10/7/11

I booked my flight ticket today.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 || Icelandair # 680:

  • Seattle/Tacoma Intl (SEA) to Reykjavik Keflavik International (KEF)

Departure (SEA): January 24, 3:30 PM PST (afternoon)
Arrival (KEF): January 25, 6:45 AM GMT (morning)
Class: Economy Seat: 18C

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 || Icelandair # 318:

  • Reykjavik Keflavik International (KEF) to Oslo Airport (OSL)

Departure (KEF): January 25, 7:35 AM GMT (morning)
Arrival (OSL): January 25, 11:05 AM CET (morning)
Class: Economy Seat: 15C

One-way ticket for $466.

The difference between YVR (Vancouver) and SEA (Seattle) was about $150, hence why my mom is driving me 3+ hours down to Seattle for my flight. That’s going to be an emotional road trip.

My classes officially start on January 31st and end in late June. I have about a week to get settled at UMB before the real game begins.

I may not know shit about travel logistics, but I’m slowly getting everything together piece by piece.

Breathe, Megan, Breathe.

10/3/11

A New Direction?

I’ve reached a point where I’m actually not sure if I have more of an interest in Global Health or International Development. Yes, the two fields are heavily intertwined, but there are distinguishing differences between the focuses of each field.

I first entered GRS declaring a specialization in Global Health. When I planned out my future courses, I jotted down a lot of nutrition courses, figuring I would probably go that route. To my surprise, nutrition, although fascinating, did not hold my attention as much as I though it would. A subject I never thought I would be interested in – economics – however did. Not bland microeconomics, but economics in the context of international development.

Maybe it’s the influx of international development related courses I’ve been taking, but I find it quite enlightening how initial plans and interests shift with the various courses I take. I’m still quite interested in Global Health, but this increasing interest in International Development is quite unprecedented.

I’m glad GRS is so flexible when it comes to specializations – plus I’m extra lucky that Global Health and International Development arenas interlink – if I do decide to switch to the latter, the transition will be smoother.

But I’m still quite interested a number of topics in Global Health – topics that I would love to learn more about:

-Epidemiology & Diseases: bacteria and viruses have always fascinated me [I’m planning to take MICB 202 in my fourth year…]

-Social Determinants of Health

-Ecohealth

-Health Systems & Policy

In the field of International Development, my interests are (so far) as follows:

-Food & Resource Economics and Trade

-Gender Equity

-Governance & Policy

-Food Security

-Rural-Urban Migration

I guess, to put it one way, Global Health could count into the larger arena of International Development. Actually, that fits rather well. I’m extremely interested in domestic and foreign policy regarding development and healthcare systems in (or not in) place. Hmm. More to think about.

10/2/11

A quote for self-inspiration~

I thought up a great little quote to keep in mind for myself. 😀 Here it is!

“Don’t look back on the past to regret the steps you’ve taken. Look back to see how far you’ve come.”

This quote will remind me not to compare my life with others. What experiences I have are just as valuable as anyone else’s. Must not forget that!

09/30/11

Learning to fly.

There is a day where every parent comes face to face with the hard reality that they have to let their child fly free into the real world. But I don’t think Africa was where my mother had in mind for me. At least not for the long term.

When I first told my mom that I wanted to go abroad for a year, she was completely supportive. When I told her I wanted to go to a school in Norway with a 2-month field course in Tanzania, she was still very supportive, even though she wasn’t as comfortable with the field-course portion. So recently, when I found out more information concerning field research during my exchange, naturally, I told my mom about it. She didn’t take it too well. Or to put it another way, she took it as well as she could.

