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.
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