FALL 2017 DAVIS SCHOLARS Magali de Bruyn Current email address:
[email protected] Home country: Belgium College/university attending: Minerva Schools at KGI (Class of 2022) Courses taken during SAS: Global Environmental Politics, Issues in Hispanic Culture, Special Topics In Psychology: Intergroup Relations To be able to travel around the world for four months on a ship that is both a university and a home with a full scholarship is an extraordinary opportunity. I am therefore, firstly, very grateful for this privilege. Specifically, I have enjoyed discovering cities for which I have little expectations and leaving amazed, knowing I would like to come back. This was the case for Yangon; most of what I knew about the city was limited to the Lonely Planet guide, Wikivoyage, and news about the Rohinga crisis. The intricate yet harmonious mix of cultures I encountered in Yangon therefore very pleasantly surprised me. I wish I could have captured my delight at seeing barfi, ladoo, and many other Indian sweets in a small store on my way to the Sule Pagoda! Through this specific experience and countless other ones, supplemented by readings and many conversations, I have developed an understanding for the five countries visited so far that I would never have otherwise at this time. I am looking forward to sharing this new knowledge with peers after my voyage. While my in-country experiences have given me specific insights on places around the world, the days spent between ports have offered me needed space to reflect—on everything from my current experience and my time at MUWCI to my identity.