The notion of me completing my own field research in a possibly unstable country, with no real institutional structure and being pretty much on my own, well, scared her. It’s understandable – I mean, I was in the same position as her when it dawned on me that I would have to completely step out of my safe, comfortable bubble to reside in a place that may be quite risky. It took me time to get to the point where I was set on taking such risks. I knew that my mom had not really realized what field of work I was actually wanting to go into when I applied to the GRS program even. But I rolled with it. I wanted to find out for myself if this path was the one I wanted to be on – to find my resolve in residing in a developing country, if only for a time. Once I found that resolve, I knew I could look right at my mother’s face and tell her that this was what I wanted.

Because, in the end, there’s nothing my family can do or say that can stop me from my own life choices. I know that, and my mom knows that. But I know that if I had even the faintest doubt in my mind about this path, my mom would try to coax me out of it. Not because she doesn’t respect my decisions but because she, as a mother, wants me to live in my comfortable bubble of a life for as long as possible. No parent wants their child to be in a risky environment, right?

I want my mom to understand my resolve. I want her to understand that I want to step out of my bubble – to see the world for what it is – good and bad. I want to face challenges, find myself in uncomfortable situations, and fall down over and over again, because that’s the only way I will grow as a person. That is the only way to expand my world: to learn – to experience – and truly give back. I have been born into this seat of privilege and I don’t want to take it for granted. I don’t want to be naive. I want to live my life fighting myself out of a life of apathy and ignorance.

For these experiences, I’m willing to put myself into risky environments. To make sacrifices. To find out, truly, if I am a person that can work in the field of Global Health and Development on the ground – not behind a desk. I need to know. That is why I’m going. Some part of my mom knew that when she walked out of my room today. She wasn’t happy – but she hadn’t tried to persuade me out of my decision.

We all have to fly away from the nest some day.

09/25/11

The Opportunities of Exchange Abroad

Earlier this week, I went to a Go Global Country Session, where you get to mingle with incoming and outgoing exchange students from every country you can think of this week. I experienced a number of things through this event:

1. People appreciate my keen attitude. Someone commented that I was much more outgoing and talkative than a lot of the exchange students who had come back from exchange. I see it this way: if I can’t be open to being social and keen at UBC in my home of Vancouver, how can I ever expect to do that just miraculously when I arrive in Norway? Practice is key!

2. There are really people from all over at UBC. First person I approached was a girl on exchange from Edinburgh, Scotland – who was originally from Germany. Rad. 8)

3. I met an Oslo native! Her name was Jannicke (cannot pronounce it for the life of me) and she was on exchange from the University of Oslo in Norway. She was very helpful in answering all my questions about Norwegian culture, people, and most importantly, how to eat decently in a nation with one of the highest per-capita GDP in the world. She also offered to give me a tour of Oslo when I arrived as she would be back home as well. 😀

4. I met a returned exchange student from Norway! His name was Robbie, and he had actually done a semester in Bergen, Norway (on the other side of the country from where I will be) AND a semester in Australia afterwards. He was super helpful in telling me about how to get cheap airfares, figuring out cell phones, addressing financial concerns, and basically any exchange planning logistics that I was fuzzy on. Plus it was super interesting to hear about his travels in between his studies: he went to Ireland, Russia, Egypt, and to places as far as Japan as well as stopping off in Iceland and exploring Norway. He even admitted he was all over the place. I could tell he really enjoyed his year of adventure though.

5. Ask ask ASK! It never hurts to ask even the silliest (or what you think is a silly) question. Requests to reiterate and explain something further are perfectly fine too compared to the alternative: nodding like you understand so you don’t lose face. : I had to overcome that initial ‘oh, I probably seem really annoying with all of these questions…’ and the ‘oh, I really don’t know anything and they might think my questions are just really stupid…’ It gets easier the more you do it. Besides, chances are there’s another person with the exact same question, who is too afraid to ask it for the same reasons.

6. There’s a girl I know who’s going at the exact same time as me! Her name is Sam, and she just transferred into the same program as me. She’s doing the same field course in Africa with me too. 😀 It’s wonderful knowing that I won’t be so alone, but I am glad that it’s not like 20 other people from UBC going at the same time as me. I would never be able to connect with UMB students if I was being smothered by UBC exchange students.

