posted by: Suzel O’Donnell, EAL Teacher
My name is Suzel O’Donnell and I am an EAL (English as an Additional Language) teacher in Angus, Scotland. I have just returned from the most exceptional and unique experience of being immersed in the Rwandan culture for 30 days, July 2015. This trip was granted by the Global Learning Partnership programme run by The Wood Foundation and my placement school was at GS Rango in the District of Ruhuha.
When I left Scotland I was fully aware that I would have a new and a different way of living – the culture, the language, the food, the education and the privilege of absorbing and being involved in all of these aspects of a new life.
At 5:30am, a loud radio announced the time to get up. On my way of that long large street of Ruhuha I used to get the most amazing smiley faces and eye contact of the people who were coming and going. From the distance I could hear the “trim trim” of the bicycles alerting me to watch and give them the right of way. “Mwaramutse” – “Good morning” in Kinyarwanda was repeated over and over.
I have to say that my Kinyarwanda is not that great, but Rwandan people much appreciated my effort to learn and use their native language. They were patient, keen and proud to teach me new words. “Murakose” – “Thank you” always brought joy. Rwandan people speak Kinyarwanda, Swahili, French and English and were also willing to learn my Brazilian Portuguese regularly after lunch.
So luckily I was invited to have homemade food every day. I was delighted to share what was on the table; beans, maize (a paste of corn flour and water), rice, goat meat, cassava, aubergine and banana. It was healthy and fresh from the school garden.
I had the privilege to take part in CPDs that the Scottish teachersshared with Rwandan IEE (Inspire Education and Empower Rwanda) 
professionals. All the workshops provided a range of high level of teaching and learning practices on learning styles, reading, parents’ involvement, cooperative learning, positive feedback, active learning and VCOP.
I only can say that the teachers and students are very friendly, respectful, kind and eager to know more about the outside world and have a nice relationship with you. Hopefully this will last longer than the limited time you spend with them.
I am very enthusiastic that my learning and teaching will be reinforced with good practice and used effectively to benefit a globalised education. From using simple and or sophisticated resources, we must share our knowledge but above all we have to respect each other, our similarities and our differences. I hope that the positive impact of this experience upon me, personally and professionally can be felt by others in the future through me. While living and working in Rwanda it was possible to have fun, make friends, and learn about their culture, language, values, tradition and religion. This opportunity fulfilled my dream and my main aspiration in life that is to make the most of what is presented to me and to contribute in a way that my personal and professional life can inspire others to exchange and extend learning and teaching practices.
Finally, as a tourist I had an amazing and unique opportunity to go on a safari in Akagera National Park and a two hour track to see up close a family of 17 Gorillas in their wild habitat. Overall a totally unforgettable experience!
A similar Article was published in TESS magazine on the 28 August:
https://www.tes.com/article.aspx?storycode=11008273
You can also access my blog on Rwanda to see the pictures and know more about my trip:
https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/an/inrwanda/category/rwanda-2/
