Remember in High School when you were applying for college and everyone and their mother would constantly berate you with the question, "Where are you going?". Well, telling people I'm in the GPP minor feels very reminiscent. After the initial "Where are you going?" (Peru), comes the "What are you doing?". I often receive positive reactions, with people saying things such as "Oh, you're going to love it", "Cusco will be wonderful", "This is going to be an adventure", etc, etc, etc.
However, I recently received an unprecedented reaction that served as a firm wake up call to me. Upon telling a complete stranger I was going to Peru, he warned me that Peru is home of the "world's scariest date rape drug" known as Devil's Breath. It is a derivative of the solanaceous plant family, and the active drug is called scopolamine. Devil's Breath is used to sedate victims, turning them into conscious docile zombies with bending wills. Furthermore, there is a hallucinogenic component to scopolamine and you cannot store memories while under the influence of the drug. It does not need to be orally ingested, and is often blown in the face or wiped on the skin.
Needless to say, this pretty much terrified me, especially after he added his own personal footnote of "primary targets of devil's breath are foreign college age females". Well thanks stranger, have a great day yourself.
After this encounter, I did some personal online research about Devil's Breath and found a short documentary on the drug by Vice. Turns out the drug is native to Columbia, but nearly everything else the stranger told me turned out to be true. After watching the documentary, I learned two clear lessons.
1. Although Devil's Breath is actually native to Columbia, this stranger reinforced the idea that I need to be extremely cautious on my Practice Experience. Having been previously met with reactions such as "Oh Peru? How nice" allowed me to romanticize my experience while the reality of the situation is that I am traveling alone to an unfamiliar country and need to use common sense and rationality while traveling. Not everyone is a predator lurking in the shadows ready to sedate me with Devil's Breath, but not everyone is a trusted friend.
2. While watching the documentary on Devil's Breath (I've included the link to part 2 in this post), they showed that most people using Devil's Breath were people in poverty. People in Columbia using Devil's Breath on unsuspecting victims were using the drug due to their dire circumstances. Most of the perpetrators were prostitutes robbing men. In an interview, a prostitute seducing victims with Devil's Breath since age 15 quoted "I look at my life and see that I have nothing to gain or lose". This prompts the notion that we cannot fully understand motives, and again reiterates the pernicious effects of poverty.
http://www.vice.com/en_uk/vice-news/colombian-devil-s-breath-2-of-2
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Friday, May 16, 2014
A reflection...
This year has been full of ups and downs for me, and I couldn't be more thankful for all that I've learnt from this. One of the biggest things I've learnt is that nothing is "perfect", and just that fact in and of itself has been a recurring theme.
One of the biggest areas in my life that this fact has continued to present itself in in my practice experience for a non-profit I work for, called 100 Strong, a leadership and mentorship program for young high school women, especially those from marginalised communities and historically disadvantaged backgrounds.. Currently, I'm in charge of all building and managing all the external relation for this organization, which extends from the relationships that we build with the schools that we partner with (which includes relationships with the principals, teachers, school counsellors and the high school students themselves) in addition to relationships with other organizations that work in similar fields or with a similar demographic of people.
Within 100 Strong, I've realised that even with the team that I'm working with and all the hard work and planning that goes into all the various aspects of our program, nothing has gone exactly to plan as we'd hoped. Whether it the DeCal within which we train all the female UC Berkeley mentors who will be working with the high school mentees in our program or the weekend intensives that we spent weeks planning for the mentees, there have been so many different things that have just come up out of the blue that we hadn't expected and couldn't have planned for until the issue itself came up.
Another example of things not going quite to plan this year has been my plan for my professional future. I came to Berkeley as a wide-eyed and (now looking back) relatively naïve freshman, I'd been looking to pursue a career in medical research. However, as time went on, I came to realise that not only was I not cut out to spend my life working a lab (minimal interactions, intense focus on a very minute aspect of science) but that I wanted my life's work to be in the field of development. the GPP minor has played a large role in this realization, and though it was not something that I had concretely known or planned to do with my time here at Cal, it has made all the difference.
This roller-coaster ride of a year has been nothing short of intense, but I wouldn't have it any other way. It's been such an eye-opening and mind-broadening experience, this year of anything but "perfect", has in its own way, been absolutely perfect.
