Prior to the creation of the position of Graduate Assistant for International Programs in June of 2011, students who had a desire to study abroad would have to go through another university. At the same time, the possibility of doing so also was through word of mouth. Thus, for myself, it was rather disappointing to hear students lament over the fact that they could not study abroad during their time here at William Penn University – based on the fact that they didn’t know that they could.

Insert myself into the picture, the first Graduate Assistant for International Programs for William Penn University.

Within my past year here at William Penn University, I have helped create a short-term study abroad program that encourages students to use their spring break for something else than partying on a beach. In March of 2012, 8 students went to Rwanda and Tanzania. It was the first trip of its kind for the school – combining a short course with the international trip – and combining students from the traditional undergraduate portion and the College for Working Adults. Needless to say, the trip (and course) was a success.

Now, William Penn University is beginning tentative preparations for a trip of similar length and build to China in 2014 – and possibly a trip (location to be kept secret until confirmation) for 2013.

This is in addition to the opportunities that our students have to study abroad on any third-party programs (such as Interstudy), through another school’s study abroad program pre-established (such as Central College, located in Pella, Iowa), and students “creating their own” semester abroad through our current connections with schools such as INATEK (Institute for Agriculture, Technology, and Education of Kibungo) in Kibungo, Rwanda and Ajou University in South Korea.

Whatever a student’s needs or wants, I can help them find a program or internship abroad to help fill their desire to be abroad.

So while the choices might seem a bit limited or perhaps there aren’t as many programs as we would like to have right now, creating study abroad programs and initiatives at William Penn University are growing. Who knows what we will offer four years from now – as I’m sure many people four years ago did not envision the current options that students have now!

William Penn University and INATEK are not the only institutions that have such a partnership though. Recently, a group of 250 students left Ghana, a country in western Africa, to travel to Cuba – where they will be studying medicine for the next six years. Just as the program with WPU’s Rwandan students is set up, the Ghanaian students are to return to their home country to share what they have learned.

To read more about the partnership between Ghana and Cuba: http://www.ghana.gov.gh/index.php/news/features/13099-250-ghanaian-students-to-study-medicine-in-cuba
To read more about the partnership between William Penn University and Rwanda: http://www.mineduc.gov.rw/spip.php?article655

The Rwanda and Tanzania student trip was one that I worked on almost every day starting back in late September. Ranging from tasks such as advertisements of the trip to creating a class for the participants – there were definitely many ups and downs. To highlight the trip experiences, I have decided to share two memories – one from Rwanda and one from Tanzania.

The Rwanda portion was the emphasis of this trip – which served as William Penn University’s first study abroad program. For me, it was an enjoyable experience, as I found some foods similar to what I had gotten used to in South Africa. Of all of the experiences we had there, my favorite was of meeting the Student Government Association at INATEK in Kibungo.

The meeting between our student delegation and the student government leaders was awkward at the beginning – as the students at INATEK had become accustomed to speaking with non-native English speakers in their classroom settings. However, as I spoke more with the girl sitting next to me, and the boy sitting past her, I gained a better connection as a fellow student. We passed notes and shared small jokes and moments of understanding through talking about the difficulties of being a college student while trying to explore yourself as a person. I think that brief meeting encouraged the students of William Penn University to become more active in exploring avenues of student exchanges between William Penn University and INATEK.

My favorite memory from Tanzania was not a planned activity or outing – although I did enjoy the safari portion very much. Rather, it was during the last night on the trip and I was sitting at a table with my fellow student participants. Out of nowhere, I was given a card with laughing zebras on the cover and heartfelt messages from Robin, Roy, Matt, Linda, Melisa, and India – expressing their thanks for my hard work during the previous months and days. Even while I was able to finally get some souvenirs that I had been wanting to get for a few years, since my last trip to Africa, this card is one that I will cherish. Additionally, all the talks during the trip and the time around it which have shown the effect I have had on encouraging others to learn about other cultures and countries.

