The Washington Semester Program
American University
Fall 2004
Washington Semester Program
First impressions
From August until December 2004 I participated in the Washington Semester Program
(International Environment and Development, IED) at American University in Washington
DC. After graduating from Leiden University in development sociology, I had the feeling I
was not ready to enter the job market yet. Searching the webpage of Leiden University’s
international office I came across this program. My first reaction was: wow this is exactly
what I am looking for! When I looked at the costs, however, I was a little less enthusiastic..
Nevertheless, the more I learned about this program, the more I wanted to do it and I decided
to look at it as an investment in my future. (and I was lucky enough to receive the VSB
scholarship that covered most of my expenses. There are a lot of funding possibilities; it takes
a lot of time and effort, but it is definitely worth a shot).
Looking back at my time at AU, I am glad to say that it was totally worth it! From the
things I have experienced, ranging from living with two room mates in a dorm to sleeping in a
hammock in the Amazon jungle, and from interacting with experts in the field of environment
and development to conducting research at my internship, I can truly say that this has been the
most intense, exciting and unique experience of my life!
I still remember my first impressions of the United States and DC. Being there for the
first time, I was astonished by the big houses and cars and the ridiculous huge food portions
and free refills. The first few weeks I spent almost an hour in the grocery story trying to
decide which type of cereal to pick, out of the hundred or so different choices! I actually had a
bit of a culture shock. However, Washington is a beautiful, green city, with a lot of parks (if
you like to run you can go nuts here), monumental buildings (Capital hill among others), great
museums (even if you are not really a museum person like me), a booming nightlife (nice bars
and great nightclubs), the famous Kennedy centre (theatre, where students can attend a
concert or ballet for 10 bucks!!) and much more.
The AU campus is also beautiful and situated in a very nice area (middle/upper class).
You have to adjust to campus life, which means, living with room mates (there goes your
privacy, but it is quite an experience, really!). Do not get your hopes up about the meal plan
though. That was the one thing I did not like. You have to take a meal plan when living on
campus. I would suggest taking the lowest meal plan (75 meals). In your hall there is a
common kitchen where you can cook. The food on main campus is better by the way. On
main campus there are also great sports facilities (high quality fitness-centre, tennis courts,
swimming pool, doka, etc.). Even though the semester was pretty intense, I had some time to
explore the city and the surrounding area and I definitely want to go back some day.
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Reaching personal goals
I started this semester with an open mind and I was looking forward to be academically and
culturally challenged. Some personal goals I wanted to achieve included: improve my English
writing skills, update my theoretical knowledge of development and environmental challenges
and get different perspectives, gain work experience and find out what type of work I want to
do in the future, and last but not least, meet new people and discover new places.
This program gave me the opportunity to achieve all these goals through the
combination of a seminar, an internship and a field practicum in Brazil. The diverse seminar
let us interact with field experts who have the most up to date information at hand. Class
discussions and reflection papers made me think over the issues we covered more thoroughly.
Written assignments and group presentations strengthened both my written and verbal
communication skills. My internship with an international organisation gave me hands-on
experience on what it is like to work for an NGO and it reinstated my enthusiasm for the field
of ecotourism and environmental education. The things I learned here have shaped my ideas
on how development can be executed and I hope to implement this approach in my future job,
wherever this might be.
Finally, the field trip to Brazil made this semester truly unforgettable. Meeting with
local people, visiting community projects and observing how changes can be made on a small
scale level were unique experiences that triggered me to become even more involved in the
development field. I think the best way to create environmental awareness and respect is to
hike through the rain forest and get a feeling of its magnificent and fascinating ecosystem.
Being able to share my experiences with my class mates who have the same interests but
different perspectives, made this journey a learning and fun experience.
Experiential learning
Regarding my personal development I found myself more motivated, dedicated and triggered
to make the best out of this program than I have ever experienced during my college years.
Except, maybe, for the time when I conducted research for my bachelors thesis, for which I
spent four months travelling through Chile. I think the reason for my enthusiasm for the IED
program and my motivation to work hard is the combination of an exciting new environment,
the opportunity to meet so many interesting people, and, most of all, the interactive structure
of the seminar.
From the moment this semester took off, I noticed that American students have a
much more active role during classes than Dutch students. In the beginning I was a bit
worried about that, because I was not very familiar with this approach, plus the fact that
English is my second language made me a bit insecure. This, however, turned out to be not
much of a problem. Quite frankly, I was surprised I did not have that much trouble with
participation at all. I enjoyed asking questions and trying to get speakers to speak ‘off the
record’. In this way our class created ownership over the topics being addressed, which, in
turn, led to more involvement and participation. In my opinion, this interactive way of
lecturing should be introduced more thoroughly into the Dutch educational system; more
guest speakers whom have the most up to date knowledge and experience in their fields, and
more time for discussion groups.
One of the most valuable things I have learned during this semester is the fact that in
the development field there is not one side to an issue and not one solution. I already knew
this in some way, but talking with different actors, such as NGO’s, development banks,
government agencies, researchers and community leaders in DC and Brazil, made me more
sensitive towards looking at different sides of an issue (or institution) before jumping to
conclusions. The more I learned about the different organizations, each of them adding a
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different perspective to concepts of development, poverty, inequality, environmental
degradation, sustainability, and other issues, and how to address these issues most effectively,
the more I realized how immensely complex and multifaceted this field is.
What’s next…
This is a good question, for which I do not know the answer. After the amazing, but also very
intense program, I returned home and I needed some time to readjust. Because I am already
graduated there was no college to go back to. The time has come to find a real job. I already
found out it is not going to be easy, but at least, this program has given me some direction and
an overview of the multiple opportunities that are out there. I feel much more confident about
what I want to do with the rest of my life. I do not know where I will end up, but I am sure it
will be related to the field of development and environment.
The IED program expressed through emotions
I will conclude with some of the different emotions and reactions I have experienced during
this semester. I have never felt so many different emotions over such a short period of time. I
think I will need several weeks, if not months, to process everything. But even after this time
of reflection, I will always take the IED program and the people that made this program a
success with me.
This semester I have been:
Amazed by the warmth and openness of local people we have visited…
Shocked by the tremendous inequality in resource distribution around the world, especially
when I experienced the contrast between American and Brazilian society: the first one
characterized by over-consumption, the latter by poverty…
Inspired by the innovative initiatives of NGO’s and local communities and their positive
energy and hope for a better future…
Frustrated over America’s unwillingness to invest more in decreasing environmental threats
such as global warming and resource depletion…
Stressed out over deadlines for papers and projects…
Relaxed during the boat trip on the Rio Negro that gave us some time to reflect and enjoy the
incredible views of the Amazon landscape…
Exhausted by the intensity of the field trip and the semester as a whole…
Satisfied with my good study results and fulfilling my personal goals…
Happy with all the new friendships I have made, some of them so close that I am sure they
will last forever…
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