The American Education
December 18, 2011
A friend of mine posted something about The Lottery on Facebook last night. It’s a documentary about charter schools in Harlem, a neighborhood just a few blocks from where I currently live. I’ve heard things about schools in Harlem, but to be honest, I didn’t know much more beyond that it’s typical of many inner-city schools in America. I took…
Read More
How SIPA Takes on Exam Stress
December 15, 2011
Oh SIPA. You never cease to amaze me. I have been so involved with my life in New York and the happenings at Columbia that I haven’t written much about these really amazing past few months. It’s finals time and stress is in the air, but what really impresses me is how my SIPA colleagues manage to handle this stress…
Read More
The little things in life
November 23, 2011
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. In the past 6 years, I have only spent one Thanksgiving in the USA. I am beyond excited to be back. Celebrating this holiday in the foreign land, while at times memorable (those Peace Corps Thanksgivings were pretty epic), usually is pretty anti-climatic. Even though I am staying in the City and not going home for Thanksgiving,…
Read More
Africa Gathering DC
November 11, 2011
Had an amazing time leaving NYC for a bit to attend Africa Gathering in DC. Unlike other typical African conferences, this was literally a gathering of ideas from entrepreneurs ranging from film, music, to solar power, agriculture investment, to youth voting promotion, women’s empowerment. Each speaker discussed their ideas for 20 minutes and it was a packed day full of…
Read More
Life at Columbia SIPA
October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween! Somehow, November is upon us, the first snow of the year came and went, yet I had not written much about my time thus far at Columbia SIPA. Life has been busy, but in a positive and fulfilling way. Columbia is a magical place. I feel myself growing all the time. Everything I thought I wanted out of…
Read More
On est ensemble!
September 28, 2011
The long-awaited Peace Corps reunion weekend happened a few days ago. This is the 50th year of the Peace Corps and this was the weekend that loads of events took place in DC. My stage (training group) took this opportunity and organized our own reunion on top of it. Somehow, we managed to get people to fly in from all…
Read More
Vintage Train on NYC Subway!
September 12, 2011
This afternoon, on my way home from Trader Joe’s, a strange vintage train approached the 2/3 train platform. I was confused, but people were getting on, so I joined as well. Turns out it’s a train HBO is running on weekends to promote Boardwalk Empire. That is some serious marketing strategy. I know nothing about the show nor how it…
Read More
America! New York City! New Beginnings!
September 6, 2011
The last few weeks have been a crazy blur. I had my leaving drinks the night before I left London. I went back to the Midwest for 10 days to catch up with family and friends. Even though I have been living in the developed world for the past year, coming back to America is still a culture shock. 10…
Read More
British vs. American-Battle of the Grades
August 12, 2011
I received my intermediate transcript from the LSE today, and on the back, there was a grading scale that translated into the A/B/C system for the general course (study abroad). I am not sure how I didn’t know this throughout this entire year, though I’m sure it was buried somewhere deep in the LSE website. Knowing this would have alleviated…
Read MoreReverse Culture Shock: One Year Later.
August 10, 2011
I left Cameroon just a little over a year ago. This year went by in a blur. Swoosh! and it was gone. As I reflect upon this past year, I begin to realize the impact that reverse culture shock had on me. People always say that it’s easier going into a new experience than coming back. I never really had…
Read More