Aisha Di Caterina
A. Di Caterina - My experience in Kenya at the Bambakofi Academy
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Aisha is a third-year Bachelor in Pre-Primary Education student at the Department of Education and Learning / University of Teacher Education. During the spring 2024 semester, she did a 2-month mobility period in an outdoor school setting at a school in Kenya.
How did your interest in a mobility period come about?
鈥嬧赌�When the university presented the possibility of having this experience I felt a special feeling, as if I could not let this opportunity pass me by. After the first moment of ecstasy, I began to wonder if I would be able to face this experience alone and leave for two months in the middle of my last year of Bachelor's degree, with my thesis still to be written. After a few days of reflection, I confirmed my candidacy because the desire to grow, put myself out there and the curiosity to see a reality different from ours was stronger than any fear related to the thesis or leaving alone.
What did you go and do at the university/host facility?
鈥嬧赌�During my stay in Kenya, I was responsible for giving Italian lessons from first to fourth grade and once a week to teachers (at the request of the school director); helping out at the Nursery (Kindergarten) and helping out in the kitchen during meals and on weekends (as a portion of the students live within the school due to their family circumstances of need).
What will you particularly remember about this experience?
鈥嬧赌�The experience at Bambakofi Academy made me grow enriched as a teacher, but more importantly as a person. Coming into contact with the local culture made me discover a new way of living in society. My first teachers were the students of the school who passed on their values to me by showing me constant respect, commitment and dedication in everything I proposed; by infecting me with their eagerness to always learn new things, even asking me at times to take classes after hours despite having homework for the next day; by teaching me that caring for one another is the key to building a community based on healthy and respectful relationships; and finally by teaching me that from every person we welcome into our lives we can always learn something, all we have to do is be curious.
Would you recommend this experience to other students and why?
鈥嬧赌�I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who has a modicum of curiosity and a desire to get involved to have a mobility experience; because although at first it may seem difficult to integrate and get used to a new context, being catapulted into a reality completely different from our own allows you to grow and challenge yourself, especially on an emotional and social level, and inevitably leads you to open your eyes and reevaluate some priorities. It is a unique experience that with all its difficulties and beauties adds to who you are and makes you feel a little more complete.