Final Reflection

Dear future participant,

So vividly do I remember being in your current position. Reading the ‘dear future participant’ letter, just a few weeks away from departure, somehow feeling like I would never be in the position myself to write this very letter- yet here we are. As I write this, I am about 10 hours into the very long trip back to the U.S., back to Cornell- the place where journey truly began. And FYI, 15 hours cross- continental flights do wonders for reflection.

This letter is supposed to give advice for your adventure that is yet to come, based off of what I have seen, experienced, learned, and reflected upon during these past two months. Yet, as I sort through my thoughts attempting to discern what “advice” could be rendered useful for someone like you who will soon go through this experience, I find it to be incredibly difficult. Attempting to accurately capture the essence of what my experience has been, by putting it into words, will likely undermine the reality of what you’re about to experience. Therefore, think of that as a disclaimer before you continue on reading.

Piece of advice number one: During the course of preparing for this experience, you’re supposed to come up with “personal goals” that you want to achieve during your time in Zambia. Even in the application for this journey, before you really know anything about what the trip will consist of, you’re supposed to somehow be able to speak about what “goals” you want to reach. Don’t get me wrong- goals are great, and prior to this experience I saw nothing wrong with jotting down a few personal and professional goals I hoped to achieve during the trip. It wasn’t until the end of the trip that I realized the “goals” I had set for myself were naïve and rather ignorant. What I learned the most during the course of these past two months, on personal or professional levels, were lessons I never would have expected to learn and they were realizations I didn’t see coming. I mention this because I realized if I wouldn’t have gone into this experience fully open minded, and if I would have had a narrow focus on only attaining the pre- determined goals I had set for myself prior to this trip, I would have been hindered in what I have learned during the past two months.

Piece of advice number two: This trip will put you out of your comfort zone every single day. There wasn’t a day that passed where my limits weren’t tested and my mental capacity wasn’t pushed to the brink- from taking the minibus to bargaining with vendors to navigating the streets of downtown Lusaka. This trip isn’t for the weak willed, and it isn’t for those who have the inability to be flexible, open minded, and willing to completely and entirely delve into a new culture and a new way of life. The best thing you can do is eliminate all fixed expectations that you may have prior to departure. This includes expectations about your homestay family, your research, and the nature of your day to day routine from your bathing methods to your modes of transportation. Be ready to roll with the punches, because you never know what a day in Zambia will bring. That being said, Zambian life is a beautiful thing, so diving in completely with a positive, curious attitude paired with an open mind and heart and will only be beneficial to you because you will have the fortunate opportunity to not only interact, but also build meaningful relationships with some of the friendliest people in the world in addition to taking part in their rich, vibrant, and exciting culture.

Piece of advice number three: All of that being said, you will experience highs and you will undoubtedly experience lows. This journey will take you on a roller coaster of emotions, and it’s important to remember that mental strength is incredibly powerful- especially during those low points. Whether you feel particularly homesick or as though research is going nowhere or you’re going through a week that feels painfully routine and monotonous or you’re just physically ill- remember, from someone that’s been there and who is currently sitting on a plane wondering how in the world the time passed so quickly, that in a blink of an eye you’ll be on your way back home too. So even when things get difficult, try to enjoy every moment that you have because before you know it will be over.

I remember before coming here, everyone told me that I would come back a “changed person”, and I’m still trying to figure out what that even means and if it’s true. I don’t think I can say for certain or to what extent I am “changed”, but I can certainly say that I have gained significant insights from the lessons I have learned in Zambia, that I otherwise would not have realized. So to conclude, I wish you the best of luck and I genuinely hope that your experience is as incredible and eye opening as mine was.

Tiffany