Farewell, Dear Continent!

For nine months I have believed only in the most abstract of ways that this day—the final day of my fellowship—would actually arrive. Now that it’s here, I want to travel back to the glory days of my stay and do it all again. A few weeks ago, you indulged me as I [...]

Contradictions, Complications, Juxtapositions, and Genocide

It’s easier to make sense of Rwanda if you erase the human element of the Genocide that happened here fifteen years ago. If we could just pretend it wasn’t actual people who perpetrated the one million unthinkable acts, it would simplify the dynamics of the country. Afterall, if we acknowledge that it was not only [...]

Let’s Get a Round of Applause for the White Girl Running Aimlessly, Folks!

I am accustomed to stares. I bargained for them when I first started running in Rwanda. But the rest of it was surprising. At first it was an obligation to greet everyone I saw—which happened to be hundreds of people because of the busy residential neighborhood I chose as my route. [...]

Microfinance Not Your Thing? How About Cards From Africa?

Since arriving in Africa, my focus on microfinance has extended to a general interest in small and medium enterprises in developing economies. While microfinance is a great way to provide capital to those without access, it is small scale. As a result, money is put into the informal sector but the economy at [...]

Who Needs Personal Space When We Could Hold Hands for An Awkwardly Long Amount of Time Instead?

As I waited for a bus to depart recently, I looked out the window and saw amid the steady pulse of an active city, two men sitting on a small stool. Plural men. Singular stool. They accomplished this feat by having one man in the back, or on the outside, while the [...]

Taking Off the Rose-Colored Glasses

A friend recently told me that he thinks my blog is too rosy. I believe the word he used was “nauseating.” I’m fairly certain he was kidding (I can already here some of you standing up in my defense. Thanks, Grandma!), but in the spirit of creating a well-rounded body of work, [...]

I Bless the Rains Down in Africa

I’ve always thought that the lyrics to Toto’s song were “I miss the rains down in Africa.” I had prepared to write a blog entry based on that premise only to learn, upon looking up the song’s artist, that those are not the words. I am convinced that once I leave here, the [...]

Profit: A Tricky Subject

Today I made a post on the general Kiva Fellows’ blog. I’ll spare you from a re-post here so that those of you less interested in the professional aspect of my life don’t feel forced to read it. For those of you who want to know why the word “profit” is so often [...]

Ode to African Tea

Oh African Tea, you’re delicious and milky
Your spices make me want to jump out of bed.
All day long I crave your texture of silky
I cannot get your goodness out of my head.
For a special treat, a big burst of ginger
And an aroma of goodness fills the air.
I am not usually such a binger
But that [...]

Head of the Class Meets Head of the Household

Every month, Kiva sends an electronic newsletter to its 400,000+ users.  In each newsletter is an article by a Fellow about a client he or she has met in the field. This month, I wrote the feature article. As many of you don’t receive the newsletter, I wanted to share my story with [...]