I spent the first 15 minutes of the finale of the World Cup trotting up hills to find a place to squeeze myself in and watch the match a midst curses and whoops. The community center? ‘I’m sorry, miss, but we’re overcrowded’. That German restaurant i ‘hiked’ to? Screams. Wonderful swearing. But a wall of […]

“Network,” they told us. The simple instruction inspired some of the most creative openers I’ve overheard. The 21-year-old undergraduate walked up to the tall man and said, “You’re tall. I’m from Nepal. We have the tallest mountain and the shortest man.” At Starbucks’ Roy Street Coffee and Tea, a group of us –20 South Asian exchange […]

It is one of those memories that will haunt me until I am nothing but ashes. I remember the day vividly, as if it were yesterday. I stand in the living room in my white kurthi with an earring in my hand and the other one dangling from my left ear. The dusk is near […]

“Every moment should be the moment you give your best because when you give your best, you are unleashing the power of possibilities and in the process, you are encouraging people to unleash their dreams.” The voice of Luis Ortega, Director and Founder at Power to Define Consulting, bursts with enthusiasm as he encourages people […]

No one chooses to become homeless. No one plans on living on the street. Each one of them has their own story, some made bad decisions and others were victims of domestic, economic, or social disruption; including, poverty, breakdown of families, political unrest, and sexual, physical or emotional abuse.   Every year a large number […]

Marijuana was the talk of the city a week after I landed in Seattle to participate in SUSI 2014.  Where my journalism lecturer, Sarah Stuteville asked, “Do you guys know what has been legalized in Washington from today? “ Her question led me into some surprise and curiosity as I come from  Sri Lanka where […]

  “I applied for jobs in D.C., New York and San Francisco.” Pause. “I got no response from anywhere!” When Catherine Cheng, 24, decided to look for her first “real job,” she faced a series of disappointing answers from the many places she approached. Now working at a respectable organization in Seattle, she smiles as […]

In American society, the ultimate phase of  life is often spent in an Assisted Living Facility or a senior center where in South Asia it is more common to age at home. But in Bangladesh, where I live, I’ve noticed in increasing trend towards sending elder relatives to separate senior living facilities. So is this […]

In 2013 I traveled to Gaza to work at Al Shifa, the main hospital. Nothing prepared me for what I experienced crossing the border into Gaza, and then spending time there.

Girls’ education is often seen as a panacea for global development. One promising Nepalese student's suicide reveals a more complicated picture.