Summer mornings began at 4:45 a.m. for Furman ROTC Cadet Adam Johnson \u201917. Stationed at Gabiro, a military training facility outside Kigali, Rwanda, Johnson exercised to the tune of Swahili chants sung by Rwandan soldiers. Breakfast was simple, often a hard-boiled egg and toast.<\/p>\n
Johnson, part of the first group of Army ROTC cadets to visit the country in five years, spent much of the day assisting soldiers, including his Rwandan roommate, in developing their English language skills.<\/p>\n
It was an opportunity Johnson said he \u201ccouldn\u2019t pass up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson and fellow cadet Kyle Simmons \u201917 traveled to Africa this summer as part of the U.S. Army\u2019s Cultural Understanding and Language Proficiency program (CULP).\u00a0 The competitive program, designed to promote cultural awareness, provides assignments in 40 different countries for an elite group of cadets at no cost. The Military History Department also sent Cadets to Malawi, Cambodia, and the Republic of Georgia over the summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Army\u2019s programs prepare young men and women to become better cadets and leaders of character,\u201d said LTC Gregory Scrivens, professor of military science at Furman.<\/p>\n
Johnson and Simmons both applied to participate in an African program, but had no idea where they might be sent on the continent.<\/p>\n
Simmons, a business administration major from Baltimore, was one of eight cadets assigned to Tanzania, where he spent a week in Dar es Salaam before traveling to the islands of Zanzibar.<\/p>\n
His work in Tanzania primarily focused on school visits, educating teachers and students of all ages about English literacy resources available to them through the U.S. Embassy\u2019s American Corner program.\u00a0 He was also able to explore the island\u2019s beaches, forests, and spice plantations.<\/p>\n
Simmons said he reminded himself of the importance of \u201cbecoming comfortable being uncomfortable.\u201d In some cases, it meant getting used to new foods, such as barracuda purchased from street vendors (which he described as excellent).\u00a0 He also learned to handle other challenges, such as the language barrier, new customs, and tough questions about his homeland from people he met along the way.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only thing many people knew about America was what they saw on CNN,\u201d said Simmons. \u201cIt opened my eyes to a whole other way of looking at things.\u201d<\/p>\n
After completing his stint in Tanzania, Simmons returned to Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he completed Cadet Initial Entry Training and received the First Command Financial Serves Award, recognizing his outstanding performance in his platoon.<\/p>\n
For Johnson, a triple major in Spanish, political science and art history, his Rwanda trip provided some lessons in humble service, including his first experience with herding cattle.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to follow them and guide them with a stick,\u201d said Johnson, a native of St. Louis, Missouri. \u201cThey were very calm and fortunately, they didn\u2019t stampede.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trips to see silver-backed gorillas and drives to the Tanzanian and Ugandan borders were all on the agenda.\u00a0 \u201cWe saw every single corner of that country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
One of the most haunting moments for Johnson came when they toured churches outside Kigali.\u00a0 There were coffins containing human remains and skulls scarred with bullet holes and machete wounds from the 1994 genocide.\u00a0 \u201cIt was unsettling, to say the least,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Johnson described his daily English sessions with Rwandan military officers as an \u201cextremely valuable exchange.\u201d\u00a0 Most of the Soldiers were first and second lieutenants, ranging in age from 22 to 35.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe advise them, they advise us.\u00a0 A group of college students aren\u2019t threatening,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cThis is what will strengthen the bonds with the Rwandan army.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson is now spending a semester abroad in Spain as part of Furman\u2019s Study Away program.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will have seen half the world by the time I graduate from Furman,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve received so many opportunities while I\u2019ve been here.\u201d<\/p>\n
The CULP request window is now open for the summer 2016 program. LTC Scrivens said he hopes \u201cwe will get many more slots throughout the world, and these positions will provide our Cadets and students a wealth of cultural knowledge that they will be able to use throughout their career and future.\u201d<\/p>\n