Thunderstorms and flooded roads

Posted on by
Thunderstorms and flooded roads

I was in Nairobi for three nights at the end of April. Every evening, Cumulus clouds built up to a wonderful thunderstorm. These remind me so much of my childhood in Swaziland. On the second evening, members of the Board of AIDSpan were invited to Executive Director, Kate MacIntyre’s home outside Nairobi. Here we enjoyed an excellent dinner with the sound of the rain on the tin roof of the dining room: another evocative experience. It is all too easy to forget how disruptive and unpleasant the storms are for people living in shacks which many do in Kenya.

Continue reading →

Teaching and Socialising in Waterloo

Posted on by

The first term of teaching is over; the students are heading out for a short break: I have just one more assignment to grade and then I am done for 2015 in terms of formal course teaching. I asked the class to complete an evaluation form for me so that I would get a sense of what they thought of the course and how I pitched it. There is an evaluation done by the University, but it won’t suit my needs and provide the sort of feedback that I require. So far, and because it is voluntary, I have only had three responses. I hope I get some more.

Continue reading →

Honours and Journeys

Posted on by
Honours and Journeys

It is hard to know where to begin this posting. Perhaps the best place is, as per normal, with a flight. I left Canada on 24th March to travel to Norwich, via Amsterdam, the usual route. On the way over I watched one film, The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. It is about the life of Second World War British code breaker Alan Turing. He was a gay man who took his own life as a result of the persecution he faced after the war. One has to feel relieved that our society has moved on since then. It was an excellent film and I can recommend it.

Continue reading →

Hope: The Key For a Better Future

Posted on by

The following was written by Aya Al-Shalchi

Mark Twain famously said that ‘the two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why’. I knew my purpose from the age of twelve. My experiences in Iraq and Libya instilled in me a passion to change this world and make it a better place. My passion dictated my life decisions including career and academic ones. I followed the path that would lead me to making this world better, a seemingly aspirational and far-fetched goal. At times it seems like the world is too far gone in its complexities, diseases and manipulative politics. At times, it seems like even the greats have lived and worked tirelessly only to earn the title of ‘attempt’ rather than ‘accomplishment’. At times, I found there to be conflict between my passion to make the world better and feeling helpless at anyone’s ability to do so. However, I argue there is still hope.

Continue reading →

Hamstrings and Winter

Posted on by

The winter here seems interminable: for the last week of February we had record cold temperature. On one memorable day, schools were cancelled as it was considered to be too icy for the students and, perhaps more importantly, the school transport. This is beginning to become a bit depressing. Outside the school and the apartments are huge snowbanks that may take months to melt. I am beginning to grasp the reason for the phlegmatic Canadian temperament. There is very little to be done except book a short break to Florida.

Continue reading →

Students

Posted on by

Students wanted:

Masters of International Public Policy

The program provides graduate training for individuals looking to pursue or enhance careers in international or global policy development, implementation and evaluation. A multidisciplinary and integrated curriculum is combined with a team-teaching approach to achieve the program’s objectives. Learn more…

Ph.D. in Global Governance

The Ph.D. in Global Governance, offered jointly by Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo, is a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary examination of power and authority in the global arena. Graduate students in the program examine the variety of actors, institutions, ideas, rules, and processes that contribute to the management of global society. Learn more…

Birds and more birds

Posted on by

There are sparrows living in the terminal building at National Airport in Washington. Clearly they have found an ecological niche and are making the most of it. I don’t know if they spend all their time in there or if they manage to get in and out. This is the sort of question that I would ‘Google’, but I was unable to connect with the internet. I was too tired to do battle with the technology, especially since I had just 40 minutes before boarding my flight to Toronto. Instead I sat in the boarding area and contemplated. There was an elderly gentleman sitting in there playing snatches of music on a French horn. This was designed to keep the waiting passengers amused I think. Unfortunately he was not very good and did not play any piece for long enough. One of the gate staff walked over, plonked himself in an empty wheelchair next to me, and gently rolled himself back and forth in time to the music while texting furiously. These are the vignettes of the departure gate.

Continue reading →

Older and wiser?

Posted on by
Older and wiser?

I realised as I prepared this posting that some of it is old news, given the speed with which things get passed round on Facebook. Never mind – here is the first report for 2015 and I want it on my webpage anyway. On 22 November, while I was in Canada, in Toronto to be exact, a letter arrived at 1 Brabazon Road in Norwich. Ailsa opened it and phoned me to share the contents. I am very glad she did. I took the call walking down Yonge Street, the station to get the train to Waterloo. This is not a salubrious part of town, but it is where the second hand bookshops are located.

Continue reading →

Cancelled planes and the run up to Christmas

Posted on by

In the last couple of weeks I have had two short spells in Canada split by one in the UK. I have just been in London for a board meeting for AIDSpan, an NGO based in Nairobi. Its mission is to ‘reinforce the effectiveness of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by serving as an independent watchdog of the Fund and its grant implementers’. I really enjoy these meetings and have a sense the organization is doing something worthwhile. We are a small board, just six people, and work well together.

Continue reading →