“It may seem naively idealistic, but I know that as long as we can imagine a better tomorrow, we can work towards a better tomorrow.” –James Orbinski, An Imperfect Offering About two weeks ago I had a session with my students on stereotypes and how we should not act on them in order to avoid… Continue reading Tolerance, Peace, and Value Systems
Category: Work
Promoting Discussion
Before leaving for my vacation to Ethiopia, which I will soon blog about, I had the pleasure of spending a week surrounded by talks of promoting discussion of various topics from witchcraft to stereotypes to sexual abuse. It is a topic important to me because the simple act of promoting discussion is what opens doors… Continue reading Promoting Discussion
Being ‘Madame Younge’
It would be an understatement to say that I love my work. And I especially love Thursdays when I get to teach another session at my pilot school in Adenta. I have 37 students, which is a combination of Class 5 and Class 6. This puts the students’ ages between 10 and 12, which was… Continue reading Being ‘Madame Younge’
Living My Questions
Last October, I finished reading James Orbinski’s An Imperfect Offering, which took a hard look at humanitarianism and politics. Orbinski’s job as head of Doctors Without Borders and his founding of Dignitas International exposed him to the type of preventable human suffering that raises a mountain of questions surrounding why things happen and how can… Continue reading Living My Questions
The Principle Behind Taking a Deep Breath
My good friend Sara Willis knows exactly how to handle me when I come to her in a lightning blur of gchats or Skype messages about my life—things I am worried about, overly excited about, or confused about. Her first reaction is always to tell me to first stop whatever I am doing and take… Continue reading The Principle Behind Taking a Deep Breath
Peace Does Not Simply Mean the Absence of Conflict
While writing the program manual for my project over the last several weeks, I have been wrestling with the question of what exactly does peace—more specifically living in peace and peaceful societies—mean to me. What would it mean for the children I am here to work with to grow up in peace? Peace, I have… Continue reading Peace Does Not Simply Mean the Absence of Conflict
Of Dinner Parties, Godchildren, and the Rising Temperature
This past weekend, I spent half my time in Atomic Down and the other half in Adenta. On Friday, I had invited my friend Justin Grinstead, who also lived in Currier House at Harvard, to dinner at the house. I was so proud of myself for being able to give him directions based on the… Continue reading Of Dinner Parties, Godchildren, and the Rising Temperature
“Stop Watching Novelas and Do Something”
I think this is when most people give up on their stories. They come out of college wanting to change the world, wanting to get married, wanting to have kids and change the way people buy office supplies. But they get into the middle and discover it was harder than they thought. They can’t see… Continue reading “Stop Watching Novelas and Do Something”
AND ‘T’ STANDS FOR TRUST
On Thursday, as part of my summer paralegal job, I got to attend depositions for a case with my boss (who remarkably doubles as my brother). Some of what was questioned of these men was the case law that hearsay is not sufficient by itself and must be corroborated by independent investigation or steps to… Continue reading AND ‘T’ STANDS FOR TRUST
Odelia Younge 