One of the biggest areas in my life that this fact has continued to present itself in in my practice experience for a non-profit I work for, called 100 Strong, a leadership and mentorship program for young high school women, especially those from marginalised communities and historically disadvantaged backgrounds.. Currently, I'm in charge of all building and managing all the external relation for this organization, which extends from the relationships that we build with the schools that we partner with (which includes relationships with the principals, teachers, school counsellors and the high school students themselves) in addition to relationships with other organizations that work in similar fields or with a similar demographic of people.
Within 100 Strong, I've realised that even with the team that I'm working with and all the hard work and planning that goes into all the various aspects of our program, nothing has gone exactly to plan as we'd hoped. Whether it the DeCal within which we train all the female UC Berkeley mentors who will be working with the high school mentees in our program or the weekend intensives that we spent weeks planning for the mentees, there have been so many different things that have just come up out of the blue that we hadn't expected and couldn't have planned for until the issue itself came up.
Another example of things not going quite to plan this year has been my plan for my professional future. I came to Berkeley as a wide-eyed and (now looking back) relatively naïve freshman, I'd been looking to pursue a career in medical research. However, as time went on, I came to realise that not only was I not cut out to spend my life working a lab (minimal interactions, intense focus on a very minute aspect of science) but that I wanted my life's work to be in the field of development. the GPP minor has played a large role in this realization, and though it was not something that I had concretely known or planned to do with my time here at Cal, it has made all the difference.
This roller-coaster ride of a year has been nothing short of intense, but I wouldn't have it any other way. It's been such an eye-opening and mind-broadening experience, this year of anything but "perfect", has in its own way, been absolutely perfect.
Public Health and Development
After my last 3 years at Berkeley (how has it already been this long??! Where has all the time gone?!) pursuing a degree in Biochemistry, I've come to the realization that as much as I love, and will always love, the biological sciences (as much as it has continued to eat away at my GPA), my professional interests now lie in the realm of Public Health, especially with a focus on public health fieldwork in a developmental contexts.
I had the opportunity to talk with the Dean of the School of Public Health when he came and gave a guest lecture in one of my public health courses this semester, and had a really great conversation with him. What really interested me, however, was his view on public health:
"Public health is a way for folks to address health concerns in their communities, especially those that have been marginalised or have been historically disadvantaged. It's a way to do developmental work to improve one's community whilst simultaneously working to improve health conditions in the community"
What struck a cord with me was the fact that this field is multidisciplinary, integrating aspects of the biological and health sciences along with economics, ethnic studies, social welfare, political science and business administration to name but a few. In a world can sometimes work to define things as black and white, public health is a field that is the biggest and, to me, one of the most beautiful greys, where just about nothing is as clear cut as one could hope. This is so exciting and engaging for me, as someone who has always had many interests and the privilege to be exposed to many different cultures, people and their vast and varying experiences at a relatively young age. Public health is a field that combines so much of this for me, and having spent the last 3 years "figuring things out" at one of the best universities in the world, the idea of a career in public health feels like hug of a warm sweater.
This year, I've been working with an organization on campus, the Bhagat Puran Singh Health Initiative (BPSHI), which holds health clinics in community centres such as temples and mosques. BPSHI specifically looks to serve the low-income South Asian population in the Bay Area and focuses on cardiovascular health in particular, as this is a common issue that plagues South Asians across the world. Furthermore, I've recently accepted a research position at the Stanford School of Medicine, looking at Hepatitis B in a public health context, specifically cost-effectiveness and decision-making models for health policies, which is what I hope to focus in on with further studies in the field of Public Health. I could honestly not be more excited for this opportunity and can't wait to get started and learn more about what public health field work looks like. I'm especially hoping to apply a lot of what I have learnt so far in the minor and to look at the data analysis and policy-making aspects of this internship through the lens of the GPP minor. This has been such an incredible year in terms of realizations and life-decisions for me and I just hope that it continues in the positive direction that it has been taking and to continue to apply all of the stuff I've learnt in GPP 115 and 105 to be the double agent of social change that we are all gearing up to be.
