Former Intern Feature Story: Robert Hartwell, Part V

This is a continuation of Robert's experience as a Technical and Vocational Education intern at RTI. You can view the introduction to this series here. You can also read Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV of the series.

What questions should I have asked you and how would you have answered them?

What was your least favorite part of Nairobi (or Kenya)?

I would have answered this by saying that my least favorite part of Nairobi was how congested the city is. The population of Nairobi is about 4 million, which in terms of population density, is approximately 4,850 residents per square kilometer. That’s a lot of people in a small space and the number of cars on the road was overwhelming! In Cameroon, where I lived while serving in the Peace Corps, the population of the nation’s capital, Yaoundé, is roughly 2.8 million, or 7,400 residents per square kilometer. While the population density of Yaoundé is greater than that of Nairobi, there are far fewer cars on the street, making it feel less crowded and congested.

What was the biggest challenge or obstacle you faced during your internship with RTI and how did you approach it?

I would have answered that, while there were many challenges and obstacles that I had to face during my internship with RTI, perhaps the most difficult one that I was unable to completely overcome was the language barrier. Being the only member of the K-YES team, in the Nairobi office at least, who couldn’t speak Swahili made it difficult to be part of various experiences. All of the members of the K-YES team were Kenyans, so when they spoke to each other they often used Swahili instead of English. Even though the conversations in Swahili were, more often than not, unrelated to our actual work, it made it challenging for me to feel fully involved in some of the social interactions I experienced.

Of course, my colleagues would do their best to stick to English when I was a part of the conversation directly, which I truly appreciated. But I feel like I missed out on some of the jokes and stories they told because I simply didn’t understand what was being said. I did my best to try and learn as much Swahili as I possibly could, but I found that it was difficult to learn a new language while also learning about the project, the culture, and the country in general (all of which were new to me).

What plans do you have for the future?

My plans are always changing. In the immediate future, I plan to graduate from the University of Arizona in May 2020. Upon graduation, I plan on embarking on a new journey, either in sub-Saharan Africa, Washington, DC, London or somewhere in Research Triangle Park, NC.

What one of the best pieces of advice you have ever received?

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”

Steve Jobs said this during Stanford’s Commencement Address he delivered in 2005. I think this goes hand-in-hand with the saying “find a job that you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” When you’re just going through the motions at work and only looking forward to the end, not only does your work suffer, but you do as well. When you love what you do, not only do you put forth your best work, but your quality of life is drastically enhanced.