This past September, I participated in the three-week long study abroad program in Rwanda to study nation-building post-genocide. As I reflect on my time there, one of my most significant takeaways is that when embarking on a program such as a study abroad, the experience, in its entirety, can sometimes feel isolated and disconnected from your life back home. You’re far away, surrounded by new people, immersed in an unfamiliar culture. Your brain is processing so many emotions, experiences, and pieces of information throughout your time there. When you return home, the drastic change of environment and relatively low daily brain stimulation can make you feel like a different person than you were during the program. For that reason, it can be difficult to resist slipping back into the pre-program version of yourself, losing hold of the memories you made and the knowledge you gained.
One thing that has helped me continue to feel connected to my time in Rwanda has been maintaining connections with those I met through the experience. I have stayed in touch with and talk regularly to friends I made through the program – both from UW and the African Leadership University. It’s comforting to have people in my circle with whom I shared such a unique experience. We can talk about something that connects to Rwanda, knowing there is an established understanding of its context and implications. Another thing that has helped me stay connected to my time in Rwanda has been continuing to think, talk, and learn about concepts or concepts similar to those we explored during the program. Whether that’s keeping up with news from Rwanda or continuing to learn about complicity in a genocide, engaging with course-related material upon return has kept all that I learned throughout the program at the forefront of my mind.
Also critical to your life upon return from a global experience is not only the retention of knowledge, but the active application of it. In Rwanda, we learned about the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and the discourse, propaganda, social forces, and political tactics that shaped an environment conducive to such polarizing hatred and violence. Upon returning, I could not allow myself to turn a blind eye to the parallels between pre-genocide Rwanda and some of the current rhetoric present in the United States. No matter what you study during your global experience, I encourage you not to leave your newly acquired knowledge and insights behind in the place where you learned them. Take the information back home and carry it forward with you in all that you do. While learning about history or current events is fascinating, it also carries with it the responsibility of leveraging what we learn to recognize patterns, use our voices, and help shape a more just, peaceful world.
I’d like to wrap this up with a piece of advice: Write things down!!! Many people are inclined to document their global experiences – often through photos. The accessibility and ease with which our phones allow us to capture a moment make photography seem like a no-brainer form of documentation. And yes, pictures and videos are extremely fun to look back on, facilitate the sharing of your experience with others, and allow you to concretize a memory. However, documentation in the form of words is arguably just as priceless. A picture gives you a near-exact reminder of what a place or a person looked like, but many of the most precious, priceless moments are those that are best made timeless through words – for example, a quick note in the moment of something someone said or the way something made you feel. I began the program intending to journal at the end of every day. I was so exhausted by the end of every day that I did so maybe only four times. Looking back, I wish I had a specific written account of every day and the evolution of my reactions, thoughts, and feelings. My advice is to find a documentation method that works for you (Notes app, journal, voice memos, etc.) and stay consistent in using it – your later self will be so grateful. That being said, it is of course important to find a balance between the preservation of moments and your full presence in those moments.
Wherever you go and whatever you study, find ways to treasure and stay connected to the memories and knowledge you gain. With all of the time, energy, and money we spend to study abroad, it is more than worth it to put even a fraction of that effort into preserving the experience.
