International

Habari! That means, hello in Kiswahili, the national language of my home country, Kenya. I am in Nairobi, the capital city, working for the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT). I am contributing to activities advocating pro-poor land policy in developing countries, an issue that is gaining greater visibility on the international agenda as a result of rapid urbanization-visit the Global Land and Tool Network website (www.gltn.net) to review one of the recent global efforts towards pro-poor land policies. This is my first international development experience and I anticipate that the end result will be a foundational building block to my career in urban planning policy.

Since my arrival the office has been operating at high gear in preparation for the World Urban Forum in Brazil next month. My initial reaction was to avoid interrupting anyone; however, I soon realized that my colleagues are keen to create a supportive environment that will enable interns to flourish. For example, by observing other interns in the office, I learned that professional staff members are willing to share their experiences and offer advice in career development; I intend to make the most of this opportunity seeing that it will be invaluable to my career mapping exercise.

Working in Nairobi has availed moments of genuine reflection concerning my academic and professional goals. It is one thing to study development in a developed country and another to observe the implications of poverty suffered by millions of people in a city. This is particularly relevant to me because I was disconnected to this reality having lived abroad since the early years of my adolescence. Consequently, undertaking my internship in a developing country is helping me to better understand and place a human face to the theoretical knowledge I have attained during my studies.

Overall, life in Nairobi is at a different pace compared to Ottawa. I must admit that I experienced a bit of culture shock the first time I commuted through the central business district. I remember feeling like a deer caught in headlights, or so I think that is how it feels, when I attempted to cross the street only to realize that on-coming traffic would not slow down for pedestrians even at designated cross-walks. However, I have quickly re-integrated into the pedestrian culture; whereby I always anticipate to jog or sprint across the road. Despite the drama, it is amazing that nobody ever gets hit.

In the weeks to come I will have a briefing meeting with my supervisors so I have prepared a work plan to help me keep track of my deliverable dates. In fact, the work plan was my supervisors’ idea; it has helped me develop a methodology for each of my activities, a key tool for prioritizing my activities and managing my time.

Until next time, kwaheri (goodbye)!

Claire

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