My time in Scotland was certainly the highlight of my study abroad experience, but I’m sure that it was only the beginning.
It’s funny how small the world seems when you have built relationships within a community that is thousands of miles away. Because of this class and the trip, my eyes were opened to the importance of being a global citizen, and it seems like a much more realistic goal than it did before we started engaging with our colleagues in Dumfries. Even though adjusting to Dumfries was fairly easy, I’ve left the trip with a resolve to serve internationally again. Being abroad and interacting with the local citizens, students, and professionals honed a skill that I am realizing to be incredibly important, building bridges between groups. I would love to continue this in some capacity.
Now that the semester is coming to a close, our class is about to have one final Skype call with the faculty at Troqueer primary. Looking back on what we have done so far and what we can continue to do, I can’t help but hope that the faculty, our professors, and my fellow students will continue to encourage me to reach out to this community even outside of the class. I’m not sure if I can help them, but I would love to try.
While there certainly is a possibility that my direct connection to Dumfries may come to an end, I’m sure that the friendships between the students are just beginning. I know that I couldn’t have asked for a better or more enjoyable team than the one that came together for the inaugural Scotland Service Learning Study Abroad.
For now, we still have work to do and people to serve.
