Johanna - Sweden Class of 2008

When Johanna graduated in 2008 she decided to take a GAP year to detach herself from her MUWCI experience and to be able to get a fresh outlook on her life and reassess her opinions on things. She began the year by travelling to Amritsar, to visit the Golden Temple, to Nepal to see where the Buddha was born, and then to Kashmir, which was she remembers as “a breathtaking experience”. Returning to Sweden to work for a few months to finance the latter part of the year, she then went to work in Nicaragua in an orphanage for babies to 8 year olds for 6 months. She was put in charge of the music department and taught English to the pre-school children. It was inevitable that she learn Spanish as nobody spoke English so she was happy to see her language skills developing over the 6 months, to the point where she was able to help the 8 year olds with their homework. Parenting was another important skill she learnt, along with detachment in not interfering with the different ways of child rearing that she knew from back home. It was a self-sustainable orphanage that functioned as a family unit; the children were not adopted out and if they were able, had their university or vocational training expenses paid for by the organization. For further information www.mph.org.
She then travelled to Honduras and in true MUWCI style, met up with her former room-mate in Mexico for more travels and catching up before going to study Politics and International Relations at Aberdeen University. She is Captain of the Sailing Club and Vice President of Charities, one of the departments which make up the student Government and assists with the Student Council, which is responsible for fund raising on behalf of the student body. Being a city university Johanna was able to make her own friends and appreciates the freedom that is given to students within their learning environment. She is glad she took a GAP year which she feels enabled her to begin university with a broader approach on life. During the long summer break she came to Calcutta to work with Destiny Reflections, an anti-trafficking organization that focuses on economic empowerment for women. They provide vocational training in shelter homes as well as training to those who are working in the red light districts. The products which these women make are exported to the US which provide funds for medical care and medicine, as well as the training costs,