Engaging in a practice of reflection can not only provide a chance to slow down and think through your likes and dislikes but also make difficult decisions seem easier. You can see the benefits of reflecting more clearly if you continuously make time for it on a daily basis.
This week, we’re highlighting the European country of Croatia. Croatia lies on the Adriatic Sea and is part of the Balkan Peninsula.
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.
Elana Lyn Gross wrote this article for Skill Crush, I’ve excerpted it and added some Duke- specific thoughts on the dream job search. Gross has great advice on how to explore careers, talk to people to find out about the day-to-day of an industry, and know that it’s totally normal not to have a clear cut path to retirement right now.
How to Find Your Dream Job (When You Don’t Know What You Want)
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.
