Week 3 Update: Perspective is Everything
Since I have been back in the United States, I have gotten many questions about how my time in Rwanda over break was. It is difficult for me to describe it as I have not yet fully processed what my experience was. In the little time I have had to reflect on Rwanda, I have come to a couple of conclusions.
Good people are everywhere. Spending an extended amount of time in a foreign country, one where you don’t know the language or truly understand the culture, can be not only intimidating but terrifying.
Going into the trip, I made the decision to have a positive attitude about everything. I went into situations with a smile on my face and rose-tinted glasses. What I found is that nearly every time, I was right. There is always a reason to smile, even if there is a misunderstanding because of the language or miscommunication due to a difference in culture. Everywhere I went, I was not only able to find people who were smiling and happy to welcome me but also who genuinely wanted to help. I felt a universal sense of humanity. Regardless of our difference in backgrounds, past experiences, language, culture and skin color, we were able to connect.
My career goal has been to do documentary work. This trip reinforced my love for storytelling and reminded me of my drive to travel and meet new people.
What I have taken away from this experience, and something that I will apply to my daily life, is to go into every situation with a positive attitude and a smile, and you might just get one back.
An idea can be the most beautiful or the most lethal thing. While the group was in Rwanda, we took the last full day to visit the Nyamata Genocide Memorial. The memorial is a former church that about 10,000 Rwandans believed to be a safe haven during the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi. What they found is betrayal and all except for seven were killed in the church by the Hutus. The memorial displays the clothing, belongings and remains of those who once had taken refuge in the church.
Hearing this and seeing the very building where this took place, the clothes and belongings of these people, was indescribable. I was mournful and filled with confusion, anger and disbelief. My mind searched for a reason. Why did this happen? How did this happen? How can humans do this? What I concluded was that it all started with an idea. An idea that divided, segregated and tore apart a nation. Ideas are incredibly powerful and can spread like wildfires. They can spark innovation, creativity, solutions, cures and bring people together; but they can also separate, destroy and kill.
This is one of the most valuable lessons that I have learned and one that I will take with me for the rest of my life. With something as powerful as an idea, it is important that we are not only aware, but we must also be careful about which ones we choose to put out into the world.
Week 2 Highlight: https://medium.com/university-of-nebraska-lincoln-global-eyewitness/week-2-highlights-if-i-were-to-grade-my-trip-so-far-i-would-give-it-an-a-4db799084829