You gain different experiences and perspectives participating on a trip as a coordinator rather than an individual person there just to have fun. There is more stress and moments of worry – but there are also greater benefits from the trip, as you see how others have grown because of your work. I think that is what I gained most from the trip – although, I will always have the photos and my journal to remind me of the memories and day-to-day difficulties and moments of enjoyment that I had.

What made the trip in early March 2012 different from other trips from Oskaloosa, Iowa, to Kibungo, Rwanda, was the introduction of bringing students. Eight students (four traditional undergraduate and four College for Working Adults students – who take evening classes) traveled around the world to see how a college campus in Rwanda looks and what similar issues are faced by student government representatives at INATEK (two of our students are on the William Penn University student government).

Picture above taken by Karolyn Wojtowicz. Shown is the Rector (President) of INATEK, President Ann Fields of WPU, and William Penn University students Robin Pfalzgraf, Melisa Wink, and Roy Aguillon.

By Melisa Wink

Today was our last full day in Rwanda. We woke up and meet with the Student Union at INATEK University. This was something that I really appreciated because I am a member of the Student Government Association for William Penn University. Roy is also a member of the SGA and I know he enjoyed learning about the way the student government works for a university in Rwanda. Even though we are the only ones on SGA, I am confident that all the students form Penn enjoyed meeting the students from INATEK. There was discussion back and forth regarding general information about the group. Their group has many students and the positions are divided up by the faculty (INATEK uses the term faculty how we would use the term department or school). Roy and I decided to invite some of the executive members to eat lunch with us so we could discuss some things and gain a better understanding of how their group functions. During this lunch, there was conversation regarding developing a partnership between the SGA at Penn and the Student Union at INATEK.

I think that the group enjoyed the lecture that came next. We continued our lecture on the reconciliation process after the genocide. We had a history professor explain some really neat facts such as the 8 steps of genocide and then went on to end the lecture by providing to us, from a citizen’s perspective, some things the government could do to help with the reconciliation process. This was beneficial to the group because it added to our knowledge of Rwandan history. Aside from the great information we learned, I think the students enjoyed passing notes back and forth with the members of the Student Union. It was here that we learned even more about the people of Rwanda by getting to know individuals.

The next portion of our day was spent traveling to the boarder of Rwanda and Tanzania. We took a “Stella” bus/taxi to see some waterfalls. It was about an hour drive and along the way we were able to see some rural villages of Rwanda.  There were a lot of people of all ages walking alongside the road carrying fruit baskets on their head, traveling to fill the little yellow water jugs, or walking to and from school. I think my favorite part of this trip, so far, is seeing the people and the way they live. I enjoy seeing the homes and stores in Rwanda. Seeing all the culture that Rwanda possesses makes me appreciate it more. The little children playing in the front yard, or the women walking with her baby wrapped on her back have e in awe as I witness a completely different way of life. As we arrived to the boarder, there were many trucks waiting to cross the one road bridge leading into Tanzania. The smell was awful; it was a mixture of garbage, fish, and sewage. There were some men washing their clothes in little buckets of dirty water and others were hopping out of the truck to stretch their legs. The fumes from the exhausts were making it hard to breath, but nothing took my breath away quite like the sight of the waterfalls. The rapid water flowed from the river down this enormous drop. The brown water reminded me of watered-down chocolate milk and formed a cloud of mist at the bottom. I could feel the mist hit my cheek from the bridge. Our good friend Theophile brought us to the falls with his beautiful wife and two daughters. We were able to take many pictures of the falls, which were surrounded by banana trees, and lush, green tree covered mountains. The view was outstanding. Those twenty minutes that we were standing on the shaky bridge I could not help but think that I was imagining it. Words cannot describe out majestic and gorgeous the view was. This is truly something that I will never forget. After admiring the beautiful falls we walked back to the bus and headed home.

