My previous blogs for September and October, which detailed my arrival in Paris and my trainee-ship at UNESCO, were quite verbose. I have, therefore, decided for this third post to be a picture blog in chronological order. Side note: while we were still studying at Penn in Philadelphia, we would try and come up with instagram and twitter hashtags for IEDP (International Educational Development Program), … Continue reading November Blessings
Summaries appear in several ways, though they always depend on the situation. For this internship, they can be formal, shaped into final reports and reflections both written and spoken that are shared with supervisors and professors. As I’ve found with family members, the summary is often confined to a few sentences that use far too many blanket statements. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you’ll have an … Continue reading Internship reflections
Well, the final week is over, and I have two days to go before I leave Cambodia. Cue the sentimental music? Well… Though I am saddened to be ending my contract with AAC and saying goodbye to my wonderful coworkers, I don’t necessarily want to dedicate this post to a review of my internship. I simply wanted to further enlighten my readers (all 17 of … Continue reading Work.2
You know the game. Name a movie and within six degrees of connection, in some way it ends with Kevin Bacon. Perhaps the game requires some updating for today’s context, but the principle remains the same, that the world grows smaller every day. I’ve found the Six Degrees principle can even be applied to international development. There are many things that you can learn as … Continue reading Six degrees
From my office desk, I can see cars and motorbikes jamming along Preah Monivong Boulevard and the ephemeral downpours soaking the street as I read through Cambodia’s Education Sector Plan for 2014-2018. I’ve grown increasingly familiar with that document: most of my work revolves around analysing policy and the constraints the country’s education system has in implementing it. As I mentioned in my last post, … Continue reading Work
According to Lauren, the last time it rained during commencement was about twenty years ago. So… I guess we brought the tradition back? Anyway, I felt somewhat like a fraud because technically I still have two more credits to go before I actually receive my degree. In fact, everyone (except the returning IEDP students who were in the ceremony) still have outstanding requirements before we … Continue reading A rainy graduation
A new look for the blog, and a new update on what’s been going on at IEDP! Our program’s capstone project is known as a policy brief, in which we analyze an issue and current policy surrounding it and then suggest our own recommendations to the relevant governing body/organization on how to improve it. Incorporated into this capstone is a poster session, in which we … Continue reading Free cheese and fruit! (a.k.a. our policy brief poster session)
Once again, Ania opened her lovely house for us to enjoy another delectable meal, this time with breakfast, savory foods, and mimosas. Just like Friendsgiving, we had a plethora of food and even better company. I must say, we’ve got a lot of great cooks in the program; more potlucks are definitely in order! We finished the get together with a uber-cometitive game of Taboo, … Continue reading IEDP Brunch!
Yes, yes, the cliché rings true. I’ve been relatively silent over the past few weeks, and this blog post is both a procrastination technique (shh, don’t tell my professors) and a necessary update for you all on what it’s like to be a graduate student here in IEDP at Penn. The number of hats I’m wearing, while keeping my head warm as the cold fall … Continue reading Oh, how the time flies
I walked into my IEDP orientation unsure of whom I was going to meet, what I was going to learn that day, and at times, exactly what I expected of myself during this year. Throughout the session, I couldn’t help but feel, thanks to the newly-formed relationships and set of questions, a growing sense of excitement for this program. I’m very thankful to be surrounded … Continue reading Welcome to IEDP 2016!
The International Educational Development Program 