Fellows in the Field 2019 - 2020

July 25, 2019

Monthly Update

Hello everyone!

A little over three weeks ago, I arrived at Noloholo Environmental Center on the border of Tarangire National Park in Tanzania. My first few weeks here have been both busy and not busy at times, but all the days seem to go by very quickly which I did not expect given the remote location of my community partner organization.

Adjusting to camp life has had its challenges, but I am learning more about what I need to do to feel safe and comfortable every day. I hold my breath when I use the drop toilets because the stench is...disturbing. Baby wipe baths have become customary for the days when it is too cold to bucket bathe. Little things like rice and beans for lunch bring me more joy than I could have ever anticipated. Side note: I have been eating vegetarian for about two weeks now since I saw a cow that I had stupidly created a relationship with be slaughtered. Lastly, I have come to accept that I will never get used to spiders, no matter how many of them live in my room.

I started learning Swahili using Duolingo, which has been alright, but I am also just picking up things from people around camp who are willing to help me learn. I have asked around and will continue to ask around about a teacher in the coming month. The main issue, however, is transportation for me or for the teacher for lessons.

I have not established a set work routine yet, but I am being assigned more tasks now that the Monitoring & Evaluation Manager understands that I am not just here to do my research project. Right now, one of my duties includes documenting the camp daily water usage, which is a necessity because of the absence of water during the current dry season. I assist in collecting camera trap data for wildlife identification and monitoring. Just recently, I was put in charge of cleaning the data from the human-wildlife conflict (HWC) cases that are reported by the HWC officers in the villages. The HWC officers respond to cases of conflict, usually depredation of livestock by wildlife, and report the incidents to Tanzania People & Wildlife (TPW) through an app on the phones provided by TPW. I go through and assess the details of each situation and determine if a follow-up is necessary. Unfortunately, that means that some of my day is spent looking at partially eaten animals.

I have also provided some input on the language used in a current collaboration between National Geographic Society and TPW. The project is a community engagement framework that TPW is now being asked to create trainings on, so I will likely be assisting with this project more in the coming months. I have already written the job descriptions for the adult learning consultant, curriculum development consultant, and graphic designer needed to create the trainings.

Given that I live in the same place that I work, it has been difficult to separate the two parts of my life. This seems to be a common sentiment shared by the other people working here as well. Leaving Noloholo is not easy given that it is at least three hours from the nearest major city, Arusha. I have found ways to have fun here, though. I joined the Noloholo running club. I am nowhere near as acclimated to the elevation and incline as everyone else, but I am improving daily. I am signed up for an uphill 5k in August, and my goal is to run a half marathon through Serengeti National Park in November. Excising is painful no matter where you do it, but at least I have a nice view here. Plus, the threat of a leopard or a cape buffalo attacking you is a motivation to run faster like no other.

I have gotten very good at this card game that I play with the staff and the Maasai herder boys after meals, “kadi moja.” Sometimes I watch the sunset at marriage rock, which is basically Pride Rock from The Lion King. I also go on night drives looking for simbas and enjoy a drink or two with my coworkers at their tents or at the local “bar” which is really just some plastic chairs in the street outside of a building the size of a closet.

So far, I am really enjoying my time here at Noloholo. Kwaheri!

July 25, 2019

Monthly Update

Hello!

“21.5 million people”—I keep thinking to myself when I cannot make sense of the volume of people crowding the streets. This past month has been a box of surprises: turning on the heater in a Brazilian winter (in my defense it was 41 degrees Fahrenheit at night), getting accustomed to greeting people with one kiss on the cheek instead of two, catching myself abandoning my Rio accent in some words, and adjusting back to “Brazilian time,” where a 15-minute delay is to be expected.

São Paulo is a delightful city. I have spent chilly afternoons exploring its different corners, getting lost, and finding myself enchanted with the plethora of unique cafés, galleries, restaurants and bars. The city truly never sleeps—I can hear a vibrant nightlife from my bedroom from Monday to Monday. The corporate world dominates the streets, as men in suits march up and down, Av. Faria Lima (an avenue that crosses the entire city), at lunch time. Whenever I tell a new acquaintance I am a research fellow, excited to explore reproductive health and cervical cancer screening in the city, I am received as a pleasant surprise—an intriguing outcast.

