Other alums have been inspired to:
- Use diplomacy to prevent and resolve conflict. Azhar Hussain, religious and political diplomacy worker. SIT Graduate Institute, 1996.
- Start girls’ health education clubs in Ghana. Rachel O’Sullivan, college student and global health educator. The Experiment in International Living, United Kingdom 2004.
- Capture the human story. David Rochkind, photojournalist for global issues. SIT Study Abroad, Ecuador 2000 and Bolivia 2000.
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So tell us: What have you been inspired to do/think/be?
Share your story below and help inspire others in the process.
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I first traveled to a developing country with SIT Study Abroad while an undergraduate student. Experiencing the life and culture of Cameroon as a 19 year American forever impacted my worldview and political outlook. “Inspired” doesn’t quite explain my initial reaction- “confused”, “outraged”, and “humbled” are better suited.
But as I stumbled through all those emotions, I eventually did derive “inspiration” from my experience which eventually led to:
*pursuing a career in international development and international education
*continuing to travel to lesser-known destination to learn about areas of the world that we, as Americans, have little exposure
*maintaining my language skills and eventually tackling a third non-native language
*earning a Master’s degree in Public Policy and International Development while living abroad
*advocating for a more sustainable lifestyle here in the U.S. so we don’t continue to gobble our unfair share of the world’s resources
So, as I remember my own awakening to global realities a half-a-lifetime ago, I can still say that this was THE experience that set me on my track professionally, academically and even personally. Yet the key to inspiration is maintaining the passion, staying involved, staying connected, and continuing to experience the world in its beauty and squalor. That’s what leads to true action.
My undergraduate study with SIT lead me to South Africa for a closer look at the education system there. While tutoring high schoolers for their matriculation exam in a rural area outside of Durban, I noticed that many of the students were struggling with the reading comprehension sections on the practice test. Scores from previous years resounded this observation.
Students at the high school were immersed in Zulu rich environments at home, but then strictly English instruction at school. No questions, comments, or even conversations during breaks were permitted in Zulu. The assumption was that through this structured immersion, students would naturally “pick up” English. However, students as high as the 12th grade were struggling with their English.
It was then that I realized that more had to be done to bridge the gap between their native language and their second language.
Upon returning to the states, I changed my major to Linguistics with a specialized focus in Second Language Acquisition. I am currently in grad school, pursuing my TESOL certificate (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and have applied for the Peace Corps to serve, literally, as that bridge for students in another part of the world.
I cannot express how grateful I am to SIT for providing this experience that opened my eyes (and ears!) to the language needs of people everywhere.
Two years ago as a college junior I spent the spring semester with SIT: Mali, and stayed on my own for a summer internship. SIT gave the cultural and linguistic tools for me to feel confident living in Bamako, both during study abroad, and later on my own for the summer. With that confidence I ventured out on my own, began working at the Pouponniere, Bamako’s orphanage, and found my true passion for working with children.
My work at the orphanage allowed me a respite from the chaotic capital, but it also gave me the opportunity to give back and care for others in Bamako, when they had given so much to me. My work there continued into the summer after my SIT program ended. During the day I worked at a children’s rights NGO coalition, and I hurried every afternoon to spend a few hours at the Pouponniere. My interest in children’s rights policy evolved into a passion for orphaned and abandoned children.
Right now a close friend (and SIT alum) and I are organizing a year of travel to South America, Africa and Asia to live and work at innovative orphanages. While there are millions of orphans around the world, and not nearly enough care for them, there are also amazing children’s homes and fostering programs that are helping children orphaned by AIDS, poverty, and natural disasters. It is our goal to visit some of these homes and to tell the stories of the orphanages’ founders and communities. We want the international community to understand and embrace these inspirational models.
Grad school for Social Work and Public Health might be in my near future, but I’m ready right now to continue with the SIT model: hit the streets, learn a new language, and continue to be inspired.
Info and travel plans at: Theywillhearofit.blogspot.com
Thank you, Rachel, Tracy and Frannie! It is truly inspiring to hear how you continue to embody the belief that we are all connected as humans, despite language, culture, religion, etc. Thank you for continuing to take the necessary steps to walk across differences!
I entered the “ICT” – International Career Training – program in September 1974. In March, 1975, I was landing in Bombay to begin my 6 month internship with the Gandhi Peace Foundation. In that era, there was a “socialized” travel fee which meant that each participant’s tuition (only $5,000!!) also would cover the air fare for each group member to wherever their internship was located. My internship in India changed both my personal life and the arc of my professional career in the following decades. I was the Academic Director for the Semester Abroad program in 1984.
India and all that its culture, its politics, its people, its tribal villages, its huge topographiclandscape – has become a part of my soul. Because of SIT, I started an intrecultural program with The Lisle Fellowship that brought hundreds of Americans to experience the Sarvodaya communities in Gujarat and elsewhere. I have been back many times and remained actively engaged with many organizations and institutions. Through the Lisle Global Seed Grant Fund, we have been able to support several grassroots nonprofits [go to: http://www.lisleinternational.org ]
SIT enabled me to more fully live out the vision I had for myself when I enrolled in the ICT program.
