Since returning back to my home country after five weeks spent in Rwanda, I have been doing a lot of reflecting on my experience. I have been reflecting on what I’ve learned during my five weeks spent in Rwanda and how I will apply what I have learned to my everyday life at home. On the long journey home I sat on the plane thinking about what I wanted my family and friends to know about the beautiful country of Rwanda and the lessons I learned during my experience of working in the school, being a part of the Butare community and learning about the history of the country. I looked back at where I was mentally and how I felt during the beginning of the trip versus looking back on everything I have done during these five weeks and how I feel now.

There were many mental challenges and obstacles I had to go through at first, especially a new lifestyle that I have never known before and being introduced to new people, new environments and overall a totally new culture. Now I understand and I believe that putting yourself out there and learning how to adapt to a totally new environment and lifestyle gives you the opportunity to grow as a person in many ways. These five weeks taught me the importance of learning about other cultures, and being able to experience how they celebrate their cultures is something I want to definitely share with everybody back at home. The love and unity between the people of Rwanda is truly beautiful and has shown me how wonderful life can be when your community and neighbors act as a family, work together, and help out another in need no matter what.

A truly life-changing aspect of my experience was the relationship I formed with the primary teachers I was working with. I did not go into this experience expecting to form stronger relationships with the teachers than I did with the students but I am so thankful for the relationships I formed that I know will last forever. It’s been about two weeks since I have been home and I am still keeping in contact with the teachers I have connected with. The people I have met in Rwanda and what I learned during the five weeks have given me a new perspective on my own life and who I want to be in this world. Rwanda taught me that you do not need to have everything to be truly happy and the importance of finding gratitude for what you have—your family, friends, and your community—every day. Even though I come from the other side of the world and live a very different life from the people I spent my time with in Rwanda, those differences did not seem to matter and we are all a lot more similar than we thought. We are all human beings and showing up with love no matter where you go and who you are with will change your lens on the world.