I figure I should probably give you some information on why I have this blog in the first place, in case you have no idea what I was talking about in that last post.
I want to share how Ghana is viewed from hazel eyes.
Through a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, I will spend the next year in Ghana being, well, a scholar and an ambassador. Rotary District 6220 is my sponsor while district 9100 is my host district. I will be taking Master's courses in the Department of Geography and Resource Development at the University of Ghana. Though I majored in Geology, I find the link between environmental contamination and public health most interesting. Despite what you'd think, Medical Geology is quite the emerging field. To be a fruitful good-will-spreader, I will also give several talks to Rotary and non-Rotary audiences within and hopefully out of the country.
The most common question I receive after telling someone about the scholarship is: why did you choose Ghana? My real question is why someone would choose Paris or London. "Developing" (sorry if you hate that word) countries are the perfect settings to study environmental catch 22's. How do you enter the world stage without destroying your environment in the process? Is sustainable development an oxymoron and are there human health ramifications to current environmentally-related decisions?
Water quality, air pollution, mining waste, and other geochemical issues are fascinating. I hope to explore these. And what's more, my experience with Africa (via Sierra Leone) taught me that this part of the continent is colorful and lively. All the Ghanaians I know are wonderful. This is a perfect place to study Global Environmental Health. Not to mention it will be different enough to help me see myself as well.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Introduction
Interesting blog title, right? Well, here's the deal:
This blog is written by me. The events henceforth described, the emotions detailed, are "seen" from my hazel eyes. If there's one thing I learned from my Lawrence University intro history class, it's that everything can be analyzed for what it is. Even the most biased historical documents tell you something about the authors, about their perspectives.
So, if you think something I put on here is controversial or politically incorrect, take it for what it's worth. I of all people have never felt I was informed on a topic well enough to have a real opinion on it. (Good luck to me when someone asks about my views on American politics). That being said, I will share the emotional and intellectual reactions that result from current events, even when I am unsure about what they mean or where I stand. I'm not a huge fan of unnecessary controversy-arguing for the sake of arguing, playing devil's advocate, pushing people's buttons- not my favorite. But taking a stand on something while being willing to change is not instigating controversy; it provides opportunity for conversation.
As my dad always says, my mom is the best mirror he's ever had. She helps him see himself in a way he never could on his own. Travel is very much the same. I hope more than anything to go through my looking glass. I hope to enter a world with which I am unfamiliar. I have heard from past Rotary scholars that often times host Rotary clubs are less interested in the story about your house and dog and white picket fence and are more interested in how you view their country. It's not selfish; just think of how common it is to go to a new city and have someone ask you how you like it. Generally, people are interested in how they come off to other people. I will comment on how I perceive things and what I learn about how other people perceive things. And perhaps, most importantly, I will occasionally step out from behind my looking glass and use it to see myself.
As Henry Wriston, the 8th president of Lawrence University, described in the book they kindly gave us at graduation (The Nature of a Liberal College), emotion dictates action more than thoughts do and we're fools if we think otherwise. Therefore, emotional experience, cultivation, and development are a fundamental part of any education. Perhaps stream of consciousness makes the most interesting reading. From here on, I will try to keep sections of this blog short and sweet so you can pick out topics of interest. I have never been one for journaling- at least in the fashion where every detail of your day is meticulously transcribed. If I have to relive my day a second time by recording it, I artificially choose what was "important" enough to write down. I "decide" what my emotional responses were during the day, and by putting it on paper (or cyberspace) it somehow makes it real. Then, years down the road, I will remember the event by how I decided to describe it when journaling and not by the actual memories I had of it. On the whole, I don't like that approach.
I guess the purpose of this blog is to (granted these are most certainly to change as I actually start blogging):
1. Let you know I'm still alive.
2. Give you a little insight into my activities.
3. Give you a little more insight into my perspective.
4. Make you think.
So, enjoy my views on anything that happens to hit my mind and my fingers. I'll try not to be candid, but sorry, at times it will almost certainly be. Afterall, this is the internet.
And you know how I love journaling.
This blog is written by me. The events henceforth described, the emotions detailed, are "seen" from my hazel eyes. If there's one thing I learned from my Lawrence University intro history class, it's that everything can be analyzed for what it is. Even the most biased historical documents tell you something about the authors, about their perspectives.
So, if you think something I put on here is controversial or politically incorrect, take it for what it's worth. I of all people have never felt I was informed on a topic well enough to have a real opinion on it. (Good luck to me when someone asks about my views on American politics). That being said, I will share the emotional and intellectual reactions that result from current events, even when I am unsure about what they mean or where I stand. I'm not a huge fan of unnecessary controversy-arguing for the sake of arguing, playing devil's advocate, pushing people's buttons- not my favorite. But taking a stand on something while being willing to change is not instigating controversy; it provides opportunity for conversation.
As my dad always says, my mom is the best mirror he's ever had. She helps him see himself in a way he never could on his own. Travel is very much the same. I hope more than anything to go through my looking glass. I hope to enter a world with which I am unfamiliar. I have heard from past Rotary scholars that often times host Rotary clubs are less interested in the story about your house and dog and white picket fence and are more interested in how you view their country. It's not selfish; just think of how common it is to go to a new city and have someone ask you how you like it. Generally, people are interested in how they come off to other people. I will comment on how I perceive things and what I learn about how other people perceive things. And perhaps, most importantly, I will occasionally step out from behind my looking glass and use it to see myself.
As Henry Wriston, the 8th president of Lawrence University, described in the book they kindly gave us at graduation (The Nature of a Liberal College), emotion dictates action more than thoughts do and we're fools if we think otherwise. Therefore, emotional experience, cultivation, and development are a fundamental part of any education. Perhaps stream of consciousness makes the most interesting reading. From here on, I will try to keep sections of this blog short and sweet so you can pick out topics of interest. I have never been one for journaling- at least in the fashion where every detail of your day is meticulously transcribed. If I have to relive my day a second time by recording it, I artificially choose what was "important" enough to write down. I "decide" what my emotional responses were during the day, and by putting it on paper (or cyberspace) it somehow makes it real. Then, years down the road, I will remember the event by how I decided to describe it when journaling and not by the actual memories I had of it. On the whole, I don't like that approach.
I guess the purpose of this blog is to (granted these are most certainly to change as I actually start blogging):
1. Let you know I'm still alive.
2. Give you a little insight into my activities.
3. Give you a little more insight into my perspective.
4. Make you think.
So, enjoy my views on anything that happens to hit my mind and my fingers. I'll try not to be candid, but sorry, at times it will almost certainly be. Afterall, this is the internet.
And you know how I love journaling.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)