For CGST 206, Global Engagement In Practice, my classmates and I were incredibly fortunate to take on an immersive and transformative study abroad component, traveling to Nairobi, Kenya during spring break. This trip to has opened my eyes to many things and given me countless new experiences to look back on. Rereading through my notes, scribbles, and journal entries from the trip, I’ve synthesized two recurring ideas that pushed my thinking forward and/or challenged me. Find a sort of “visual journal” of highlights I edited together from videos from my colleagues and my iPhone cameras.
Creativity as method
Often when I watch a movie, I find myself impressed if the ideas presented are creative. However, I find myself more actively engaged and immersed if the way of presenting these ideas is done in a creative manner. How are we introduced to the characters and world, and how are the rules and context of the narrative explained to the audience?
I had a similar reaction during our time in Kenya, not because of any particular movie or story, but because of the importance placed upon creativity when carving a path for oneself, whether in finding a job, going to school, problem-solving, or in creating a business venture. When hearing the staff, mentors, and lecturers speak to the students, I kept noting them saying “be creative”. When suggesting career paths, the students were told to dream big, and to have the confidence to choose something outside the ordinary and to not let fear keep them from making big decisions.
This outside-the-box thinking went hand in hand with the ideas behind the week-long design thinking workshop. Not only were the students told to be creative in coming up with ideas for design thinking problems to solve, but they were also required to be creative in designing and presenting these ideas. I was watching a level of arts and crafts I hadn’t seen since junior high – markers, sticky notes, scissors, construction paper, tape, etc. – used to tackle pressing, real-world problems like overcrowding in hospitals, corruption, and transportation issues across Kenya.
This fusion of creativity and professionalism was something really inspiring to me, as it appealed to an element of “play” that I think is sometimes overlooked as unprofessional or childish, when in reality, it is incredibly productive and engaging.
Where does the energy come from?
During a meal around halfway through the week, I had the pleasure of talking with a student named Gregs from Mombasa. I was trying to make small talk and strike up a conversation with him. We were amicable the whole time, but I didn’t see his eyes light up until I asked, “What do you think about the back-to-back sessions and all the information being thrown up at once?” He smiled and responded “I love it.” He genuinely seemed so excited to have intense, fully-packed days with an overload of information. I wasn’t so surprised by his passion as I was by his lack of tiredness. He didn’t mention the week being too much and did not sound overwhelmed at all. He just sounded energetic.
Throughout the week, we danced so much. Each day, both within and outside of the KEF workshop it seemed like we did a group dance of some sort. I think I danced more in our ten days in Kenya than I had during the rest of 2026. The everpresence of dance really stood out to me during the final dinner, when one of the presenters said “and now a quick prayer” and proceeded to play a song to which everyone cheered and started dancing. It seems like they never run out of energy to dance.
Hanging out with our new friends the last night before everyone started leaving, I was chatting with one of the mentors and they were telling me about a “Kenyan weekend”. Despite parts of the night being a little blurry, I remember this moment crystal clear! They told me “The weekend starts Friday at 5pm and ends Monday at 6am. Sunday you stay out until around 4 or 5 in the morning, then you go back home, shower, maybe have a nice soup, and then you get dressed for work!” They mentioned this pretty casually, but I was dumbfounded. Where does the energy to do this come from? It seems like everything they do comes from an intense work-hard, play-hard mentality, with the work motivating the play and vise-versa. I found it very admirable.
Visual Journal
