revival of my blog!

So as you can see I started this blog off as a New Years resolution to myself that quickly died 10 days after it started. At this moment I could try to overcome your sighs of shame with a mountain of school related excuses or I could delete my shameful post about the resolution, but instead I'll continue what I started and use this blog to share about my journey this summer in China. I'll be spending the next 10 weeks in Beijing fulfilling a summer internship with UNICEF China. Although I don't speak the language, have never worked overseas or in the public sector, and I've never been without a concrete plan, there's always a first for everything! I'm leaving for China with an open mind and an open heart for the things I will see and come to understand through this journey. My hope is that my first year of grad school combined with intuition, faith, and a bit of luck will help me find my way!

A little background on how I got here...
This year my world turned upside down after leaving a private sector career in Toronto, Canada to take a chance on fulfilling a personal goal of graduate school. Although I had originally planned to pursue an MBA, I felt a tug in my heart to consider other options and thankfully, I applied and was accepted at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) in New York City, USA. Without a doubt coming to SIPA to pursue my Master of International Affairs has been one THE best decisions of my life! I am completely inspired and humbled to have learned about international development, human rights, social entrepreneurship, microfinance, world politics, economics, and foreign policy! I went through this year thinking how could I have never taken a history or political science class during my undergraduate degree? These subjects are so important and with the help of friends and wikipedia, I've done a lot of catching up! This coming fall I will pursue my second year of the program and a dual degree with the London School of Economics in London, UK.

This past spring I also had the opportunity to intern with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with UN AIDS and it was incredible to learn about what the U.N. does to support HIV/AIDS on a global scale. Building on this experience I thought it would great to intern with another regional U.N. group this summer, specifically with children, which is how I found myself with UNICEF China.

All of the puzzle pieces which represent my life are slowly coming together and forming a picture of who I am. Although I can't yet see the final picture, I know I'm in the right place, learning from the best professors, and experiencing everything with the greatest of friends. Although this year has had it's share of ups and downs, it has been a great year of personal growth. I have learned a lot about myself, my strengths, but most importantly, my weaknesses and areas where I need to improve. It is definitely a blessing to be back in school and this dream could never have happened without the support of my parents, sister, and friends from home who I know are cheering me on no matter what happens.

So with a fresh blog and my bags packed.. let's go to Beijing!