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Around the World in 100 Days!

By kfarishta

Greetings, readers!

First off, thank you for your interest and support. I am transitioning back to writing in English, since I have spent the past two months in Spain immersing myself in the language and culture. As we say in Spanish, I am “sin palabras” –an inexplicable and intertwined sentiment of awe, excitement, and anxiety. Summer vacation is quickly transforming into a countdown for the start of my global travelogue. Soon, I will be heading home to unpack and then repack for the journey ahead.

As a novice blogger, my goal is to engage you digitally as I traverse continents and oceans in search of one question: what are human rights? Each day we are challenged to uphold, preserve, and defend these rights. The news, social media networks, and our personal experiences shape how we perceive our human rights. More often than not, we witness that these intrinsic and universal rights are at odds with geopolitics, economics, and culture. As a budding social activist, I believe that the most direct way to understand these phenomena is by contemplating about them respective national contexts.

Because of this, I have chosen this particular SIT Study Abroad program. Here are the sites that we’ll visit over the next 15 weeks with a brief list of topics:

New York City, USA

  • Organizing grassroots movements
  • Documenting human rights issues

Santiago, Chile

  • Understanding post-conflict social transformations
  • Recognizing indigenous rights

Amman, Jordan

  • Identifying historical roots of refugee conflicts
  • Rethinking approaches to humanitarian intervention

Kathmandu, Nepal

  • Interrogating new models of trade and democracy
  • Contextualizing the role of multi-ethnicism

I will spend the next few weeks reading, researching, and relaxing before the journey begins. Traveling and conducting field research have always been lifelong goals, and now they are coming to fruition. More than anything else, I am ready to learn firsthand about the challenges that affect our common humanity. How will our awareness change into measurable social action?

I look forward to sharing more details with you in the weeks ahead (with more pictures too!). Please feel free to share your opinions, thoughts, and questions! And, if you get a chance, like my Facebook page “Karim Dreams for Peace,” as I will be posting weekly articles, images, and quotes about human rights. Let the travels begin!