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Diane’s Unexpected Spring Semester

Diane’s Unexpected Spring Semester

Diane Ingabire, a rising senior at Spelman College, reflects on her spring break trip to Puerto Rico and her decision to spend her summer in Rwanda.
I love traveling and try to visit new places whenever I can. This past spring break, I got to visit Puerto Rico with my friends. I had always wanted to visit the Caribbean, and Puerto Rico was a good choice given my U.S. visa.
 I had an amazing few days relaxing and sightseeing. I stayed in San Juan (the capital city) and spent time kayaking, hiking, and trying new foods. While all of that was super fun, my favorite place that I got to visit was El Yunque National Forest because we did a fun hike and enjoyed the waterfalls.
A few days into the trip, my school notified everyone that we would not be returning to in-person classes. All of us would have to transition to online schooling. I would’ve liked to spend the rest of my week in Puerto Rico, but I was scared that COVID-19 restrictions would leave us stuck on the island. We decided to play it safe, cut our trip short, and return to Atlanta.
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One of El Yunque’s many waterfalls

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My friends kayaking in San Juan

At first, I had a hard time with my school’s decision to transfer to online classes. From mid-March through May, I struggled. It was difficult for me to study alone in my room and I found myself losing motivation. However, I was determined to finish my academic year with a good GPA so I would be in a good place for my grad school applications in the fall. By the end of the semester, I accomplished my goal! I was really proud of myself for pushing through the struggle of waking up and opening up my laptop day after day. 
When the semester ended, I decided to fly back home to Rwanda for summer break. My research opportunity at Michigan State University had been cancelled, and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to spend some time back home. It had been two years since I was last in Rwanda and a lot had changed. There were new buildings, new roads, new restaurants, new shopping malls, and a 9 PM curfew to help fight the spread of COVID-19. My plan was to try and get an internship but I couldn’t find many places that were hiring during the pandemic. 
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Back home in Rwanda, I was so happy to spend time with my grandfather and younger sister

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I was able to visit my aunt and met my nephews and nieces

Even so, it ended up being great that I had so much spare time. I got to spend it with my family and friends – some of whom I hadn’t seen for a year and a half! It was really nice to reconnect with everyone. I also had more time to study for the GRE, which I will be taking this fall.

I’m sad that my time in Rwanda is ending, but I know it is the right decision to return to the U.S.  so that I can focus on my last year of undergraduate studies. I can’t wait to make senior year the best year yet!