I had the opportunity to talk with the Dean of the School of Public Health when he came and gave a guest lecture in one of my public health courses this semester, and had a really great conversation with him. What really interested me, however, was his view on public health:
"Public health is a way for folks to address health concerns in their communities, especially those that have been marginalised or have been historically disadvantaged. It's a way to do developmental work to improve one's community whilst simultaneously working to improve health conditions in the community"
What struck a cord with me was the fact that this field is multidisciplinary, integrating aspects of the biological and health sciences along with economics, ethnic studies, social welfare, political science and business administration to name but a few. In a world can sometimes work to define things as black and white, public health is a field that is the biggest and, to me, one of the most beautiful greys, where just about nothing is as clear cut as one could hope. This is so exciting and engaging for me, as someone who has always had many interests and the privilege to be exposed to many different cultures, people and their vast and varying experiences at a relatively young age. Public health is a field that combines so much of this for me, and having spent the last 3 years "figuring things out" at one of the best universities in the world, the idea of a career in public health feels like hug of a warm sweater.
This year, I've been working with an organization on campus, the Bhagat Puran Singh Health Initiative (BPSHI), which holds health clinics in community centres such as temples and mosques. BPSHI specifically looks to serve the low-income South Asian population in the Bay Area and focuses on cardiovascular health in particular, as this is a common issue that plagues South Asians across the world. Furthermore, I've recently accepted a research position at the Stanford School of Medicine, looking at Hepatitis B in a public health context, specifically cost-effectiveness and decision-making models for health policies, which is what I hope to focus in on with further studies in the field of Public Health. I could honestly not be more excited for this opportunity and can't wait to get started and learn more about what public health field work looks like. I'm especially hoping to apply a lot of what I have learnt so far in the minor and to look at the data analysis and policy-making aspects of this internship through the lens of the GPP minor. This has been such an incredible year in terms of realizations and life-decisions for me and I just hope that it continues in the positive direction that it has been taking and to continue to apply all of the stuff I've learnt in GPP 115 and 105 to be the double agent of social change that we are all gearing up to be.
Do they even go here?
This might not be quite related to Global Poverty and Practice, but here's something that's been on my mind lately.
I hear the comment, "Do they even go here?" in reference to black and hispanic people pretty regularly, sometimes on campus but especially in social settings. This comment bothers me for obvious reasons: just because someone is of color does that mean that they don't fit in at UC Berkeley, or even parties here? I don't think that people who say this type of comment really think about what they're saying, but it seems so outlandishly racist that it's hard for me to understand where they're coming from. When I hear it in party situations, usually it's people trying to make sure that there are only Berkeley students in the party, and they usually follow up that comment that asserts that the people in question are from Oakland. I grew up in the Bay Area and I know that while it is very diverse here, it is very segregated. Yes, there is a higher black population in Oakland. But does that mean that if someone of color in a party that they have to be presumed to not be a student, and further they must be from Oakland? It's so disappointing to me to hear people make these kinds of assumptions and only shows me that racism is incredibly, incredibly relevant today, and even in a university where I like to think that we strive for social equality and awareness.
I hear the comment, "Do they even go here?" in reference to black and hispanic people pretty regularly, sometimes on campus but especially in social settings. This comment bothers me for obvious reasons: just because someone is of color does that mean that they don't fit in at UC Berkeley, or even parties here? I don't think that people who say this type of comment really think about what they're saying, but it seems so outlandishly racist that it's hard for me to understand where they're coming from. When I hear it in party situations, usually it's people trying to make sure that there are only Berkeley students in the party, and they usually follow up that comment that asserts that the people in question are from Oakland. I grew up in the Bay Area and I know that while it is very diverse here, it is very segregated. Yes, there is a higher black population in Oakland. But does that mean that if someone of color in a party that they have to be presumed to not be a student, and further they must be from Oakland? It's so disappointing to me to hear people make these kinds of assumptions and only shows me that racism is incredibly, incredibly relevant today, and even in a university where I like to think that we strive for social equality and awareness.
How Real is "Slumdog Millionaire?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV912uiRM_A
The portrayal of street children is varied. As seen in this clip from “Slumdog Millionaire,” sometimes the lives of street children are portrayed as being glamorous, in a way. Though they are brilliant entrepreneurs, learning how to survive on the street with little support, street children face many challenges that are not glamorous in the least. Though accessibility to food is usually not the biggest issue, street children face abuse from adults in the cities they inhabit as a result of stigma towards them. It can be very difficult for them to access medical care and proper treatment from the police force, and because they usually find labor in the informal work sector, street children are at risk of mistreatment from their employers who may pay low wages and force them to work at night. So, although “Slumdog Millionaire” was successful in shining light upon street children’s lives, it doesn’t necessary present an accurate depiction of life as a street child. Either way, it’s difficult to depict a group such as street children without making them out as more glamorous than they really are, or without depicting them as struggling in all aspects of life. Whether it’s in the media or in movies, writers and producers tend to portray such marginalized groups as extremes.
