Hi! Thank you for visiting my blog. I would like to take this moment to introduce myself. I am Elsa. By day, I am a nerdy PhD student, aiming to become a scholar and practitioner of international development policy. By night, I am Elsa, the Warrior KQueen. I have created this space in part for…
Happy New Year: Transcendence from Survival to Revival
“If you can’t fly, run; if you can’t run, walk; if you can’t walk, crawl; but by all means keep moving.”-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. {Featured Photo: Painting entitled “Celebrating Milestones,” which symbolizes hope, celebration, and moving forward, while still trying to put the different puzzle pieces together. Part of the “Painting Heals…Pakistan” auction.} Dear…
“A Suicide Note” #1 – Spoken Word Poem
“Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.”— Lucius Annaeus Seneca “A Suicide Note” #1 – Spoken Word Poem A much-delayed, “Trigger Warning.” ….. The sweetest sound can be your name. So “They” say. Sitting at a bar… Forbidden… For me?… So “They” say. Disguised as a ‘perfect stranger’ in an “anthropological experiment.” As…
One Smile Could Save A Life…
Dear Fellow Warrior, I wrote this below in a Facebook post last year today, and I thought to share this here, for the Chronicles… I have yet to share my 2022 Year End Reflections here and perhaps a separate post for the Prospects for 2023. But for now, I just want to share this. As…
Losing “Engagement”
“Never lose hope, my heart, miracles dwell in the invisible. If the whole world turns against you, keep your eyes on the Friend.” – Rumi (from Rumi’s Little Book of Love) Dear Fellow Warrior and Friend, I just wanted to keep you posted about something with respect to this website. The social network icons are…
A “Moment” I’d like to Remember…
Two days ago, Friday, December 16th, marked one year since my hooding ceremony for “Dr. Elsa.” I think that moment is what made it feel official. The Hooding. It was a moment I had dreamed about for a long time. Beyond the years of the doctoral program. I called it my “PhD Wedding.” I attended…
‘Generation Alpha’…
“If light is in your heart, you will find your way home.” – Rumi I read recently that the generation largely known as the children of Millennials is called “Generation Alpha”. This is the first cohort of children born entirely in the 21st century, constituting those born in the early 2010s to…
Celebrating 14 years (plus or minus) “Living the Dream” at our Nation’s Capital
“I’m the small town, one in seven billion, why can’t it be me?”….. There is a beautiful area behind my apartment building, where I often go to walk and jog. And it is only a 10 minute walk through this area to the DC metro station that leads me straight into the Nation’s Capital towards…
Silenced.
“Speak your mind even if your voice shakes.” – Ruth Bader Ginsberg Perhaps this post should naturally follow the last one, the post I wrote about popularity contests, and whose voices count, and that “power” behind the “like.” It didn’t generate much interest, I didn’t expect much traffic, but I thought there might be some…