Week 3 Update: Experiencing changes in perspective after returning from Rwanda

Passengers are boarding their flight from Kigali, Rwanda to Brussels, Belgium on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. The Global Eyewitness team left Kigali on Saturday and landed in Omaha, Neb. on Sunday, Jan. 12 2020. The team spent a total of three weeks in Rwanda.

After spending three weeks in Rwanda, I definitely got used to a different way of living. An immediate change to my life that I noticed after returning from Rwanda would be the privileges I experience in the United States. The second I got in my parents car after being picked up from the airport, there were an overwhelming number of fast food places to pick from for food. That wasn’t something that was an option in Rwanda. When I got home to my apartment, I instantly felt the heat and air conditioning, another thing we didn’t have in Rwanda. Right when I got home, I threw my clothes in the washer and dryer, instead of hand washing and hanging on a clothes line like we did in Rwanda. Within an hour of being home I experienced an abundance of privilege.

Photographer Peyton Stoike takes photos of Josephine Uwase who is making a craft beer on Thursday, Jan. 9 2020. Stoike worked on a story about Uwase and traditional Rwandan beer. The first craft brewery in Rwanda is set to open this year.

This trip changed my perspective on a lot of things. One of those being the future of my journalism career. While in Rwanda, one of the stories I worked on was something I probably would never get the opportunity to work on in the United States. This made me think I might want to travel outside of the country for my future career. The stories we told in Rwanda were important, and I know that there are plenty of other stories in different parts of the world that need to be told too, and I want to be a part of that.

Peyton Stoike takes footage of craft beer brewing at the home of Jessi Flynn on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020. Flynn, who is from the United States, came to Rwanda to help open the first craft brewery in Rwanda. The brewery will open in 2020.

The three weeks we spent in Rwanda changed my outlook on the life I live in the United States. I feel like I am more conscious of how privileged I am since coming back. But being aware of this privilege also makes me want to tell the stories of others who don’t experience it.

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What I Learned — Week 1

Highlight of the Week — Week 2