Rwanda questioned

The world is our playground! It's definitely one of my favourite quotes, because it is as simple as it sounds, yet so comprehensive... In fact, we are all kids, running around in one big playground. Some like to play hide and seek, others climb into trees or onto a climbing frame and once in a while they fall really bad but get up again. Some only prefer the swing; it lifts them up for a minute to end up safely with their feet back on the ground. Then you have those kind of kids that rather stay close to mum or don't like anything else better than the sandbox, building castles that collapse sooner or later. Others build real castles, fortresses and camps in the woods, trying their best to defend it from 'enemies'. I guess we're all looking for that favourite spot in the playground, but some just want it all and leave on a big adventurous expedition throughout the entire playground.

I'm definitely one of the latter :) But surely I'm not the only one. Lots of youngsters in our school's 'playground' will be taking a leap into the unknown in the next couple of weeks. For many it's a first and maybe last time abroad, to others this might be the stepping stone to an international career. But no matter how many times you went abroad or visited a place, each new journey brings the same kind of excitement along. New places, new people, new stories, new experiences, but also; certain questions.

Every student will go to a different place; Suriname, Canada, South-Africa, Sweden, .... and we will probably pose ourselves similar questions. As a matter of fact, we should be able to find one universal question that can be answered, regardless of where we are at any given point. We decided to set out on our journeys with such a question and I was wondering; if you were one of those kids in the playground, setting out on a smaller or a bigger adventure... what would you want to know? Which question would you ask yourself?

I've been to Africa before, but each country has its own character. I have no clue what to think of Rwanda, I'm leaving with a very shallow idea of what this country is all about and I will only find out along the way... I guess many of you think likewise and many reacted in the same way: "Rwanda?? Isn't there a civil war going on? Does it have anything to offer"? Nobody blames you for thinking that way or asking those questions. You should question everything and face it with an openminded mentality. Of course times have changed, but it proves we know so little about this tiny country and it only stresses the importance of my time overthere.

Let me know what you think. Let me know, which questions pop to your minds when thinking about travelling abroad. In the next couple of months, each exchange student be reporting back and try answering that question. The results will be published on http://www.supo.be/