Everyone said it would be amazing; that it was the best thing they had ever tried. You do what you went when you want and answer to no one. But I had never traveled alone before, nor had I been anywhere in Europe outside of London. Amsterdam was a city of firsts for me. From […]
Adventure
End of Term Reflections
The past three months have felt like six months yet also as if they’ve flown by in the blink of an eye. I started planning my year in London the moment I was accepted to graduate school. I anticipated an intense year trying to balance returning to school and exploring Europe, but I thought the […]
A Day In New Orleans
A melting pot of French, Spanish, Caribbean, West African, and many other cultures, New Orleans was a must stop on our road trip. Though I was so excited to finally be in the city known for its great music, food, and rich culture, our visit landed on a sweltering hot summer day. I thought I could […]
White Sands National Monument
Tucked away in the Tularosa Basin of New Mexico, White Sands National Monument is an oasis of wave-like gypsum dunes that glisten under the desert sun. Millions of years ago the monument was home to a deep lake layered with gypsum, which is rarely seen as sand because it is water-soluble. However, the isolation of the […]
The Biggest Little City and its Neighbor
If you’re like me and have never lived on the west coast or watched Reno 911, then you likely don’t know much about Carson City or Reno, Nevada. But if you’re definitely like me, then you just accepted a job in Carson City and moved to Reno, so it’s time to find out more. It […]
Unconventional Lessons GHC Taught Me
When I signed up for Global Health Corps in Kitwe, Zambia last May I knew it would teach me a string of lessons. I imagined learning about professionalism, moving to a new country and city, building a community from scratch. And I did learn all of that! But I learned so much more too. Here […]
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 […]
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 […]
This Time for Malawi
These past two weeks I was in Lilongwe, Malawi for a training on Stepping Stones with Children hosted by Salamander Trust and the Coalition of Women Living with HIV and AIDS in Malawi (COWLHA). Stepping Stones with Children is a transformative behavior change curriculum for children, ages 5-8 and 9-14, affected by or infected with […]