The Class of 2021 comprises students from twenty-seven countries. During the spring semester, the photography exhibition Home Away from Home? in David Saul Smith Union featured portraits of a number of these students. The pictures were accompanied by an essay about what it’s like to study at Bowdoin when you’re often thousands of miles from home and family.
Over the summer, we’ll be publishing a selection of those photographs with the accompanying essays, starting today, when the spotlight is on Ruby Ahaiwe ’21.
Ruby Ahaiwe ’21 in front of an image of Zuma Rock, Niger, Nigeria. Photo by Shinhee Kang ’18.
I am from Abuja, Nigeria. When I think of home, I remember my family, neighborhood, and market (I love to go to the market with my mom and cook.) Bowdoin has provided a home for me by giving me wonderful opportunities to interact closely with my advisor (Professor Katherine Dauge-Roth), my professors and my host family, who have been a great resource and of immense support to me, to ease my transition. I have also met amazing people here and made friends who have helped me get used to it all.
My mom, two sisters, and I are really close and not being able to speak to them all the time has been a sacrifice. The time difference is six hours, so it is really tricky to find time to video call or text them, especially when I have a rough day and I need to talk to someone.
The exhibition Home Away from Home? was initiated, co-curated, and organized by Shinhee Kang’18 and Cheng-Chun (Kevin) Yu’19.
