Since landing in Kigali, I instantly realised how far away from home I felt, both literally, and in terms of exiting my comfort zone, travelling solo to volunteer at a school where I had not yet met anyone. The majority of my first day was spent collapsed in my room, catching up on sleep, before visiting the school for the first time for dinner in the evening. I was so grateful to feel instantly welcomed by students and other volunteers alike as soon as I arrived at the school, which set the tone for what has been a very entertaining, albeit slightly chaotic first two weeks.
I am volunteering as an intensive maths teacher, for girls who have been out of education for years and need assistance getting to the same level as their peers, meaning I spend 5 hours a day, 5 days a week with just two classes in the same room, providing questions and solutions for the girls. This felt very daunting, and my lack of experience as a teacher made me concerned that I would struggle, but I pushed through that doubt to create some worksheets and a lesson plan that were well received. I have developed a really good relationship with the students - bringing fun into my lessons and keeping them engaged and smiling throughout the long hours of maths, which I feel especially proud of. That being said, the girls themselves are incredibly driven and it is such a privilege to educate these students who are so passionately motivated to learn. Every day I have gone in to volunteer, I have felt closer with my students that I am teaching, and got to know others that I have played football with at lunchtime, and I have now offered and from tomorrow will be running football and cricket practice after school on alternating days throughout the week, which I am really excited for.
The biggest challenge for me was not what I expected. I did not anticipate that teaching would come very naturally to me - I thought I would be very nervous and struggle with the girls' questions, but I feel as though I have managed to provide good, challenging problems, and explain things well and in a helpful way, slowing down where necessary when language provides somewhat of a barrier. I have heard from the other volunteers that the girls have been really enjoying my lessons and talking about them so I feel incredibly proud of the impact that I am already having, which is so fulfilling.
My biggest challenge I have faced was a physical one - in attempting to try local food, I ate something that gave me really nasty food poisoning, leaving me stuck in a hotel room for about 4 days. This was naturally very upsetting as it is never fun to be stuck indoors, and I was missing out on days that I would have loved to have been exploring the city more. Additionally, somewhat personally I set the goal for myself of using my time away to quit nicotine - a bad habit I picked up during a stressful point in my life that I had not put in the effort to quit before. This was somewhat of a challenge for the first few days, as I was experiencing physical withdrawal symptoms, and my resilience was tested, but I have managed to achieve that goal and been clear of it, which I can already feel the health benefits of, which I am also very proud of.
The happiest moments I have had of these first two weeks were all found in very different contexts. I have been really enjoying watching the world cup, and talking to locals and other tourists while watching the games. Additionally, I went on an incredible safari on a weekend day with many of the other volunteers, which was just incredible, and I was able to see elephants, rhinos, lions, zebras, giraffes, hippos, and many more incredible animals which was just breathtaking. However, as absolutely incredible as that experience was, the happiest I have been was in hearing from different volunteers the praise the girls have had for me as a teacher, with girls from other classes also coming along to join my lessons. The final moment that made me especially happy in these first two weeks was after calling my mum back at home, talking about a lot of the challenges I have faced, with illness, being forced to change my dissertation (losing many many hours of work in the process), and a relationship ending. What made me so happy was that she was worried that these things would drag me down somewhat, and yet I have felt truly happy and like I am doing good and proud of who I am being here, and that is an incredible feeling to have.
I felt being curious was the most visible in my leadership this week - I have been asking lots of questions and getting involved in lots of things that I otherwise might not have. I think my resilience has been tested a few times this trip, and I have faced a setback with a major academic setback regarding my proposed dissertation, and a large personal change in my life, and yet above all else I feel energised and proud that I have stayed positive throughout. I feel as though leading with support has characterised my role as a teacher, and I hope next week to increase my role of leadership by organising football practice sessions, and encouraging people to come along.
I look forward to the challenges and new opportunities that next week will bring!