This blog is dedicated to international development: a field where
technology, innovation and compassion marry and give birth to sustainable and
equitable futures. I have borrowed the name of this blog from a 19th century
poem, "Scholar gipsy" written by Matthew Arnold. In this poem he chronicled the experiences of
the titular hero, a young student who leaves the prestigious University of
Oxford, to spend his life with a band of gypsies. You can reach the poem here . When I was growing
up, this poem had a tremendous and very inspirational effect on me. In my
opinion, there is an inner gipsy in all of us, trying to migrate to his or her
own place of comfort. All of us, on some level want an equitable world free of
racism, prejudices and stereotypes. For me, that world is my profession:
International Development.
International development, in its essence is a change-making process. It is much more than just feeding the hungry or clothing the poor. It is about building the capacity of the bottom of the pyramid. The very nature of this profession makes a development practitioner a nomad. These modern ‘global nomads’ are individuals with highly developed intellectual sense, degrees from respected Western universities, varied academic backgrounds and diverse technical skill sets. They are all set to make this world a sustainable place for a better tomorrow.
Recently, I listened to a talk given by popular Turkish author Elif Safak in which she talked about self created walls and circles which hinder us from finding a mutual ground with other people. Although, she comes from a writing background, her talk inspired me to try to remove my own barriers, break my own walls and come out of my own personal circles.
International development is also the field for the dreamy-eyed author whose heart is filled with hope for a better tomorrow. Being a person of color who immigrated to Canada at age 17, I have first hand dealt with the issues of identity crisis, immersing in an entirely new culture and dealing with an increased self knowledge. My story is filled with raw and powerful emotions and I am sure every person in this world has an equally or perhaps more meaningful story which I want to know more about. In my role of a development practitioner, I would like to highlight the importance of stories, cultural diversity and the role these things play in international development.
Stories have the power to change the world like nothing else can. The best way for a development worker to obtain meaningful, powerful and inspirational stories is field work. In my opinion, a working pair of legs is the best aide of a development worker. A casual, long stroll through the streets, alleyways, boulevards and avenues of a city reveal everything that needs development. Hidden gems like graffiti, old buildings, bazaars, markets, school going children, loitering adults, they all make the fabric of a city. They also help the development worker to get down from the ivory towers of academic research and trillions of reports to identify with the living, breathing mosaic of the world. My intention is not to demean the importance of research and academic writing in anyway. I just want to complement research with right amount of human interaction, which is why; I love the opportunity of doing fieldwork in an actual developmental setting. This opportunity is being given to me by my alma mater, University of Waterloo, for which I am truly grateful. I cannot wait to share my experiences with you.
International development, in its essence is a change-making process. It is much more than just feeding the hungry or clothing the poor. It is about building the capacity of the bottom of the pyramid. The very nature of this profession makes a development practitioner a nomad. These modern ‘global nomads’ are individuals with highly developed intellectual sense, degrees from respected Western universities, varied academic backgrounds and diverse technical skill sets. They are all set to make this world a sustainable place for a better tomorrow.
Recently, I listened to a talk given by popular Turkish author Elif Safak in which she talked about self created walls and circles which hinder us from finding a mutual ground with other people. Although, she comes from a writing background, her talk inspired me to try to remove my own barriers, break my own walls and come out of my own personal circles.
International development is also the field for the dreamy-eyed author whose heart is filled with hope for a better tomorrow. Being a person of color who immigrated to Canada at age 17, I have first hand dealt with the issues of identity crisis, immersing in an entirely new culture and dealing with an increased self knowledge. My story is filled with raw and powerful emotions and I am sure every person in this world has an equally or perhaps more meaningful story which I want to know more about. In my role of a development practitioner, I would like to highlight the importance of stories, cultural diversity and the role these things play in international development.
Stories have the power to change the world like nothing else can. The best way for a development worker to obtain meaningful, powerful and inspirational stories is field work. In my opinion, a working pair of legs is the best aide of a development worker. A casual, long stroll through the streets, alleyways, boulevards and avenues of a city reveal everything that needs development. Hidden gems like graffiti, old buildings, bazaars, markets, school going children, loitering adults, they all make the fabric of a city. They also help the development worker to get down from the ivory towers of academic research and trillions of reports to identify with the living, breathing mosaic of the world. My intention is not to demean the importance of research and academic writing in anyway. I just want to complement research with right amount of human interaction, which is why; I love the opportunity of doing fieldwork in an actual developmental setting. This opportunity is being given to me by my alma mater, University of Waterloo, for which I am truly grateful. I cannot wait to share my experiences with you.
