International student relates study abroad experience

Photo by: Henoc Kivuye

 

For the first time in Oklahoma Christian University’s history, an international student joined the study abroad trip to Europe.

“A couple of places that we got to go on free travel were pretty awesome,” senior Reece Kingcade said. “We did a couple days in Dublin and Scotland, which was pretty cool, and just getting to know everybody so well and just living together in the same building and everything was just really cool.”

Robert Rugamba, a senior international student from Rwanda, traveled with the 2013 fall European Studies group.

“I think it was my curiosity to learn things beyond the states and my home [that drove me],” Rugamba said. “Because there was a chance to study abroad here at Oklahoma Christian, I wanted to take that chance and see [what] happens in Europe.”

Rugamba’s decision to study abroad in Europe impacted not just himself, but some of the students he traveled with as well.

“It’s almost like he’s studying abroad while studying abroad, so it was pretty cool,” Kingcade said. “I mean, I’m sure it was pretty cool for him just to get to see so much of the world that’s so different. Just thinking about that from our perspective, it’s just awesome.”

Associate Professor of History Gary Lindsey, the trip’s sponsor, saw that Rugamba was an asset to the group.

“There was one weekend that my wife and I and four students went to Chemnitz, which is in Germany,” Lindsey said. “It was a mission trip to help with a local church there, and he was one of those four students. He did a great job doing what needed to be done and he always had a smile on his face. He was enjoying what was going on.”

Rugamba said he particularly enjoyed the free travel portion, where the students split into groups and traveled Europe without the sponsors.

“In the 10 day free travel we went to different places, and that was my favorite part of the trip,” Rugamba said. “I got to learn … how to adapt to different places, to a different culture and how to be tolerant with myself and with my friends, because some things did not go our way for certain reasons. But even after the trip, we realized that things that happened that never went our way were actually for the good.”

Lindsey took notice of the attitude Rugamba displayed during the trip.

“He’s always got a smile on his face,” Lindsey said. “He’s always cheerful and very cooperative. He was a really good addition to our group.”

Rugamba’s mindset during the trip also impressed students who studied abroad with him.

“Robert’s really impressive, just in the fact that he had the willpower and the courage to [study abroad],” Kingcade said. “He already speaks at least two languages – and then he took a German course while we were there, and it was just really impressive.”

Lindsey believed Rugamba’s positive attitude made the trip easier, especially when he encountered some difficulties during the free travel period.

“I think if something goes wrong, he is able to handle it pretty well,” Lindsey said. “He and the other students with him went to the United Kingdom. … Because he’s an international student, there was some mix-up on his visa, and he had trouble traveling when he went back to the United Kingdom from Vienna.”

Rugamba’s attitude contributed to the ease of resolution of this problem; Lindsey conjectured Rugamba’s familiarity with travel helped smooth over the situation.

“Being an international student, he’s traveled around quite a bit,” Lindsey said. “So he knows kind of how to deal with problems that arise suddenly. He just handles it.”

Rugamba believed that it was important for him as an international student to study abroad.

“Going to see all those places was really mind blowing, especially after coming back here, but even then when I was there I was thinking of the history of Europe in general,” Rugamba said. “That brought up the question of how much of my own history that I know. I don’t know that much history about my own country. … That was kind of eye opening.”

Based on his own experience, Rugamba advises anyone considering studying abroad to first get their academics and finances in order.

“Some people go study abroad, but then come back and have to spend an extra semester because they went to study abroad,” Rugamba said. “… You [also] need to have the money to go. You need to plan and save. First of all, you have to pay for the trip, and then when you go, you have to have some money to spend. … The rest, just be open-minded and curious to see.”

Having experienced the cultures of three separate continents and multiple countries, Rugamba encourages other students to study abroad as well to change their outlook on learning and expand their horizons.

“When you come to the states, when you come here you only study,” Rugamba said. “You study academic stuff. … When you study abroad, [you] go visit places and museums and come back and discuss and see how that really applies to your life, not just for the sake of getting a good grade and a GPA and whatever, but actually how does that really apply, how does that affect the way you think? Studying abroad gives you the chance to reflect on what you study and why you study that and how that applies to you as a person.”