The most SST non-SST

by Kyle Hufford – Associate Professor of Communication

After yesterday I got to thinking about how Asian Rural Institute (ARI) perfectly embodies Goshen College’s values when it comes to study and service. For those who are not as familiar, Goshen College has a required international education component for every student. A student can either do a semester long program or break it up into multiple semesters with one of those being an immersive cross cultural experience. Both of these emphasize both service and study as primary components.

Study
Here at ARI it is a melting pot of diverse cultures, languages and religions. Our students are interacting with ARI participants from Cameroon, India, Japan, Uganda, Liberia, Haiti, Ecuador, South Africa and Indonesia, just to name a few. As we work to tell the story of ARI through its staff, volunteers and participants we are learning about cultures from all over the world. It is a real unique experience and one unlike I have seen anywhere else.

Service
Going into this trip we knew we would have to do some work along side the other community members here, but I am not sure anything could have prepared us for what that was going to look like. It has been hard work but also rewarding to plant crops, weed gardens and even the washing of dishes has challenged those who have done it.

The community here works together, eats together and experiences life together. I only hope that we are able to capture this in a way that does justice to how special of a place ARI is.