Half-time Reflections in Tanzania
- Christine McCall
- Jul 16, 2018
- 5 min read
Since arriving at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service in August 2017, I have been looking forward to the International Public Service Project (IPSP) component of the program. I can say without a doubt that my IPSP at Wesley College in Mwanza, Tanzania has exceeded my expectations.
Now more than halfway through IPSP and after reading my first reflection, I am still very happy with the decision I made to come to Mwanza, Tanzania and work with Wesley College this summer. As I wrote in the first reflection, I believe that Wesley College is a special place. The people are what really make this institution what it is. The students are so easy to talk to and motivated to succeed. Though many of the teachers are older than me and have more experience in academic settings than I do, they are very curious about my professional experiences and want to learn from me and share stories. I am happy to share my professional work and life experiences from America and my time as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kyrgyzstan. They have also made time to check in on me to ask me how my project is going and whether or not they can be of any assistance. I am very pleased with the work I am doing with Wesley College. I would not change anything about the experience – a challenging housing arrangement in the first four weeks, an unsettling encounter with a mentally ill person on the street, or the language barrier – because I am learning every day. I am learning to be even more patient and self-aware than when I first arrived.
In preparation for my work at Wesley College this summer, I set initial academic, professional, and personal goals last semester. Those goals are as follows and I am happy to report that I am meeting and achieving all of these goals this summer, with a few, slight modifications. I spoke with one of my professors about each of them at length last week during a phone call.
Academic: My academic goal is to utilize the program planning skills I learned in Dr. Al Bavon’s class during first semester this year to develop an appropriate servant leadership curriculum and training plan for Wesley College in the nearly 10 weeks that I am in Mwanza, Tanzania.
I have utilized the information learned in Dr. Bavon’s program planning class as I conducted best practices research on servant leadership and what a servant leadership curriculum and training manual could look like. His class helped me in preparing what will eventually resemble a literature review on servant leadership and an 8-10-week leadership training manual. Additionally, I have used the qualitative research skills learned in the field research methods class. I created surveys and also conducted interviews with teachers, students, and a couple institutions in Mwanza. I felt comfortable in doing this work and I attribute that to the Clinton School and my journalism training.
Professional: My professional goal is to develop good connections and rapport with the faculty, staff, and students at Wesley College. I am interested in pursuing a career in international development and I believe this experience will be a good test for me to see if that is a direction in which I wish to continue once I graduate from the Clinton School. I am also interested in learning about and making connections with other organizations in Tanzania that may be doing work around women’s rights, empowerment, and leadership. I believe this is an area of the world that I may visit and/or work in again and I want to take advantage of every opportunity afforded to me this summer.
It was really important to me to develop personal and professional relationships during my summer in Mwanza. I spent a good portion of the first three to four weeks meeting all of the teachers and staff at the college and as many students as possible. I was given an office to work in and I made a conscious choice to leave the door open and invite people in to speak with me. In the beginning, there were many introductions, but that has evolved into deeper conversations about culture, family, work, and professional, personal, and life goals. I can honestly say that I have made some good friends this summer and I hope these friendships will stand the test of time and distance.
This experience has confirmed for me that I am still interested in international development work. I am looking forward to my time with Vital Voices this fall to see how it compares to my IPSP experience and whether I would prefer to be based in the United States at an international organization after graduating from the Clinton School or to work abroad full time. I have met people from the United States and other European countries that are working for foundations and international aid organizations here. I also have conducted interviews at other institutions. Many of the people I have met have offered to speak with me when I am ready when it comes to applying for jobs. Just this week Wesley College Principal Eric Soard and I had a conversation about me possibly returning in January 2019 to continue with my project in the implementation of the servant leadership training manual. I can confidently say that I envision myself returning to Tanzania one day. I am not sure if it will be for a visit or for my professional work, but I do know that this place has made an impression on me.
Personal: My personal goal is to make the most out of each and every single day in Tanzania. I have wanted to travel to Africa for nearly ten years now and the Clinton School is helping to make that dream of mine become a reality. I really want to try to live in the moment. I want to try local foods and learn as much about the local culture and language as possible.
I am definitely making the most out of every day and embracing all that this beautiful country and city have to offer. I have tried local foods, watched sporting events, been to some students’ homes and met their families, and had a chance for a few excursions on the weekends. I made a promise to myself when I came here that I would say “yes” more than “no” to opportunities and take advantage of opportunities to see new places, meet new people, and engage in cultural activities when invited to participate. Just this past weekend, I took at day trip to an island – Saanane National Park. The following day I was invited by a student to go to an area in Mwanza called Rock Beach and I met some of the student’s family members and we all watched a beautiful sunset.
I was realistic when setting these goals and I am happy that I have stayed on track with my plans for this summer. It has been possible to do so because of the competent and friendly people I work with on a daily basis. I am grateful that I made the choice I did in coming to Tanzania. Though it may sound cliché to some, I do believe that things happen for a reason and the other projects I had been interested in and looking at in the second semester were not the right ones for me. Wesley College has been a wonderful fit for me and I am grateful to those that have supported me locally and at home during this IPSP experience.
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