- 11 years of public health experience
- 8 languages
- 3 countries
- 2 U.S. states
- 1 goal of working towards health equity
And this all fits in the less than 1000 square feet in New York City that we now call home!
Even though my trip to the Big Apple was the shortest, I find myself living in a totally new reality.
We now have smoked Alaskan salmon in our cupboard. There is a new Italian silk scarf in my closet. We have books in Japanese on the coffee table. And my contribution…a hot pot of Southern cheese grits and homemade biscuits on the table for Sunday brunch.
Those of us who have worked in public health know that collaboration is key to achieving success. We understand in order to challenge the status quo and achieve change there must be a coming together of perspectives, ideas, disciplines, and cultures. We also know that finding this ideal state of collaborative action is easier said than done.
However, here in New York City, we have found a small piece of that ideal world.
Our home is a place of shared determination, a think tank for ideas, an environment of creative problem solving, and a source of encouragement and support professionally and personally.
We are there for each other as one of us eats their very first taco or attends their first baseball game. We share in the agony of navigating the New York subway system. And we enjoy life together with picnics in Central Park, free summer concerts, Netflix marathons, and soul food in Harlem.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always easy…and often we laugh as a heavy Italian accent, British English, and a Southern drawl clash together, sounding like 3 very different languages that prove the simplest of conversations a bit of a challenge. And let’s not even talk about what happens when an Alaskan, an Italian, a Georgia girl, and a Japanese-Kenyan try to consolidate opinions to decorate a living room.
We all like to talk about the professional side of being a Global Health Corp Fellow, but this year is also about relationships. We have become members of quite a special community. This year we are to be “change makers,” and what a wonderful opportunity to encourage change by showing the world a powerful example of interdisciplinary, cross-cultural collaboration by the way we interact with our community of fellows.
No, I’m not having to adjust to a new country, or a new language, or even a new time zone…but the depth of culture and experience represented in my little city apartment makes for one of the most unique experiences of my life. I am incredibly excited to share this fellowship year with 3 other people here in New York and 102 of you around the globe who believe in the same work I do.
I am so very thankful for my New York City community. Be jealous ya’ll.