Siddharth Kawadiya is a PhD student studying Environmental Engineering. Following a suggestion from his advisor in India, he decided to come to the U.S. in pursuit of more opportunities in his field. Siddharth has been working with Professor Marc Deshusses in the Pratt School of Engineering’s Sanitation Solutions Department. He started off with only a year-long thesis back in 2015, but ended up enjoying his time here and chose to extend it. Now, he is in his fourth year at Duke!
This week, we’re going to the southeast coast of Africa to celebrate Madagascar, the island that took humans 300,000 years to discover. It was colonized by settlers in 500 AD, 300,000 years after the first appearance of humans in Africa. The island’s secluded coves were historically safe havens for many pirates. Ile Sainte-Marie, four miles off the east coast, was known as “the island of pirates” on maps in the 1600’s.
Today, we celebrate Turkey in honor of the many global scholars and spouses from Turkey. A few weeks ago, Merve Falan gave a fantastic presentation about her home country. She shared about the country’s history and culture and even provided Turkish treats for everyone to try. Merve shared that “Istanbul is a magical city that tells you about everything. The city is a storyteller.” By the end of her presentation, most of the audience was ready to pack their bags and travel to Turkey.
The Flag of the Week this week is inspired by Hector Hernandez, the Project Manager at Duke’s Facilities Management Department. When he was 13 years old, Hernandez moved from Torréon, northern Mexico to the suburbs of Chicago.
Our flag of the week at the International House is the Nepalese flag. Nepal is a landlocked country located in South Asia. Lying along the slopes of the Himalayan mountain ranges, 75% of Nepal is covered by mountains. The capital of Nepal is Kathmandu.
This month, I talked to Lou-Ann Stock, who is visiting from France to practice her English. She arrived in Durham one month ago. Despite her initial trepidation about her language skills, Lou-Ann was quick to immerse herself in American.
This week we celebrate Luxembourg, one of the world’s smallest countries in the heart of Europe. It is surrounded by land on all sides, bordered by Belgium to the West, France to the South, and Germany to the East.
This week, we are highlighting the West African country of Nigeria. Nigeria is often called the “Giant of Africa” due to its large population and economy. Home to over 200 million people, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the 7th most populous country in the world. With $1 trillion in purchasing power parity, Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and the world’s 20th largest economy.
Listra Lubis and her husband, Sulis, and their daughter, Pembayun.
Thank you Rubens for agreeing on being our featured student for the month! As a Karsh Scholar I have been able to appreciate your openness to new students and willingness to help everyone and before you leave I want to share your story with everyone!