I spent a semester in Ecuador with SIT in 1998. Among many eye-opening experiences, one that really struck me was the difference between the rich ecosystems and cultures in the protected forests we visited and the areas near roads, which had lost their vitality for a limited short-term economic gain.
In the past 10 years I have devoted my career to promoting environmental sustainability and climate change solutions and pursued a master’s of education in adult learning and sustainability.
The summer after graduating college, I used my skills from SIT to go to the Costa Rican cloud forest to introduce hundreds of international visitors to the beauty of this habitat and what they could do to preserve it. I later became the founding coordinator of Harvard’s dorm-based green living program which has become a model for similar peer environmental educator programs at other campuses. Currently I am working in a local government to continue to learn how to catalyze sustainability leadership at large institutions.
I also have been inspired to support young women like my colleagues at SIT to achieve their dreams by serving on the board of the San Francisco chapter of Young Women Social Entrepreneurs (www.ywse.org). YWSE supports and empowers women with a socially conscious agenda to be founders and leaders of businesses, non-profits, and government organizations. Please check out your local chapter if you’re in the Bay Area, New York, LA, DC, or Portland!
Hello!
First,i’m sorry because i was too late for sending my story,because i was busy with preparation for”Eid Al Adha”which means a big and great celebration for Musulmans .
Ok,by the way,we know that the experiment in International Living gave to me a great experience and more things i don’t have it before .
personally, i learnt a lot of lessons in this experience which i belive made me a better person,for example:i learnt to believe that any well planned goal is easy to achieve.
adding to that,experiment give to me a chance to meet new people,life style and traditions,it makes me develop a good communication skill.It introduces me to people having various background and also the more interesting it helps me in opening mind to various thoughts,views and opinions….
Morever Experiment give to me a very important lessons of life and to became a self motivator,independent strong and take up responsibilities.
Now,i have a passion to do a volunteer work,really it well be the best things in my life why not? in the other countries and also doing medical service because i hop in the futur be a doctor and carry out the work placement,especially in the countries who need help in medicine .
I think i’m to much concerned about my futur and ready for the challenge,aware of my responsabilities and also i’m determined to realize my goals which mean to be a doctor if gad well really i hope,it well be awesome.But if i have chance to study medicine abroad it well be the best things, it’s my desire,and continue my study in morocco, really i hope realize this aims.
We know that Experiment was the best part of my life right now, i’am happy and gladly to be joined with the Experiment International Living.
Thank you very much for sending to me the letters because we help me to develop my english and sorry if we find my english bad but now i teast me improve in the language English
thank you very much, please keep in touch
Written by Dorothy J. Anderson
Returning to Memphis, TN in 1965 after spending the summer in Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland, as a participant in The Experiment in International Living Program resulted in a life changing experience. I had just graduated from college earlier this same year and was not exactly sure what I wanted to do with my life. It took a year just to absorb all that had happened to me, understand what it meant and determine what my next move should be. My Orkney host, The William Jolly Family, remains in my life, yet, today.
After that experience in 1965, I knew that there was no more room in my life to allow days to just come and go without me making a conscience effort to be of service to all humankind in even the smallest of ways and give back to the world what The Experiment had afforded me.
The phone call from the Memphis City Schools came in the spring of 1966 asking me if I would be interested in integrating the faculty at Kingsbury High School. In 1971, I moved to Snider High School, Fort Wayne, Indiana where the principal had asked me to be a Counselor since that school system would be integrating in the fall of 1971.
None of my family members or friends could understand why I would just pick up and leave a city and school system that I loved so much. What they really did not know and understand is that once you have participated in The Experiment in International Living program, your life is not the same and you are willing to do whatever it takes within reason to improve relationships of humankind. Only the Experiment in International Living could have given me the confidence to continue to “expect the unexpected” and handle it.
Today as I am responsible along with my biological brother and sisters for the care of our 94-year-old Mother who lives in Memphis, TN, there are signs of how The Experiment is still shaping my life. I am again enjoying the same type of heartwarming experiences that I had on days that my Orkney “Grandpa” would invite me to walk down with him to the local pub where he would spend time with his cronies. All of them would insist on how great it was to have a female in their mist and how much they enjoyed having me there. Did they ever stop to think what it meant to me to be welcomed by them although I was a different race, gender and age? Only the Experiment in International Living could have made it happen. For this life-altering experience, I continue to be forever grateful.
everybody in this world must be think that Africa need help, because there are a lot of poor people in Africa. but, maybe only a few of men knew what happened in Asia. maybe, the world only know that Asia is a good island, with a prosper men inside. but, u have also to know that in Asia, there are a lot of poor men that still need your help.
the world only see the Asia from one side, that is the good side. the world may only know that Asia have Japan, Korea, China, Singapore, Dubai and other countries in Asia that have a prosper citizens. but, the world doesn’t know that in Asia there are a lot of countries that still have a lot of poor citizens. and, they need you. please, be caring for the poor people in Asia. Asia need world’s help.
but, with this article, i don’t persuade you all to stop the help for Africa. but, with this article, i want to persuade you, to help Africa more, and take a little care for Asia, because Asia is not just like the world’s know. Asia still need help.. please, help us