The portrayal of street children is varied. As seen in this clip from “Slumdog Millionaire,” sometimes the lives of street children are portrayed as being glamorous, in a way. Though they are brilliant entrepreneurs, learning how to survive on the street with little support, street children face many challenges that are not glamorous in the least. Though accessibility to food is usually not the biggest issue, street children face abuse from adults in the cities they inhabit as a result of stigma towards them. It can be very difficult for them to access medical care and proper treatment from the police force, and because they usually find labor in the informal work sector, street children are at risk of mistreatment from their employers who may pay low wages and force them to work at night. So, although “Slumdog Millionaire” was successful in shining light upon street children’s lives, it doesn’t necessary present an accurate depiction of life as a street child. Either way, it’s difficult to depict a group such as street children without making them out as more glamorous than they really are, or without depicting them as struggling in all aspects of life. Whether it’s in the media or in movies, writers and producers tend to portray such marginalized groups as extremes.
Fusion for a new generation.
http://fusion.net/culture/entertainment/story/tv-networks-millenials-17754
Last year, the most viewed network was said to have been none other than UNIVISION. UNIVISION is a Spanish network located in the United States. While this came as a surprise to many, the facts show otherwise. In the 2010 census the Latino population appeared as one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the United States. Furthermore, Latinos still comprise the biggest group in terms of immigrants.
It is with these facts and with the success of the television network that a more recently a new network has been launched: FUSION. FUSION is a news channel whose target population are the next generation of Latinos, those who were born of immigrant parents. One of the unique characteristics of a network like fusion is that it caters to this population of immigrants by providing services like "immigration help" on their actual website and in their news. Moreover, this network highlights one way that the United States is helping assimilate the large influx of Latinos.
Travel Memories
Furthermore, after having had the opportunity to travel for service, family, pleasure and education, I encourage that all GPP minors, whether they are doing a local or international PE find some creative and personal way to document our experiences. We may travel many times in our lifetime, but each experience is new, beautiful and unique and deserves to be remembered.
Education is the Key- but to what door?
In December 2nd 2012, Suli Breaks posted a spoken word piece online about higher education. He speaks that society, teachers and our parents tell us: " Education is the Key". With education, we can become successful, we can make money and live a good life. But to what extent is institutional education helping us? Suli continues on to list a plethora of successful people who did not attend college or dropped out of college. These people did not need to have higher education, they were motivated and knew how to become successful without schooling. However, in this spoken word, he does not protest pursuing higher education, he warms us to be motivated and not absentmindedly go through college.
I write this on the Friday at the end of finals. I spent about 100+ hours studying for just 1 Final, and around 10-15 for 2 Finals. Everyday of the weekend before dead week and during, woke up everyday at 11am and studied in the same room until 2-3am. What would I do? I mindlessly stared at the same 100 page study guide over and over until I memorized that you use a Odds Ratio for a Case-Control Study but you can also use an Odds Ratio to calculate a measure of association for a cohort study, but that would be a disease Odds Ratio. When I took my exam, it was multiple choice and I would internally freak out knowing that regardless of how many hours I put into studying, only one choice, one bubble can be filled and would be correct. Maybe I am a genius at Epidemiology but due to the lack of sleep and the caffeine high, I misread one word and got the question wrong? On the exam score, this would show that I did not know that answer and my GPA would again drop.
I admit that I do not have the best GPA and from my standpoint, it might just sound like I am complaining. Sometimes I even have told myself: "You know what? Maybe its how school is ran, maybe its just me. I should just shut the fuck up and I just have to fucking deal with it". I wish I could say that I don't care out what grade I get and it does not matter. However, I feel like the reason why Berkeley is such a terrible place to learn is because of its competitive nature of its students. Sometimes I don't even know that I contribute to this system. Last summer in my Bio1B lab, a girl from another university approached me and introduced herself. I looked at her like is she was crazy. She told me that she went to another college and everything made sense. I wish Berkeley students would show their support for one another, but how can that happen? I do not know, but I wish I did.
