Author: Rae Erickson

Location: Namibia

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

When I decided to go to Namibia for my study abroad experience, I really did not have a full understanding of what “Globalization, Nation Building, and Decolonizing the Mind” actually meant. All I can say after going through this program is that I have been changed forever, and I could not be more grateful that I was lead to the Center for Global Education and Experience,  and to the unbelievable people that I have been able to meet here. From going to buy a suitcase under a rainbow, to preparing for my flight home under another, I have transformed in ways I couldn’t have imagined I would.

My cohort traveled to the Namib desert this past weekend, which is the oldest desert on Earth and was the place we stayed at the longest. Driving through the dry terrain with mountains on the horizon and oryx roaming the land beside the truck made me feel like I was inside National Geographic, or a virtual reality. The beauty of the land took my breath away, and brought me back to God in a way I had forgotten about amidst all of the stress and chaos of the end of a semester.

I would be lying if I said that being in another country has not been very, very difficult at times. I am so excited to go back home, experience the cold weather again, and see my family, but I know I am not the same person that left to go to Southern Africa in August. The four months have flown by, but they have taught me more about myself and standing up for what is right than I have learned possibly in my entire life. Along with all of the lessons I received, I also was able to go white water rafting on the Zambezi river, visit Swakopmund, Lüderitz, Cape Town, and many other places, and make some lifelong friends.

If you can choose to go anywhere to study abroad, I recommend you come to Namibia, because it has helped me solidify my values just as much as it enhanced my education!