On February 1st this week Dhaka elections took place to elect two mayors and over 100 counselors for the city’s north and south jurisdictions. Newly laminated election posters weighed down electric wires all over the city. Once they fell they littered each street in the thousands. Cars, Rickshaws, and Motorcycles became illegal violations on the…
A Bangladesh Covid-19 Thought Piece
As some of you might already know, I left Bangladesh two weeks ago. It was an honor to call Bangladesh my home for the last few months, but under difficult circumstances I made the hard decision to leave and return to my home of West Virginia. Some people might wonder why I chose to leave,…
Fieldwork week 1
I have now been in Bangladesh for almost two weeks and have just completed my first week of fieldwork (essentially going outside of Dhaka city to collect data and a better understanding of the global health issues I am working on). At the beginning of this week, we traveled to Jessore/Jashore which is where we…
Dhaka, Bangladesh: Arrival
Dhaka, Bangladesh: my new home for the next year If you had asked me 6 months ago where I was going next, and some of you did, even I would not have imagined I would say Bangladesh. I was living in Copenhagen, essentially a utopia, and working in an even more pristine environment at the…
Hiking Stockhorn and Kandersteg
Stockhorn: Oberstocken and Hinterstocken lakes Stockhorn is a gorgeous hiking mountain that is easily accessible off the the Swiss train and perfect for a day hike. It is close to Thun and Bern. To Get There: Take the train to Erlenbach in the Simmen Valley. Then you must walk about 15 minutes to the valley station…
A Cheese and Chocolate Day Trip: Gruyères
Gruyères is a small Swiss town lined with cobble stone streets and shops selling cheese and chocolate; it is the home of the famous Gruyère cheese. This is the perfect city to walk around exploring the little stores sampling and buying edible gifts. I highly recommend sitting and having a cafe or traditional cheese fondue here….
Verzasca Valley and Lavertezzo
Verzasca Valley is in the Canton of Ticino, an Italian-speaking region in southern Switzerland. This region has some beautiful Alpine peaks and valleys. You can reach the Verzasca Valley from the nearest city of Locarno (which has some beautiful hiking and lakes of its own). Lavertezzo Lavertezzo is a small village in the beautiful Verzasca…
Geneva on a Budget: Food
Living in Geneva last summer I learned that cheese fondue is definitely a full meal and that all you really need to have a good time is a bottle of wine by the river with friends. But this is city can be extremely expensive and difficult to navigate (hey it took me almost a full…
Mexico’s Riviera Maya: Playa Del Carmen, Akumal, and Tulum
Mexico’s Riviera Maya is full of hidden gems. If you travel down from Cancun towards Tulum there are so many things to see. Although I only spent a few days here I had some highlights which included some Mayan cenotes, or swimming sinkholes. Cenotes come in different forms, from the covered caverns and caves filled…