Members of FOSP have been very thoughtful while helping me settle in. As the youngest member of the organization, by at least 15 years, I feel looked after and cared for. I have spent most days learning about the organization, shadowing their colposcopy clinic on one day, observing activities at the HPV diagnosis lab on the other. This has given me a holistic understanding of the organization’s role and work.

I have also attended a research meeting, where FOSP brings together all members of their board and key partners to discuss projects’ progress and plans, and had the opportunity to present my vision of a community-based research project with the Callascope to them. I have also learned how they write IRBs (they submit 3 different ones to 3 different institutions!) and research project proposals. I have also dedicated some time to begin making drafts of these documents for my project. I am eager to visit the primary health clinics FOSP partners within the east part of the city, where I hope to conduct my research.

I do not have a routine yet, and am still figuring out where my work will be most beneficial to the organization. Still, I feel so privileged of sitting next to the organization’s president and research director, as they strive to bridge the research-policy gap in cancer care, innovation and epidemiology in São Paulo.

A lonely meal here and there has given me chance to absorb the live performances that are a chief characteristic of São Paulo’s restaurant scene. Having no commitments outside of work has given me a chance to explore the city’s parks, waste time observing how the blue skyscrapers blend with the sky, and wander aimlessly through the streets.

Over the weekend, I am looking forward to going to the Museum of Art São Paulo (MASP), where there is an exhibit of Tarsila do Amaral’s art—one of Brazil’s most famous modern artists from the 1920s.

Not knowing anyone my age in the city has been quite a challenge. But I think to myself “21.5 million” opportunities to meet people.

Best,

Luiza

Monthly Update

July 25, 2019

Greetings from the mountain state!

I am happy to report that after my first month at work, I am more convinced than ever that I am in the right place. It has been an exceedingly challenging month; from wrestling with an ever-evolving work scope to being one of, if not the, only person moving into town at a time when the County Commission is attempting to come up with a 35% budget cut, there is a lot to navigate. I think I will always draw a lot of questions around here, from my CA license plates to my accent to my goofy disposition.

Every day at the Southwestern Regional Day Report is unlike the last. No matter how many things you put on your to-do list for the day, a seemingly constant revolving door of clients with anecdotes and staff members with questions will beg your attention at every minute. As emotionally exhausting as the work can be, and as much effort goes in to attempting to make the smallest bit of difference, I find it’s a much livelier and more joyous workplace than many I’ve experienced.

I am no longer directly working on expanding Fresh Start into Boone County, but I am providing support to the counties in which it currently operates. I could not be more excited about the premise—a outpatient treatment program, rooted in community engagement and pride development. Participants are engaged in agricultural and artisanal work, and each county is really taking up their own unique projects based on their different challenges and strengths. Logan County has recent constructed a chicken coup and a greenhouse, and while everyone involved was ecstatic to get the hens into their new home, it was clear we had not thought through the mechanics of egg collection and storage. The staff fridge has stayed crammed full every week. I try to spread the wealth of farm fresh eggs as best I can, and I bring many dozens back to Boone County with me each week.

Even in an administrative role, I am trying to build in as much client interaction as possible. As Day Report has transitioned to a Licensed Behavioral Health Center, the staff has been trained more in customer service and motivational interviewing than in corrections. The change is crucial, and all staff members are encouraged to go out of their way to remind clients, with their words and their actions, that they matter—that they are people. Our clients hear from members of the community that they are unworthy every day, and re-learning self-respect is an important aspect of recovery.

The summer here has been particularly beautiful. The weather is fast here; much like Durham, it can go from beautiful sunshine to torrential downpour and back in under an hour. During a recent weekend, we saw the most fantastic display of lightning I’d ever encountered, and I used the opportunity to finally put up some artwork in my room at home. By the time the power came back on, I had the entire entryway to my room covered in postcards, pastel renderings, posters, and photos. College decor habits die hard.

