“It gave us a new
perspective. In
America, we
focus on things
that may not be
as important as
we think they
are. Now that
I’m back, I try to
stay off my phone
more because I
went without it
for a month. I’m
pretty happy.”
“I definitely think they will have easier
access to services now,” Cowser says.
The PSU students lived in a house that
only had irregular electrical power and
limited access to running water. The toilet
was simply a hole in the ground. “That
was an experience,” Cowser jokes.
Of course, they didn’t have internet
access either. Cowser bought an
international phone plan before she
left so she could text her parents and
stay in touch. Despite the spartan living
conditions, Cowser enjoyed being off the
grid.
“It gave us a new perspective,” she
explains. “In America, we focus on things
that may not be as important as we think
they are. Now that I’m back, I try to
stay off my phone more because I went
without it for a month. I’m pretty happy.”
The team lived on a hill and had to walk
to the work site, which was an hour away.
“The hills were more like mountains,”
Cowser notes.
The first week was spent hauling rocks
and then the team ran four cables across
the river. They set the cables to the right
tension to be neither too tight nor too
slack. Next, they installed crossbeams and
began laying down planks to serve as the
deck. The bridge was suspended about 15
feet above the surface of the river.
Once a month, the Rwandan
government proclaims a national day
of service, and about 70 extra people
helped build the bridge. The extra
manpower was a big boost, and afterward
everyone participated in a community
meeting with songs and prayer. “It was an
incredible experience,” Cowser says.
About 50 children watched the team
while they worked. When the bridge was
finished, the children started singing and
running back and forth across it. “It was
definitely an experience I’ll never forget,”
Cowser adds.
Local cooks prepared food for the
team, but the students had to go to the
market twice a week to buy groceries. The
diet was restricted, and meals consisted of
plantains, pasta, rice, potatoes and tomato
paste. Occasionally, the students paid the
cook to buy a goat and slaughter it.
“We weren’t used to a diet without
protein,” Cowser explains. “One day we
came back and a whole skinned goat was
hanging on the door frame.”
The team worked six days a week
but explored the region on the off days.
One week, they attended a local church
service that lasted three hours—with no
air conditioning. The members of the
congregation read a passage from the
Bible and then danced and sang. “It was
more of a celebration,”
Cowser recalls.
When she tells people
she went to Rwanda,
often the first thing they
mention is the 1994
genocide. The country
is still recovering from
that traumatic event but
has also experienced
economic growth.
Cowser says she never
felt unsafe and describes
the Rwandan people as very friendly. “All
you have to do is say hello and wave,” she
explains.
None of the students spoke the local
dialect and the residents had limited
command of the English language. By
the end of the project, Cowser was sad to
leave. “It was pretty emotional,” she notes.
The project taught Cowser a lot about
the construction process. “I recommend
it 100 percent,” she says. “If you don’t
think you can do it, you should try it for
sure.”
Cowser would like to participate again
before she graduates but also wants to
make sure other students have the chance
to contribute.
“There’s an unwritten rule that you let
other people go,” she says. “It wouldn’t
be fair for me to go all four years. I have
to let someone else take the reins and
experience it.”
Cowser decided to study engineering
after attending an event that encouraged
women to pursue careers in technical
fields. She also took a physics class in high
school that she enjoyed.
“I always liked math and science,”
Cowser explains. “The women and
engineering day at Westinghouse opened
my eyes that this was something I could
do.” She urges women to consider
engineering. “You should definitely go
for it,” she says. “You are capable of it, and
there will always be people around you to
support you.” ■
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