We passed many fields and saw smoke fill the mountains as families prepared dinner. There were little Tigo shops and Primus advertisements covering the stores in the center of the towns. The bus passed by rice fields and shared the road with motorcyclists and bike taxis. We arrived to St. Joseph’s Center and some of us decided to walk to get some snacks. Initially, we were going to walk to a store that was a 30 minute walk; however, once we stepped outside we realized just how dark it is once the sun goes down. Very few buildings have light and the streets are completely dark. Instead, we walked to a little store about 5 minutes down the road and headed back for the night.

Today was a day where the students on this trip were able to build relationships with Rwandan students, attend a lecture at INATEK University, experience a true wonder of God’s creation, and attempt to experience Rwandan “night-life”.  Like every day on this trip thus far, I will never forget this experience. I am so grateful to everyone who made this trip possible. I am so fortunate and bless to have this opportunity.

By Ann Fields

Lanny and I met Theophile at 8:30 as he was taking the students while we traveled to Kigali for some “presidential” meetings.  Our driver Emmanuel could speak some English so it was enjoyable drive.  We saw many, many women in traditional dress walking along the road, which is pretty normal.  However, they looked fancier than usual.  About 30 minutes into the trip, we passed a big banner across the road stating, International Women’s Day.

When I questioned Emmanuel, he said that the whole country was celebrating International Women’s Day, along with the entire world.  About that time, an emergency vehicle came towards us with the lights flashing and siren roaring.  Emmanuel pulled over and 5 or 6 more cars came rushing past, including President Kagame and his entourage.  The President was going to be the keynote speaker for the International Women’s Day.

When we arrived in Kigali we stopped at the Chez Lando Hotel, the same place we spent upon arriving in Kigali.  After we hastily checked-in and dropped off our luggage, Emmanuel took us to the Rwandan Education Board to discuss the process of selecting five new Rwandan students who will start at William Penn University next fall (August 2012).  We learned that 86 students received a perfect 55 out of 55 on the national exam, making the eligible for President Scholarships.  Only 4 US colleges are accredited for taking Presidential Scholars.  William Penn has 5 students, and the other 3 colleges take a total of 37 students, for a total of 42 students.  Which means that only about half of the students with perfect scores will be selected for Presidential Scholars.

We talked about William Penn’s mission (I gave him my business card with the mission statement), our philosophy (giving students access who generally would not have access), our educational culture (small classes, the faculty know the students, individual attention, and attendance taking), and the demographics of Oskaloosa (small town, limited minorities, caring community members, and the Quaker Friends relationship with Penn).   The Director will communicate our needs to Oklahoma Christian who will interview the candidates and will select our students for us.

When we were getting ready to go, I asked the Director if he could call a taxi for us.  He said that he would be glad to give us a ride back to Chez Lando.   On the way back to the hotel, the Director said that on the International Women’s Day, all the men were supposed to do the household chores and take care of the children (feed them, take them to school, bathe them, etc.) while the women attended the International Women’s Conference.  Great idea!

After a brief rest, I met Esther, a Rwandan student who wants to come to Penn this fall.  Her father had visited William Penn last fall with the Rwandan delegation and he decided William Penn would be a good fit for her.  After I visited with her for an hour, I agreed.  She is interested in digital communication, has good English skills, was her high school student body president, is interested in politics, and will challenge our students and does well.

The third meeting of the day was with Michael Hughes and his wife Collette. Michael is a Brit who is now working for the Ministry of Education.  Collette was a refugee before the genocide and, after retiring as midwife in Great Britain, and they opted to come to Rwanda where she now takes care of the family farm and Michael works in Kigali.  Lanny and I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, talked international politics, and made good friends.

