George Clark
Education Abroad
My STEP signature project involved studying abroad in the East African nation of Tanzania. The course was a combined history and microbiology course that looked at the whole story of HIV/AIDS in East Africa; HIV In Context: Tanzania.
My world view is forever changed by studying and engaging in Tanzania. I learned that the Africa portrayed in television and movies is greatly different than the Africa I experienced. The rich diversity of the people and varied opinions greatly countered the stereotypical view that Africa is tribal and a place of singular, usually more conservative, thought. I thought that I had already conquered the preconceived notions of African life and culture before even going, but this experience proved I still had much to learn.
One key interaction that challenged many of the stereotypes associated with Africa was my conversations with my friend’s roommate. The roommate invited me to talk with him and we discussed many things, from American politics to the challenges of being pre-law students. The most impactful part of our discussion was when he questioned why the world’s religions couldn’t get along. He lamented the current reputation surrounding Muslims and terrorism and explained that although he was a devout Muslim, his mother was Protestant and his cousins were all Catholic. He wondered why people thought religions had to be opposed to each other if his family proved it could all work.
Another interaction that was extremely impactful was when we visited the meeting home of an HIV support group. We discussed and listened to each other about life with HIV, the struggle to stay on medication, differences in the American and Tanzanian health system, and even personal stories about how the group encourages people to remain on treatment. These conversations were extremely deep and interpersonal and made the AIDS epidemic in Africa, real to me, it gave it a human face. Both sides were extremely touched by each other and by the end, we were all in tears in reflecting on the impact we had on each other.
These interactions made Africa, and specifically Tanzania, real. They gave it a human face. I never realized that living in a foreign place would change my worldview so profoundly. I left forever changed by such a remarkable place with equally remarkable people.
By experiencing such a unique education abroad experience, I have gained a better world view and become a more engaged global citizen. This will make me significantly better in advancing in my career field because I will be able to think about problems in a much more interdisciplinary view than I would have otherwise. I’ll further value prior experience and the views of others due to my experiences learning the culture of Tanzania, where often their views are not considered in projects, often to detriment. By experiencing this on the ground, not only will I be better suited to collaborate with others, I’ll be able to truly consider various and even conflicting points of view.