7. I have free reign of doing whatever I want for school credit from October-December 2012. The field course in Uganda according to a friend is just from August-September. I have a choice to do one of the following afterwards:

a) go back to UMB and take a couple more courses (because I did pay for 15 credits).

b) go back to UBC and do an independent course for the rest of my credits (but that would waste money).

c) complete a research paper or do some field research under the guidance of a UMB prof with possible funding – at this point, I have no idea where this would be (but this is the most appealing option for me – what a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! :D).

Option C has been the route for many GRS students before me: I know girls who have gone to Tanzania for independent field research, their findings and papers being sent to governments and institutions to advocate for policy changes. There are so many doors of opportunity to choose from with this exchange of mine and I cannot wait to go abroad now more than ever!

All I need to do this keep my open, keen attitude. That is my key.

09/22/11

Revisions and new beginnings!

With this GRS blog having gathered a lot of dust over the last year, I’ve decided to do some reconstructing, adding, and maintenance with the onset of my third year at UBC and me going abroad to Norway in the new year. Might as well get in the habit of writing thoughtful postings on this blog.

For my personal blog (updated near-daily) check out my tumblr blog: http://indescribableme.tumblr.com/

09/22/11

We can imagine better.

I’m just going to leave this here….

The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination

The above video recording of J.K. Rowling’s Harvard 2008 Commencement Address is what I turn to whenever I feel lost in my direction in life. It’s well worth a watch and the transcript of her memorable speech can also be found online to read. Definitely worth checking out!

04/12/11

What Will Await Me?

"Six Months in Sudan" by Dr. James Maskalyk

The image I have below is the cover of a book titled “Six Months in Sudan” by Dr. James Maskalyk, a Canadian doctor that worked in the field through MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières – Doctors Without Borders) in 2007. I first heard of this book through a seminar held by UBC’s STAND about a week ago, and have been looking for a place to either borrow it from or buy it for my own. Luckily, I found it in the bookshelves of my local public library back in Coquitlam.

“Six Months in Sudan” recounts the day-to-day events experienced by Dr. James Maskalyk in the war-torn village of Abyei, Sudan as he acted as the designated attending physician in the village. Even his experience as a doctor in Canadian hospital emergency wards could not have prepared him for the crisis that awaited him in Abyei. This is a story about foreign aid and the struggles experienced by one man as he observed the situation in Sudan from a neutral standpoint – a témoignage.

Although I’ve only just started reading this book, I already have a couple of deep thoughts about it. Maskalyk starts his story at the ‘end’ of his journey – a month after he had returned from Sudan. He recounts the distance he feels from his family and friends as he reminisces back to his time back in the field. He then rewinds to the beginning of his journey, when he was working through the logistics of his departure. Maskalyk’s reasoning for heading to Sudan really stuck with me as I flipped through the pages of his book:

“I wanted to see who I was when everything was taken from me, when there was no insulation between me and the rest of the world.”

This made me think about what kind of human being I would be when everything that I had was taken from me. I mean, how much does what I possess define who I am? How would I act if I lived in a war-torn country, if I had barely anything to eat, if I had nearly nothing at all? Would I still be the person that I am here in a country like Canada?

I’ll have similar thoughts racing through my head until I finish this book. Reading about Dr. Maskalyk’s experiences in foreign aid makes me question the reasons in which I’m going into Global Health for and if I’m really just being idealistic about the world in which I live in. There’s so many places I have yet to see, so many people that I have yet to meet. I’m so insulated in this comfortable bubble called my life that I feel very ignorant about what’s going on around the rest of the world. I want to know more. I want to see more and experience it. But I’m also terrified of what awaits me out there. I fear that I won’t be able to handle the horrors calmly enough to work towards what is beautiful.

But I can’t stand being so ignorant about everything either.

