Image Source: Dio Hasbi Saniskoro Recently, a friend admitted to me they feel uncomfortable receiving a government stimulus check because they feel fortunate enough to be financially, emotionally, and physically well – recognizing many others might not feel the same security during these turbulent times. Regardless of which category you fall in, one way to […]
Global Health
Free-Falling Into 23
In addition to being a long weekend in the U.S. for the 4th of July, it was a 4-day weekend in Zambia for Heroes Day and Unity Day. It was also my birthday weekend, and it was simply amazing! On Friday evening, my friends and I had a celebratory last dinner at Mukwa, our favorite […]
This Time for Rwanda
After a wild 18-hour layover in Nairobi, Kenya, Mwansa and I finally landed in Kigali, Rwanda where we stayed for a week. We were immediately surprised and excited by the differences between Rwanda and Zambia. The roads are mostly paved, there are sidewalks, streetlights, 24/7 security. It was already a different world than our normal […]
Enough is Enough
Reflections during a visit to Rwanda… Days after the attack in Orlando, I happened to be in Rwanda and visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial. Twenty-two years ago a terrible genocide occurred and left Rwanda devastated; those who survived were left to rebuild the nation. The Genocide Memorial is a moving tribute to Rwanda’s fresh history […]
This Time for Kenya
A really neat component of Global Health Corps is that every fellow is allowed up to $600 to use on professional development. I used the first part of my professional development funds to purchase Rosetta Stone Hindi so I could learn a new language in all of my free time. For the second half of […]
Professional Development Workshop
This is a belated post on an event Mwansa and I take a lot of pride in… Every Global Health Corps fellow is required to take part in the selection process for the next class. While we were tasked with reading potential fellow applications and interviewing them, ZamFam noticed an unfortunate lack of professionalism […]
This Time for Cape Town
I never used to understand why people would gush over Cape Town, lighting up when they heard I would spend my holidays there or raving about it endlessly. Now I have jumped on the bandwagon. It has been over a month since my 17-day gallivant all over Cape Town, and I am still reeling from […]
The Burden of Mental Illness
A week ago, a friend took her life. A month ago, she created this GoFundMe Page, premeditating her suicide. Seven years ago, she attempted suicide for the first time, and in the years following she tried two more times. If able, I highly encourage you to read her powerful narrative because, unfortunately, I guarantee it […]
World AIDS Day
The first ever global health day, World AIDS Day was first held in 1988 to remind people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show support for those living with HIV, and to commemorate the lives that have been lost to HIV. During our Global Health Corps training Phill Wilson, founder of the Black AIDS […]
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tis’ the season for hand turkeys and celebrating gratitude! Thanksgiving, though a typical American holiday, is a holiday I cherish because of its gentle reminder to celebrate all that we have in our lives. The only other time I have spent Thanksgiving away from home was in 2013 when my mom flew into Montevideo for […]