A learner’s paradise: understanding place beyond the U.S.

In the Spring of 2023, I decided to attend an information session about the Benedictine Volunteer Corps (BVC). Two years later, I found myself six months into a volunteer experience at Gihindamuyaga Monastery in Mbazi village, Rwanda.

The life at Gihindamuyaga Moanstery is wonderful. I teach, pray, help run the monastery Facebook, write for the school website Ecole Autonome de Butare, and do other random tasks assigned. In my free time, I read, write, and travel around Rwanda and East Africa. I also get to live with other men (Benedictine brothers) whose lives are vastly different from mine, leaving room to ask all my curious questions and occasionally play volleyball. My basic needs of food, water, and shelter are also met without a dent in the wallet. Life here in Rwanda with the brothers is arguably perfect.

Since coming to Rwanda last August, my worldview has grown beyond my imagination. I have been able to travel around East Africa, seeing Rwanda, Tanzania, and Kenya, with the hopes of seeing Uganda yet. The exciting Intore dance in Rwanda, the pounding of Arabic coffee beans into the heartwarming coffee in Tanzania, and the breathtaking views of Hell’s Gate in Kenya are all moments that will be impossible to forget.

My daily work is inspiring and fun. Teaching is an excellent field to work in, because of the learning process, and how much creativity it takes to find ways to encourage intellectual growth in young learners. Surrounding myself with young children curious about life lit a flame that has been burned out since my childhood. Yes, the work is exhausting, but the knowledge the students absorb is a feeling like no other. I teach English and Art to students in 4th and 5th grade, including lessons on the various musical instruments. I was able to connect them to my school in Minnesota, to practice conversational English and increase cross-cultural literacy. Being able to work with young learners is challenging, but an absolute blast.

My space for reflection has grown, spiritually and intellectually, in my daily reading and writing. Prayer is a consistent driving factor in the BVC, and it allows for you to really grow your understanding of the morals that matter to you. I have been also able to read books that have been sitting on my shelf at home for too long.

They have been books that have challenged me on talking about race as a white male (White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo), to books that talk about a regular, everyday Joe in the 1960s trying to play as quarterback for the Detriot Lions (Paper Lion by George Plimpton). I make sure to reflect on what I am grateful for five days a week in 8-10 sentences every day. This deep reflection has led to personal insights that I would’ve never thought about at home.

Johnnies, you have the ability to explore this ginormous world, so do it. I will admit, to do BVC, you have to take a leap of faith and believe in your ability to challenge yourself outside your comfort zone. Not every day is easy, especially to be in a different culture and language than your own, but that is where the growth comes is in the moments of discomfort.

I would encourage any Johnnies who have an interest in travel, reflection, and learning to do the BVC. Ken Jennings said in his novel “Maphead” that “Today’s kids live increasingly in a world without place—without personal explanation through real life geographies of any kind.”

BVC is the opportunity to explore what place means to you, from the stable lifestyle of a Benedictine monastic community and the ability to see a culture different from yours.