CAUTION: I may have generalized about the general Berkeley student population. If you have different experiences, please enlighten me.www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_ZmM7zPLyI
I write this on the Friday at the end of finals. I spent about 100+ hours studying for just 1 Final, and around 10-15 for 2 Finals. Everyday of the weekend before dead week and during, woke up everyday at 11am and studied in the same room until 2-3am. What would I do? I mindlessly stared at the same 100 page study guide over and over until I memorized that you use a Odds Ratio for a Case-Control Study but you can also use an Odds Ratio to calculate a measure of association for a cohort study, but that would be a disease Odds Ratio. When I took my exam, it was multiple choice and I would internally freak out knowing that regardless of how many hours I put into studying, only one choice, one bubble can be filled and would be correct. Maybe I am a genius at Epidemiology but due to the lack of sleep and the caffeine high, I misread one word and got the question wrong? On the exam score, this would show that I did not know that answer and my GPA would again drop.
I admit that I do not have the best GPA and from my standpoint, it might just sound like I am complaining. Sometimes I even have told myself: "You know what? Maybe its how school is ran, maybe its just me. I should just shut the fuck up and I just have to fucking deal with it". I wish I could say that I don't care out what grade I get and it does not matter. However, I feel like the reason why Berkeley is such a terrible place to learn is because of its competitive nature of its students. Sometimes I don't even know that I contribute to this system. Last summer in my Bio1B lab, a girl from another university approached me and introduced herself. I looked at her like is she was crazy. She told me that she went to another college and everything made sense. I wish Berkeley students would show their support for one another, but how can that happen? I do not know, but I wish I did.
CAUTION: I may have generalized about the general Berkeley student population. If you have different experiences, please enlighten me.www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_ZmM7zPLyI
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Mobile Health Clinic in TV Comedy Show
This is a behind the scenes photo of a scene of the Mindy Project. I could not find a video, but it shows a group of medical professionals providing a mobile health clinic to the largely Hispanic population in Harlem.
I do not know if any of you watch the Mindy Project (a comedy series that centers around the professional and social life of Dr. Mindy Lahiri), but I found a certain episode especially interesting. In this episode, the doctors had set up a mobile health clinic to go around to do health check ups at Harlem, a city with more people of low socioeconomic status. The doctors work in New York City and typically do not take patients without health insurance. In one of the scenes,the doctors except for Mindy who is not present at the time, are in an unfamiliar environment are then reprimanded by citizens in the town as they hand out flyers and ask passerby's if they want to come in for a health check up. It is interesting how the three white men phrase their question asking women passing by on the streets if "they want their breasts checked." As a result, they are seen as pedophiles and eventually the police comes. It isn't until Mindy Lahiri comes that she is able to clear up the situation and try to show that they as doctors are only trying to help by explaining what they are here to do and that no one is being forced to have a health check up.
Similar to mobile health clinics in the Bay today, it is evident that without community interaction or first gaining the trust of the community, it is impossible to help or give them the necessary resources.
I do not know if any of you watch the Mindy Project (a comedy series that centers around the professional and social life of Dr. Mindy Lahiri), but I found a certain episode especially interesting. In this episode, the doctors had set up a mobile health clinic to go around to do health check ups at Harlem, a city with more people of low socioeconomic status. The doctors work in New York City and typically do not take patients without health insurance. In one of the scenes,the doctors except for Mindy who is not present at the time, are in an unfamiliar environment are then reprimanded by citizens in the town as they hand out flyers and ask passerby's if they want to come in for a health check up. It is interesting how the three white men phrase their question asking women passing by on the streets if "they want their breasts checked." As a result, they are seen as pedophiles and eventually the police comes. It isn't until Mindy Lahiri comes that she is able to clear up the situation and try to show that they as doctors are only trying to help by explaining what they are here to do and that no one is being forced to have a health check up.
Similar to mobile health clinics in the Bay today, it is evident that without community interaction or first gaining the trust of the community, it is impossible to help or give them the necessary resources.
Education in Barbados is free, accessible and compulsory for children under the age of 16. While 90% of the population is literate, the remaining 10% remains uneducated for reasons of poverty or special needs.
Many families cannot afford the cost of books, uniforms and transport, or may need children to leave school and go to work in order to bring in income.
As for disabled children, no provision is made for their needs within the school environment, with the result that many are unable to attend school. This summer I am really excited because I will working with the children that frequent my organization and will also be a camp counselor with children who have AIDS. Although I will go through very strict trainings to be able to work with these children, I plan on really being of aid and coming into my practice experience with an open heart and an open mind.
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