I decided three days ago I wanted to go on a trip. So I’m visiting some friends in the Philippines and Indonesia for the next month or so. I’d be mostly traveling on my own during the week and meeting up with friends during the weekend. The perfect balance. Trips don’t always need a purpose, but for this one: I was getting restless staying at home for too long. This will be an adventure to spend my newly regained energy. […]
Today, I soft launched my new venture: an online video course called “Jump Start Your Career in International Development” hosted at Udemy. The course is aimed at 1) fresh university graduates and 2) professionals looking for a mid career change who are curious about how it is like to work in the profession of international development and humanitarian aid. For more information and free preview videos, please visit: InternationalDevelopmentCareer.com or www.udemy.com/international-development-career . Further questions and comments are very appreciated and can be directed […]
I spent quite a few hours helping a good friend prepare for an important interview today. My take aways: Helping other people really clarifies my own thinking about topics and techniques Using tone of voice, speed of talking, and gestures to emphasize are all really important. I need to practice more. Take a moment to collect your thoughts before answering. Decide on your three main advantages that make you the best candidate. Drive that home through each question, in a […]
Just booked a two month long trip visiting some friends in SE Asia. Going to try out being a digital nomad and have some quiet time to develop the new idea. Very excited. Energy level: Higher than normal. This is an achievement: a personal high in the last half year. The old me is back. P.S. videos still exporting…
I’m now finished editing my 30+ videos, each 2-6 minutes. But, little did I know that exporting videos to mp4 format takes so much time… Nervous as I’m so close to publishing. I’m hoping to catch the just graduating wave starting in May… And new goal: apply to Start Up Chile!
I wrote a few posts ago that “being at the desk when inspiration hasn’t struck is just as important as being at the desk when inspiration has struck,” or, in short, “Be There.” “There” can be any number of goals. For exercise, it can mean going for a walk instead of a run if you’re not feeling as energetic that day. For blogging, it could mean quoting an interesting article instead of writing an original post. For learning to be vulnerable, it […]
One of the reasons for my new project, of creating an online video course sharing my experience in starting a career in international development, is that I want to grow thicker skin. I want to be able to take criticism (well-intentioned or otherwise) with grace. What better place to learn than on the internet? I also chose to host it on a teaching platform instead of youtube because the commenters on youtube are generally not very constructive. This reminds me […]
I read this article called “The Courage to Stay in One Place” back in 2014 and it really resonated with me. The past few months, though, have given me a new perspective and more nuance. Two paragraphs that particularly stand out: When the first pangs of anxiety hit, my default is always a suitcase and a ticket to anywhere. I have gotten used to the idea that an Italian train and fields of red poppies are the cure for any sort […]
One of the biggest personal lessons I’ve learnt in the past year or so: Being at the desk when inspiration hasn’t struck is just as important as being at the desk (or where ever you work) when inspiration has struck. It’s the daily steps that build up a project. And it’s easy to forget that when those fingers just don’t seem to be typing or those thoughts just don’t seem to be flowing.
“We’ve forgotten how damaged we’ve been by oppression and injustice. People think that apartheid was just a political yoke, but it got into the psyches of both the oppressors and the oppressed. We’ve not yet found the remedy where we help people recover their sense of self-worth. When I went to Nigeria for the first time in the 1970s. I got on a plane in Lagos. Both pilots were black, something I’d never come across in South Africa. I grew […]
