A three-month internship is a rather peculiar affair. It is short enough to ensure that you do not end up with anything concrete. And, just long enough to make you feel that you should have come away with something more solid. Continue reading He came, he saw…
On the 9th of August I attended an International Youth Day event organized by 4 organizations working on youth empowerment in Kenya, and funded by the EU. The theme of the event was “Nafasi Kwa Vijana” or “Safe spaces for youth”. The whole perfectly encapsulated my experience working in Mombasa for the last 13 weeks. It was hot, chaotic, partly inefficient but through it all … Continue reading A bittersweet symphony
“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” – E. B. White — Well, this is the end, my friends. Fourteen weeks in Senegal, a week in Istanbul, a weekend in Long Island and I am back where it all began … Continue reading When do you decide growth versus enjoyment?
The last week of my internship was completed by the Summer Camp. I would say it was an excellent conclusion to my internship. This event was organized by the whole ASSET team. We worked really hard last month in order to make this event very productive and enjoyable for the students. The total number of participants was 65. Basically, they were teachers and students from … Continue reading Shkolla Verore 2018 (Summer Camp)
Grace*, a 15-year-old, is happy with the kind of joy that comes from finishing a big exam. She attends a `community school’ in Amuru district in North Uganda – a school that the local community set up for their children because the nearest Government primary school is over 40 km away. The community school is still not exactly next door – Grace wakes up at … Continue reading An ode to data – Part 1
“LET’S GO!” This was the theme of last week, when my parents came to visit. And just as well, because life at the office has been, in the words of Larry David, “pretty… pretty… pretty” slow lately. This is largely due to the fact that practically everyone is on leave! UNESCO has a fairly generous vacation policy, which it seems like most people take advantage … Continue reading Yalla: Explorin’ Jordan
Today is my last day in Uganda! It’s hard to believe it has been three months – in some ways I feel like I have been here forever, and in other ways they time has flown by. I think the friendliness and hospitality of my Ugandan friends and colleagues made me feel at home quite quickly here, but at the same time I am always … Continue reading Saying Goodbye to Uganda
I’ve written and rewritten this blog three times now. First, sometime during my second to last week of my internship, then on my last day at my internship, then again on my flight out of Beirut; and it’s not that I don’t like what I’m writing or that my last two weeks were uneventful (quite the opposite), I think it is just that posting this … Continue reading Merci Ktiir, Lebanon
And so sad that I only have 6 weeks to go! I can barely look at the posts from my classmates who are finishing up their internships and heading home…just a reminder of what’s coming for me. My time in Addis with UNESCO IICBA so far has been exciting and challenging in all the right ways. I’m not looking forward to leaving. But that’s for … Continue reading 6 Weeks Down
It is hard to believe that I have spent 3 months in South Africa already! The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of travels amidst completing my internship deliverables. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I am involved in an ECD project that aims to provide kindergarten teachers with skills and support to ensure holistic development and school readiness for the students. … Continue reading Uhambe Kahle
The International Educational Development Program 