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 Read More
Thirty-Five & Still “Alive!” : 35 Years of Dreams, Fears, and Tears…
“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.” – Edgar Allan Poe Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. – Langston Hughes Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who Read More
I’m Back! And with Another Milestone Completed…
Me at the top of Fort Kot Diji in District Khairpur of Northern Sindh. My Dearest Friends, So, it has been a long time since I wrote here or even visited these pages. My previous posts noted travel overseas for my doctoral field research. So I guess I have a good excuse for the long Read More
9 years…
“You have to dream before your dreams can come true.” – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam 9 YEARS AGO from today, on October 9th, 2009, around 9:30 pm, I arrived in Washington DC, after completing my Masters and spending 5 months of job hunting while in my Wisconsin home. I sent over 300 applications and Read More
A Love Letter to Pakistan – From an ABCD Old Romantic
Dear Pakistan: Bismillah hir Rahman nir Raheem. Assalaamu Alaykum. Inshallah (Godwilling) you are doing well in health and faith. I write to you with the purest intentions but with a few confessions that may startle you. I admit, I am a little nervous to see you again. But in a good way. Even when the Read More
The Ultimate Brown Girl Power: “Good Girls Marry Doctors”
“Good Girls marry doctors, it’s true, especially in the Desi community. What, then, do Bad Girls do?” – Piyali Bhattacharya Women of color experience an array of challenges at varying levels in America, in diverse sectors, and in different elements of our social interactions. Women of color have been the center of the more recent Read More
Why I Run the UNRWA DC GAZA 5K…Take 4…
Today I ran in the GAZA 5K in Washington, DC! It was a privilege to be participating my 4th consecutive year in the DC run. Similar to the previous years, it was a beautiful experience. There were about 500 runners that raised over $160,000 for this critical cause! The Gaza 5K raises funds for community Read More
Surviving and Conquering Hate: Reflections on Arjun Sethi’s “American Hate”
“Speaking out is the most basic and vital form of resistance.” – Arjun Singh Sethi I spent some time reflecting on Arjun Sethi’s “American Hate: Survivors Speak Out,” which was published over a month ago. I also had the opportunity to hear Arjun speak about his book at the Politics and Prose in Washington, DC, Read More
Addressing Mental Health Stigma in Academia
This topic warrants more time, research, and reflection, but I want to begin sharing my initial reflections here, due to some recent experiences. I’ve been baffled by the irony of mental health stigma in our communities. Especially in my locality for the past 9 years. Washington, DC has probably some of the most “depressed” or Read More