Justina Khalil, Honours Bachelors of Social Sciences in Political Science, 4th year
Internship country: Bolivia
Canadian NGO: CECI
Local NGO: Casa de la Mujer
At present, I am a fourth-year student in Political Science at the University of Ottawa. After three demanding years of study, that journey has now led me to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, where I am completing a three-month international internship as a Communications and Advocacy Officer at Casa de la Mujer, a grassroots organization that supports women and children affected by violence and systemic inequality.
This opportunity feels especially meaningful to me because I have always been passionate about human rights and cross-cultural learning. Ever since beginning university, I hoped I would one day have the chance to apply what I learned in the classroom within a real-world environment abroad. Being here now feels like a reminder that hard work truly can open unexpected doors.
Although I grew up in Canada with an Egyptian background and no Spanish ties, I have always felt drawn to Latin America. Now that I am finally here, I better understand why. Beyond the language, I have been deeply moved by the warmth, openness, resilience, and strong sense of community that shapes everyday life here. Family, friendship, and human connection feel central in a way that is both refreshing and grounding.
So far, one of the biggest things this experience has taught me is that our lives are far more parallel than we often assume. Before arriving, I realized how easy it can be to unconsciously adopt certain assumptions about so-called “third world countries.” However, living in Bolivia has challenged many of those ideas. Countries labeled as “developing” are often reduced to statistics, stereotypes, or simplified narratives, yet the people themselves are not so different from us at all.
Walking through the streets of Santa Cruz, overhearing conversations, scrolling through social media, watching the news, and speaking with local people has reminded me just how universal many human experiences are. The concerns people discuss here, relationships, work, safety, identity, politics, family struggles, dreams for the future, are often the same conversations happening back home in Canada. Social media trends, western popular culture, and global media influence can also be felt strongly across borders, shaping norms, expectations, and perceptions of other countries in very similar ways.
At the same time, this experience has made me reflect more critically on how division is often reinforced through media and passive learning. We are frequently taught about other countries from a distance rather than encouraged to truly engage with them. Once you step outside of your comfort zone, immerse yourself in another culture, and begin speaking directly with people, many assumptions begin to fall apart. You realize that people are often more similar than they are different.
As part of my Political Science degree, I have taken several comparative politics courses where we analyze and compare countries through academic frameworks. Ironically, being here has made me feel as though I am living inside one of those comparative analysis papers. I constantly find myself reflecting on the similarities and differences between the country where I was born, the culture I grew up in, and the country I am currently living in. Yet what stands out to me most are not the differences, but the shared humanity that exists beneath them.
Another aspect of Bolivia that has impacted me deeply is its pace of life. Although I briefly lived in Latin America before this experience, returning to North America made me forget what it feels like to genuinely slow down. Here, life feels more relational and less rushed. There is a greater emphasis on being present, fostering relationships, and making work part of life rather than life itself.
In North America, productivity often becomes tied to personal worth. Many people, myself included, become so focused on deadlines, achievements, and constant movement that we forget how important it is to simply exist in the moment. Bolivia has reminded me of the value of slowing down, spending intentional time with others, and appreciating everyday moments.
This experience has also unexpectedly made me reflect on psychological and political theories I learned years ago in school. In high school psychology, I remember studying Maslow's hierarchy of needs and thinking deeply about the importance of human needs, security, belonging, and fulfillment. Being here has caused me to revisit those ideas from a different perspective. While Bolivia certainly faces economic and political challenges, I have noticed a strong emphasis on community, relationships, and interpersonal support systems. In many ways, these forms of connection help fulfill emotional and social needs that are sometimes neglected within highly individualistic societies.
Of course, no country is perfect. Bolivia faces visible poverty, inequality, and institutional struggles. However, Canada also has its own social issues, many of which are often less visible or discussed differently. Experiencing another society firsthand has helped me realize how limited our understanding can become when we only analyze countries through statistics, headlines, or political discourse without considering lived experience.
One of the most meaningful parts of this internship has been the opportunity to move beyond theory and into practice. Throughout university, I have spent years sitting in classrooms learning about feminist movements, human rights, social inequalities, and grassroots advocacy in Latin America. Yet there is something profoundly different about physically being in one of those spaces and contributing, even in a small way, to the work itself.
Rather than only listening to lectures about women’s rights in Latin America, I have had the opportunity to work alongside individuals actively advocating for those rights every day. Through workshops, communication campaigns, and conversations with women in the community, I have seen how advocacy becomes most meaningful when it is grounded in human connection and lived experience.
At the same time, this experience has shown me that there are certain things that simply cannot be fully taught within a classroom. The art of human connection is one of them. While concepts such as intercultural communication, empathy, and advocacy can certainly be studied academically, they are best learned through direct experience, discomfort, curiosity, and openness.
This is why I always encourage people to travel, especially to places that challenge familiarity through new languages, cultures, and perspectives. Traveling builds cultural awareness, forces us to confront our biases, and reminds us how interconnected we truly are. When learning feels lived and not just taught, it becomes far more meaningful. However, meaningful change also comes from creating spaces for dialogue, advocacy, and community-based conversations, which is precisely the kind of work I have been fortunate enough to participate in here at Casa de la Mujer.
More than anything, Bolivia has reminded me that borders do not erase our shared humanity. Regardless of nationality, culture, or language, people across the world often carry the same fears, hopes, insecurities, and desires. If we focused more on those shared experiences rather than our differences, I genuinely believe the world would become a far more compassionate place.