adios rwanda
Yeah, I know they don’t speak Spanish here but they ought to; it would have made things easier for me. Today is my last day in Rwanda! I have been doing a countdown for several days now and the day has finally come. To get home, I still have to travel to several cities with ridiculous layover times. That’s what happens when you do a budget trip to Africa.
I fly out to Nairobi and stay there for seven hours; then I fly to London where I stay twelve hours (and hopefully explore the city briefly); next I fly to Toronto and stay for thirteen hours; and finally I arrive at San Francisco and hopefully get greeted by my parents if they’re not too busy.
It was an unforgettable experience filled with adventures and misadventures, goods and bads. But it was one I am glad I embarked on. My policymaking skill set definitely improved and I felt I got my money’s worth from the classes I took in my first year. I got t0 meet very interesting people and experience a foreign culture. I saw progress and poverty. But I took away from this trip the sense that Rwanda is on the right path and that it can really stand out from its neighbors.
Pepperdine has an opportunity to be a part of this endeavor. The internships with the Government of Rwanda are challenging and the work you do is significant. Matt and I worked on a major policy document that affects every public and private entity in Rwanda. Maurice worked on social protection policy that affects the lives of the poorest in the country. There are definitely opportunities to affect public policy here for SPP students.
So this is it! Thanks to my fellow SPP partners in crime, Matt and Maurice, to my bosses, to the Rwandan and non-Rwandan friends we made, and to friends and family back home for keeping me sane. I hope this adventure was entertaining for the reader.
Take care!
