Village to ville: Going from DukeEngage to studying abroad

Approximately half of all DukeEngage participants are in the summer between their sophomore and junior year, and, as is the culture on Duke’s campus, many study abroad in the following fall semester of their junior year. For a great number of Duke students, this means that a large amount of time between summer and fall is spent far away from home in immersive cultural experiences. Many students go abroad to fabulous cities in Europe and beyond, still freshly transitioning from their summer experiences in an entirely different culture with DukeEngage.

Speaking from experience, I’ve left one world for another. I spent the summer with DukeEngage in Kuwde, a rural mountain village in northern Togo, a small francophone country in West Africa—no, I don't have Ebola, don't worry. The village didn’t have electricity (things got pretty dark when the sun went down), running water (bucket showers are surprisingly refreshing) or toilets (try digging a hole with a rock). I worked on a health insurance project at a local health clinic, and immersed myself in lively village markets, ceremonial forest dances and made many Togolese friends my age. I miss my friends, my host family and the people and culture of Kuwde every day, and I can honestly say it was the best summer of my entire life.

After DukeEngage ended, I spent a few weeks transitioning back into first world habits while organizing everything before I left for France. Fast-forward to now—I’m a month into my study abroad here in Paris, one of the most glamorous, expensive and romantic cities in the entire world. I walk out of my homestay apartment, and lining the bustling streets are endless cafes, restaurants, bakeries (baguettes are one of the main food groups here in Paris), bars and museums right at my fingertips. It is an incredible city I’ve only just begun to explore, and I’ve loved my time here thus far.

Unfortunately, it is surprisingly easy to sometimes forget my life back in Togo as I go about my everyday life here in Paris. It’s strange to think I used to eat only basic foods in Togo, such as rice and beans. A loaf of bread from a village market I would look forward to all week. Here, I consume approximately one and a half baguettes a day and there are bakeries on nearly every corner (a baguette costs like one euro—it’s a beautiful thing). In Togo, I wore the same few tank tops and skirt pretty much every day, and didn’t bother with makeup for two months. In Paris, I’m surrounded by some of the trendiest people on earth and am constantly trying to gauge my outfits to blend in with the super-chic European style—black is always the answer. The health insurance project I was working on in Togo cost patients in the village three dollars per year and many told me that they could not afford it. Paris is one of the most expensive cities in the world and home to the Champs–Élysées, three-euro bottles of water and restaurants that consider a 20-euro meal cheap.

The two worlds are completely different–that’s a given. However, what I’ve come to learn is that rather than notice the stark differences between the two experiences, I should be recognizing the important ways they are, in fact, similar. DukeEngage, albeit a completely different immersive experience, has prepared me for study abroad by deepening my appreciation for other cultures and how to live in a new environment.

First and foremost, living in Togo, a francophone country in West Africa, improved my French immensely. In Togo, I spoke French endlessly every day, with my host family, with the village community and at the health clinic. Since no one really spoke English, I depended on French for everyday life. It not only improved my French in preparation for Paris, but also taught me how to maneuver conversations in a different language and live in a world without English. It also made me appreciate my French classes at Duke, as I’ve applied what I’ve learned in the classroom now to two French-speaking countries.

Secondly, I’ve had both my DukeEngage and study abroad experiences with host families, teaching me how to be respectful of other cultures while living under the same roof. There is no better way to learn social customs than living amongst them every day. In Togo, I learned that, if you are unsure about something within the homestay—even something as trivial as when to do laundry or help out cleaning—the best thing to do is ask. Communicating with your host family is key, and I’m applying the same lessons about trying to be respectful towards other cultures to living here with my host family in Paris.

Probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned through these various cultural experiences is simply to be flexible. Adapting to a new environment requires an open mind for trial and error, whether it be making sure your mosquito net is functioning properly, or attempting to navigate the French metro system. DukeEngage taught me the resiliency, adaptability and cultural respect required to live abroad in an immersive environment. Rather than simply forgetting about my Togo experience while in Paris, or being shocked by the stark differences between an under-resourced village and one of the most glamorous cities in the world, I want to constructively bring my experiences together. My adventure continues here in Paris, as I navigate my new environment with a piece of Togo always with me.