Institute’s (KEI) April 2004 on-line newsletter!  (for students, current KEI participants abroad, program alumni, and others with an interest in studying abroad).

In this month’s issue: 

Featured Cities!
* VENICE
* BRUSSELS

Summer 2004 Application Deadline Extended: April 15

What's New in the EU: For Students Abroad in Europe (and those who hope to get there this summer!) 

International Trivia Question

Study the Arts... in Venice!
Venetians aren't blind. They live in one of the most visually beautiful cities on earth, teeming with artistic and architectural gems. For art, there's the Accademia Gallery, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Murano Glass Museum, and countless other museums and galleries. Architecturally, there's St. Mark's Square,  Basilica, and Campanile; the beautiful bridges (more than 400) and churches; the stunning palaces (including the incomparable Doge's Palace); and the labyrinth of winding, canal-side lanes. It is indeed a perfect place to study the visual arts. Centuries ago, it was Europe's most powerful merchant empire, and today it's still one of the world's favorites. KEI's Visual Arts Programs are hosted by the centrally-located Scuola Internazionale di Grafica, a small, Italian arts academy. The program features English-taught courses, access to the Scuola's art studios and facilities, excursions in the Veneto region (as well as Rome, Florence, and Milan), centrally-located housing (a much sought-after item in Venice in the popular summer time), on-site staff, college credits, and more. Spots are still available on our summer 2004 programs (June, July, and August). What better place to begin, further, and/or perfect your artistic knowledge and skills than in the living museum of Venice! For more information, call us at 1-800-831-5095 or visit our website: www.KnowledgeExchange.org

Brussels, Belgium: Capital of Europe
Richly historic but entirely modern -- Brussels is both the capital of the European Union and the capital of Belgium. The country's central location in Europe has made it the political and economic nerve of the EU. A quarter of its one million inhabitants are foreign business people, diplomats, and civil servants working for the EU, NATO, or one of the many multinational companies and NGOs. With more than 1000 years of history, the cosmopolitan city of Brussels offers fascinating sights and a wide variety of cultural activities. In addition to its central place in politics, the Grand' Place, Town Hall, Mini-Europe, cathedrals, and numerous museums, restaurants, theaters make Brussels a vibrant and uniquely international place to study -- at the crossroads of Europe. Although one of the smallest and most densely populated countries in Europe, Belgium has one of the highest qualities of life in the world. KEI offers English-taught programs focusing on: Business, Law, Diplomacy; Tourism, and Hospitality; Global Systems, Communications, and E-Commerce; and European Languages, Culture, and Humanities. KEI programs are hosted by the centrally-located International Management Institute, which has extensive connections in order to arrange internships in a wide variety of industries. Space is still available on our 8-week, 12-credit summer programs!  For more information, call us at 1-800-831-5095. Information will shortly be on our website at  www.KnowledgeExchange.org

Summer 2004 Application Deadline Extended: April 15
The application deadline for Summer 2004 KEI programs has been extended to April 15 (and after that date on a space-available basis), and scholarships are available. KEI offers discipline-specific, 4-12 summer programs in Brussels, Venice, Beijing, Mexico City, Nairobi, and Moscow, as well as educational travel programs in Spain, Mexico, Europe, and Kenya. All programs are taught in English. Call us at 1-800-831-5095.

What's New in the EU
The European Union (EU) defines itself as "A family of democratic European countries, committed to working together for peace and prosperity." It was founded with just 6 countries: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. In 1973,  Denmark, Ireland, and the UK joined. Then Greece (1981), then Spain and Portugal (1986), and in 1995 Austria, Finland and Sweden joined. Next month -- on May 1, 2004 ("E-day") -- the largest enlargement to date takes place, with 10 new countries joining: Cypress, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia -- for a new total of 25 member countries. (This increases the size of the EU by 25% and the population by an additional 75 million.) For more information on the EU, see here: http://europa.eu.int/

The Euro has already replaced the old national currencies in 12 member countries (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain). And, in a seemingly unbelievable move for those who have visited Europe before... the EU is hotly debating following the Netherlands' and Ireland's lead and banning smoking in the workplace, bars, and restaurants. Also in EU-related news: 7 more countries joined NATO on March 29 (Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia), which brings the total number of NATO member-states to 26. The U.S. has extensive trade relations with the EU; about one-fifth of U.S. exports go to EU members and one-fifth of U.S. imports come from EU countries. To read further about some of the issues related to the EU which the U.S. is focusing on, see here: http://www.useu.be/

Europe continues to evolve, and Brussels remains at the center of the EU (as it's capital) -- a perfect place to study abroad if you're interested in learning about and experiencing both contemporary and historic Europe.

International Trivia Question
KEI is instituting a new feature on the monthly on-line newsletter -- a trivia question related to international issues. This month's question follows:

QUESTION:  What percentage of the American population has a passport?

The first 3 people who e-mail KEI with the correct answer will win a free money belt (a great travel accessory, for safety purposes).  Hint: The answer can be found somewhere on KEI's website...

Call us at 1-800-831-5095, or refer to our website for further information: www.KnowledgeExchange.org

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