Sara’s Baggage to & from Oxford

We asked our scholars to go back to the moment they packed their luggage in preparation for their journey to Oxford. But instead of clothes and books, we asked them to think about the stories, people, memories, hopes, and all immaterial things that they would put inside. We also wanted to know what they would probably like to add to their baggage when leaving Oxford. Find other stories in this series here.

Source: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images.

The window of my room in Kabul faces a school. Every morning, I would be woken up by loud school assemblies and walk past the rush of school kids as I made my way to work. At the time, I was working in the field of economic policy in the public sector, aiming to create positive impact for small businesses, women entrepreneurs, and other vulnerable economic players. I applied to Oxford and specifically the program MSc in Economics for Development, as I believe it was the perfect program for me to develop my toolkit of being an economist and a development practitioner.

I applied to Oxford with a heart full of hope and a mind full of ideas. In the past few months before my arrival, the circumstances of my home in Afghanistan have changed completely, but my unwavering desire to learn and do meaningful work has not. As I embark on my studies in this prestigious university, I think about the schoolgirls I walked past every morning. Right now, they are unable to go to school to pursue higher education unlike me. While my heart breaks for them, it also pushes me to make the best out of the opportunity that has been given to me. That’s the baggage I carry with me to Oxford.