Water security research in Trinidad and Tobago

It's been a while since my last post. School has been incredibly hectic. However, much is being learned and not enough time to absorb it. A lot of information and courses and information intersect with each other which is incredibly helpful to getting a whole picture of how things are all interrelated. My program is a huge advocate of experiential learning, immersive learning, in the field, which, after teaching English overseas I can see the benefits of it. In fact, it's probably the best way to learn.

University of Waterloo had sent me and my class down to Trinidad Tobago to research and study the water insecurity issues on the island. There are several different aspects to supplying and accessing potable water. Surprisingly, they are very strict with their water and is WHO (World Health Organization) compliant, ie; you can drink straight from the tap... which I did.

One of the chaperones on this trip came with to help organize and document the trip from a 3rd party perspective had written an article about the trip. Reproduced with permission, this summarizes the whole trip.

Author: Uzair Jaffer

In the midst of the dry season in Trinidad and Tobago, seventeen graduate students from the Master of Development Practice (MDP) program engaged themselves in understanding the real-life challenges of water management on the islands.

Back at it!

My students in Tanzania during my placement

It's been a while since my last post. And it was about due for the next one. Just to play catch up, I started Masters in Development Practice at University of Waterloo... that's about it!

Remember how I said I wanted to start travelling with a purpose... well, here's my working toward it!

Travelling and exploring the world took hold of me at a young age. My sense of adventure took me through Europe while in undergrad. International Development and Relief and Aid Work popped onto my radar when I was working in South Korea when Mt. Merapi exploded in Indonesia in 2010. As I was taking a trip down there in the next week, I looked to see if there was any way I can help out the communities that were affected. While there, I asked locals how I can contribute. But ultimately, to my failing, I couldn’t find anyway to help. Questions about how to engage myself, how to travel with a purpose, and personal philosophies of my participation as a global citizen came up. This began my journey and exploration into development.