04/5/11

My lens on the world and humanity.

The world is so vast and diverse; it constantly changes before my eyes as the lens in which I view ‘the world’ broadens with everything I learn and experience. The world is beautiful – full of extraordinary places that I dream of visiting someday. It is also cruel, but only because as humans we make it so. I distinguish the natural world and the constructed world we call civilization, communities, and society separately. It’s amazing how we often take more value in our built environments even though everything we use comes directly from resources of the natural environment. I think that’s a mentality that needs to change. If you really think about it, laws, facts (although well supported), religion, social expectations…they are all human inventions based on what we as humans have constructed as ‘logic’. It doesn’t necessarily mean that this human sense of ‘logic’ is always right – it merely is the one sensical thing that we base much of what we know on. Knowing that what we see to be ‘proper’ or ‘right’ is merely one lens in viewing the world, I think it’s crucial to understand that lens change and so do mentalities. Nothing is static in this world of ours, natural or constructed.

We are terribly flawed. I like to think of three human traits when I think of humanity (not all necessarily bad).

Humans are selfish. I believe that there is no such thing as a selfless act, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We are all selfish and no matter the choice or action, there is always a tiny part of us that is driven by that selfishness. whether it’d be the good feeling one gets in helping others or sacrificing oneself to save a loved one, there is a selfish portion of ourselves that wants something to be a certain way.

Humans strive for ‘happiness’. I don’t know if there’s a person out there who doesn’t want to be happy, no matter what kind of happiness they wish for. More often than not, what a person defines as their own ‘happiness’ (ie. money and fame as general examples) means putting down the happiness of others around them. This pursuit of happiness links to our natural selfish desire to put ourselves first a lot of the time as well.

Humans are often full of themselves. Many of us are hypocrites by saying we’re not. The ‘meaning of life’, ‘destiny’, taking all of the resources we want and putting our constructed environments before the rest of the natural world – I see all of these as points of arrogance for humanity. Who decided to proclaim that humans are better than any other living organism on the planet? Our intelligence? Again, what makes our line of logic ‘right’? It’s just another way we make sense of the world. Everyone at one time or another yearns to know ‘why they are here’, as if there is some sort of logical reason for life and our very existence. Is it wrong of me to think that this kind of logic is arrogant?  I just see it as trying to narrow the world into our narrow lens of ‘logic’. Is it so incomprehensible to believe that we aren’t special – that we weren’t put on this planet for a purpose? I mean, there’s nothing wrong with believing that sort of thing – even I wonder about it sometimes. It’s only human to try to make sense of things in the only way we know how. But I just see it as us being full of ourselves by believing we can make sense of everything there is to know and believing that to be ‘right’. I will state that the qualities of intelligence and curiosity in humans has been beneficial to our kind immensely. It’s how we’ve come this far in our entire history. I just don’t like the hierarchal idea that humans are the highest life forms in the world and that everything else on the planet is free for us to label and use.

In the end, it isn’t our job to put tailor the world to our liking. Rather, we have to imagine and create ingenious ways to shaping ourselves to the world in which we live in a sustainable manner.

04/3/11

An apathetic society.

One of things I absolutely cannot stand is the state of apathy in our society. ‘I don’t care’, ‘It’s not my problem’, ‘Deal with it’, ‘I can’t do anything about it’ – phrases such as these only feed this indifferent mentality that we shouldn’t work to change the inequities of our society. Especially in the western world, the notion of independence – of ‘every man for himself’ – supports the excuse that society as a collective has no business dealing with the troubles of the individual. Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble, but hard work alone cannot move someone up the socio-economic ladder if the necessary resources aren’t there to support that someone in the first place. The commonplace ‘Rags-to-Riches’ fairy tale is often told but rarely seen. The truth of the matter is, there are people in need of help in the developed world as well as the developing world. Some can’t survive without some support. Indifference is just an excuse to turn a blind eye towards them.