It’s a Small World

The more you get out in the world, the smaller it gets. I met up yesterday with a good friend of my father’s who first traveled to Africa thirty years ago. My father would often invite him over to encourage global discussion that might not otherwise happen in Eugene, Oregon. Turns out that one of…

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Honoring International Humanitarian Day

For all of those nomads in the world who are also humanitarians. For those who sacrifice and give of themselves, who travel to remote and often insecure places in the world. To those who leave their families and friends, and the comforts of their homes to help those in need. It isn’t an easy job,…

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Clash of Counter-Bureaucracy and Development

Hi Folks, In addition to sharing my adventures in development with my friends, family, and other readers, I generally try to stick to a couple of principles in my blogging. One, I try not to involve my work to an extent that would jeopardize any of the work that we do. And two, I try…

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Making News

This is a bit surreal. I’m here this evening in Bujumbura, Burundi, when I flip on CNN as I get ready for dinner. I catch that there is a long clip that included details about the project that I went to start up in Macedonia in 2006. It is now on its final year of…

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Fishnets and Corsets

Going out in Africa is often part of being an expatriate. Whether you are 20 something or 50 something, I would venture to say that most of us go out more often when we are on the road or living abroad than we would in our own everyday lives. While I certainly enjoy going out…

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Ni Paix Ni Guerre

Neither peace nor war. It says so much. This is how eastern Democractic Republic of Congo was described in a report that was developed on the joint assessment trip that I wrapped up last week (though I’ve stuck around DRC – in Goma now – for a couple of additional weeks). As you can see…

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Monkeys and Bananas

A key learning in my masters level ethics class was the relativity that perspective brings to the discussion. Sure we can say what is right and wrong, but it all depends on where you are standing. In field of international development this is a tenuous line that we walk. As always, I’ve been using my…

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They Hate Us

According to a recent study by Reuters: They hate us. Afghans are pissed off. And really, can we blame them? Americans back home are isolated from the affects of our foreign policy. Even here in Kabul you can be if you want to. We are certainly isolated from the people. We’ve been occupying an already…

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