The Need for Perspective: Sandy Hook

News travels fast, especially if its heart-wrenching disaster news. So naturally, even in Nepal, all I’ve been hearing about is the unfortunate series of events in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. First things first, I want to send my sincerest of condolences to everyone involved and/or affected by the shootings.

The tragedy has been a lot to process for everyone, and it seems like just yesterday I was reading about Columbine in the news. You wonder how something could have gotten so out of hand; some of us are even more troubled because we didn’t think something like that could happen in our community, our neighbourhood, our society. The reality is that these things can happen anywhere, that they are happening elsewhere.

Let’s not forget the other children of the world, the other tragedies that kill millions annually. There are child soldiers in many developing countries, others face sex trafficking, some are condemned to a life of poverty and malnutrition, and so on. There are children dying every day because of yet another injustice to which we turn a blind eye.

I’m not trying to at all take away from what happened – it’s horrible and it’s sad, and it deserves our attention. It highlights the need for change in many aspects of our society. What I’m suggesting is that we put it into perspective. There are a lot of similar horrible, sad things occurring in many other parts of the world, and they deserve our attention as well. They deserve our prayers, our consideration, our hard work or, at minimum, your Facebook posts. These various other issues need to be addressed and awareness needs to be raised if anything is every going to change.

So what I’m asking of you today is simple; feel remorse for these victims and their families, pray for them – do all that you are already doing, and then one step more. Channel your sadness and shock into something positive – advocacy. Advocate for all the children around the world, all the girls and boys that deserve to live their lives to the fullest. Do your research; learn about the other hardships plaguing our world today. If along the way, you find a cause that inspires you, share what you’ve learned, and raise awareness. If not, that’s ok. But at least educate yourself so that something positive can come of this recent tragedy.

It's that Time of Year Again!

I’ve been reading so many Facebook statuses about exams lately… and I’m oddly homesick. No, I’m not crazy – I know I shouldn’t miss school. But my favourite thing about December exam time was that it meant the holidays were creeping up on you.

And as multicultural as Canada may be, you always know when Christmas is around the corner – the pretty lights, the retail “sales”, the mall rush, the music playing everywhere. Though not an official celebrator of Christmas (the non-Christian part sort of prevents that), the December holidays meant a lot of fun things to me – family bonding, good food, games of Secret Santa… And Kushali!

Nepal has about a million and one festivals to celebrate, but Christmas isn’t one of them; and quite naturally, this is the time of year when expats and volunteers are most homesick. We’re doing whatever we can to embrace the holiday spirit and celebrate away from home; we have an ugly Christmas sweater party planned, potlucks, and our very own Secret Santa. That’s more Christmas than I celebrate at home!
But there isn’t exactly anything to make up for my Kushali withdrawal…. I just want some sherbat! With zero Ismailis and no JK, it’s sort of hard to celebrate the special occasion. And I know it’s ridiculous, who would’ve thought I’d actually miss it? I've always equated the two - December means Kushali and Christmas are around the corner. Kushmas is easily my favourite time of the year (summer is a close runner-up with the sun, beaches, and all); it’s a combo of both holidays, which means gift exchanges and seeing family, and getting dressed up too!

So to all my friends at home, in the least corny way possible, I’m thinking of you during these holidays. To any Ismailis reading this, Kushali Mubarak! Now please eat some extra meat pie and drink lots of sherbat for me!

Missing you all.

What to Look for in your Field Placement

Oh third years, this is such a climatic time for you all, with applications due later this week! I remember being in your position just over a year ago – the excitement, the nail biting, the constantly changing rankings, and the discussions of who's going where.

First things first, don’t let this be a decision that stresses you out too much; each and every country, and each and every job, has something different to offer. I remember attending an info session and Grainne saying “Choose based on country” and Larry following with “Choose based on the organization”. Both had great points, but which would I recommend to you a year later, and after 3 months of experience on my shoulder? Oddly enough, it depends so much so on the person and what you’re looking for most out of this field placement.

If you find an organization that completely resonates with you, whose mandate makes your heart skip a beat, then by all means tailor your choices and application to that job.

However, if you’re like most of us – you sort of have an idea of what you like, but are largely unsure of what you’ll pursue within development – focus more on the country in which you’d like to work. This field placement is an opportunity to explore, to learn about yourself, and to gain some experience within the field.

Don’t be mistaken in thinking that your job isn’t a big part of your life here – you work for 5 days a week (or 6 if you’re lucky enough to be at certain Nepali NGOs). With that being said, your job IS in fact just your job; and so much, if not most of your learning, is outside of this job. The experiences you take away from this placement will be from your daily interactions with the vegetable vendor, the time you had to jump off of a moving bus, the local parade you joined, and the weekend trips you may take with your classmates. Your assimilation into the culture will teach you just as much about INDEV as your work experiences will.

A lot of your experiences during your field placement depend, quite frankly, on your surroundings. And for those of you that don’t think the weather matters, it does! When making your decision, think about all such factors. Do you prefer constant heat or changing seasons? Do you mind living in a rural area, with limited internet? Or do you prefer the noise and bustle of a busy city? Do you hope to do a lot of travelling outside of the country? Are you okay spending a lot of time on your own or do you prefer having company a lot of the time? Do you have any medical conditions that may make some placements more difficult to manage?

When looking through organizations, similar questions can help you narrow down your choices as well. Do you prefer a desk job or constant field visits? Do you want to work with a bigger, more established NGO or a smaller one? When looking through mandates, remember to look more so at the organization and not as much on the job. Your mandate can and will probably change once you arrive anyway.

And, most importantly, keep in mind that these are just factors to consider, they don’t control the quality of your experience; the true outcome of the placement depends on your attitude. No matter where you go, there will be things that are different and outside of your comfort zone; it’s about you adapting. Don’t look for something that’s exactly the same as what you’re familiar with; the purpose of this is to try something different, to struggle, and to adapt.