Almost done – and soon to get hitched!

The beginning of the semester was a busy one. A few days before the start of classes, I began working at the Office of Student Affairs as a program assistant. In this role, I help fellow students with registration, student life, and a variety of other issues. The team at OSA is very diverse and fun to work with, which makes my time at OSA very enjoyable.

Once again, my classes are very interesting. Navigating by Starlight, a course on challenges of conflict resolution, stands out in particular. Our professor has around 20 years of experience working for the UN on a plethora of interesting projects. Aside from that, he is very witty and apt at engaging the whole class, and also fairly down-to-earth with a lot of intriguing behind-the-scenes anecdotes to share. So far, we have discussed conflicts in Algeria, Syria, Sudan/South Sudan, and Northern Ireland. My other favourite class is not a class per se; rather, it is a capstone project. Capstone projects are in essence research projects done by second-year students for various external clients. My team and I have been working for the UK Home Office on issues pertaining to transnational organized crime. My particular research has focused on drug trafficking in Guinea-Bissau and state vulnerability to transnational organized crime in West Africa. It has been very fulfilling so far.

In terms of intriguing events, I would point out as the most memorable ones a lunch discussion with Gary Kasparov; an eclectic Taste of Africa dinner; or upcoming two full days that I will spend at the heart of the Asia and Middle East team within the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations as part of the selective ‘Day at the UN’ Columbia initiative.

What has been on my mind the most though over the past few weeks is definitely my forthcoming (very soon!) wedding in California. Despite the fact that it has been one of the most logistically complex events that I have ever helped to plan, it is immensely exciting and I cannot wait to “get hitched” as they say here. Let us hope that the weather turns out to be great!

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