Friday morning was meeting number four.  I got up early and took a cab to the Kigali Health Institute where I met with the Rector (or the president as we would identify her) and discussed possible partnership opportunities.  We had a good brainstorming session and came up with two solid strategies.  1) Dr. Brenda Duree can come this fall when Dr. Yogi Shah is doing his Fulbright Fellowship there.  Dr. Duree heads our nursing division and will meet with the Rector to discuss possible student exchanges.  2) She would like one of our faculty members to come to discuss research proposals and statistical social research.

Then back to the hotel to pick-up Lanny, gather our luggage, and head to the airport where we were the students coming from Kibungo.  They arrived around 10:00 (after stopping and doing some shopping in Cayunza) and ready to head to Tanzania.

At the airport, there was more shopping before leaving for Kilimanjaro.  We had one stop – Darussalam – beautiful blue was of the Indian Ocean.  When we arrived in Kilimanjaro, it was warm.  Our tour guide from Roy’s Safari was there with a bus to take us to our safari hotel.  We stopped at Ansura to divide into two smaller tour buses, exchange cash, and start on another 3 hour ride to the Farm House Hotel.

The Farm House Hotel was perfect – western style food, drinks, white table clothes, electricity, and hot water – the works!  They treated us to a late dinner and off to bed because the safari was to start with breakfast at 6:00 and buses leaving for the Ngoro Ngoro Crater at 6:30.  Full stomachs, hot showers, clean sheets, and more mosquitos netting ended Friday, March 9.

This morning at INATEK we had a tour of the campus here by our host Theophile, which is also a Director of Education of the University. The campus is a mix of old and new buildings, some of which were here before the genocide took place. We then had a welcome speech from the Rector (President) of INATEK where he expressed his gratitude for everything that William Penn is doing got INATEK. They especially appreciated the nine suitcases and tubs of books we brought here, as textbooks are very expensive to get, and if purchased from the U.S., the shipping is very high.

Dr. Fields also gave a speech this morning, during which she announced she will be meeting with Rawandan education officials regarding opportunities of intercultural education – like bringing students from here to William Penn as exchange students.

Following the speeches, we moved to a classroom, where we learned a history of Rwanda in general and the political clime leading to the genocide. We had studied much of this before coming here, of course, but it was much different to hear it directly from those who had lived it. Tomorrow the lessons will continue with the reconciliation and their progress since.

The university is preparing a lunch for us, and then we are visiting two elementary schools and a local market nearby. Yes, more walking! I am really looking forward to the elementary school visit as the children here are absolutely adorable. I have the bracelets Sue sent with me to distribute to the children.

Linda

The night before, Roy, India, Matt and I met a new friend at dinner. His name was Lawrence. He was from Rwanda, but spoke English very well due to attending college in New Orleans. In Rwanda, the custom is to pay a dowry in cows. Roy asked Lawrence how many cows he thought I was worth. He thought I was worth 10 cows. Originally I thought I was only worth 5 cows, so this was truly a confidence booster.

The next day we checked out of our rooms in Kigali and started our journey towards Kibungo. Thirty minutes into our two hour trip we heard a loud bang.  I thought we were getting shot at! To our relief, the truck in front of us had only blown a tire. During our drive we saw the landscape and how the people live outside the city.  The country is beautiful!

Next, we stopped at a market place in Ramagana. That was quite an experience. They had everything from butcher shops to clothing stores. Roy was excited to try out his bartering skills. He ended up purchasing a pair of shorts and a shirt. Linda and Karolyn purchased baskets, India purchased 2 necklaces and I purchased scarfs. There were many children at the market. We took pictures with them and some of the people from the village. They were tickled to see themselves on camera. Then, some of the locals thought it would be funny to take pictures of us with their camera phones.

After the market, we drove the rest of the way to St. Joseph’s Center, across the street from the Institute of Agriculture, Technology, and Education in Kibungo (INATEK), where we will be staying for 3 days. There was a gecko crawling on the ceiling of the lobby. We ate a buffet style supper. We will need to rest up for our busy day visiting INATEK, a school, and a market tomorrow.