As I transition into a more active role in Boone County, I am putting in a lot more hours of face time at community events. Not only is it enjoyable to accompany a family friend to a Scott High School football game or meeting with a local political organizer in a McDonald’s, but folks here need to meet you to take you seriously. I could send emails and make calls until I am blue in the face, but there is no substitute for meeting with a person face-to-face, demonstrating care for who they are and what they have to say, and introducing your common interests and objectives.

Until next time!

July 25, 2019

Monthly Update

Hi all!

I’m three weeks into work, but already gearing up for a big Eid holiday in the beginning of August. Work has been very busy, but in a good, meaningful way. I’m lucky to have figured out a good routine that includes: carpooling with some other interns, lunch at the office, and evenings at cafes. Some things I’m still figuring out: living with flatmates again (4 of us in the house), cooking my own food, and living without an AC.

My social life so far has been mostly the other interns and friends I made last time I was in the country. The organization’s high turnover means that I’ve arrived at the tail end of the summer interns, and will have to begin saying bye to many of them soon. I expect the fall interns to be a smaller batch. A close friend of mine (from the U.S.) will also be in Jordan starting September to learn Arabic, so I’m looking forward to that. I also met my Arabic teacher from Duke in Jordan for a day, and it was a wonderful and unexpected connection to Durham.

Work right now is based on a program-wide needs assessment, and currently consists of entering in 200 surveys in Arabic, which I expect to take up the better part of the month. Deciphering Arabic handwriting, a language where the difference between dots changes the meaning of a word, has been a challenge I hadn’t anticipated. Keeping track of the surveys both logistically, which programs have received them and which haven’t, and physically – mountains of paper everywhere – has been a challenge.

I have found myself grateful for how welcoming Jordanians are, the independence I feel in a country where my social circle is small, and the inspiring people I work with. I am also enjoying having my evenings completely free, something that feels foreign after four years of Duke. I had forgotten how small the country was (or feels after a month in India), and I am looking forward to weekend trips to the Dead Sea and Petra.

On a personal note, I am working on two things I should have updates about next month. One, finding an Arabic teacher because good ones are expensive, and there are rarely trial classes and two, figuring out how to extend my visa, the very definition of a Kafka-esque process.

Hope you're well!

Thanks,

Amulya

Monthly Update

July 25, 2019

Hi all,

I am settling into life in Dilley, TX, population 3,674. When I arrived, I was excited to learn I’m living in an apartment that is a little bit better than the one I was in over on Central Campus the past few years. I live next to a bunch of interns in neighboring apartments, who I’ve been getting to know, right before they all leave to go back to school in a few weeks.

The first week has been taxing, both emotionally and physically. I’m working volunteer hours—7:30 a.m. to 8 or 9 p.m.—and acting as part of the 12-person volunteer cohort. After the first week, I’m going to revert to normal staff hours. Some in our cohort are immigration attorneys with years of experience, while others are non-lawyers who speak no Spanish and have little prior knowledge of the process. Everyone is motivated and excited and stepping up to the plate to help in whatever way they can. It’s been a whirlwind—I’ve barely had time to sleep, eat, and work over the past few days. At the same time, these past few days have been some of the most rewarding of my life.

At work, I’m mostly helping out with individual Credible Fear Interview preparations and know your rights asylum presentations (“charlas”). The preparations are draining. You work one-on-one with mothers and hear life stories filled with horror and trauma, but also unthinkable courage, perseverance, and strength. While I have worked in detention facilities before, nothing prepares you for Dilley.

While we are talking with their moms, the kids, aged 2 to 17, run around in the trailer, playing, drawing, fighting, or watching a designated Spanish cartoon station. The temperature inside each room ranges from that of an industrial freezer to a boiler.

This week has been especially crazy at the detention facility. A new Trump executive order, the interim third-country asylum eligibility rule, banned almost all women in the facility from seeking asylum, making the bar much higher for alternative forms of relief. Thankfully, on Wednesday, a judge issued a preliminary injunction against the rule. In addition, the asylum office is shortening the amount of time women have to prepare before their interviews.

I have had little time to explore Dilley and the surrounding areas so far, except for the nearby Walmart (much smaller than I expected) and H-E-B (local grocery chain). I’m excited to make trips to neighboring San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Austin, and Big Bend over the next few months.

More updates soon!