Seven T's in Seven Months

Yesterday was No Smoking Day and I contemplated whether to write a enthusiast article stating five to ten good reasons to quit smoking. However I decided against it. Don’t get me wrong, I am a keen anti smoking advocate, and the amount of new smokers, whom a considerable amount are children or adolescents, who start each year concerns me greatly. The problem is that those type of articles are predictable, and with a few exceptions, they are stale in the health promotion world. 

As a result I thought I would entertain the blogging world with seven reasons why I am excited about the next seven months. Some may say this is equally as stale as the previously topic which was dwelled, but here’s hoping it provides a little insight into the world of an MSc Global Health student. 

Twitter 

CC

One of the first things we were told by the enthusiastic Sandro Demaio, during our induction week at Copenhagen University, was to emerge ourselves into the 'Twittersphere'. Since then I have transformed from a sceptic to a relatively capable active tweeter, with a subconscious ability to check and read twitter as much as possible. However more recently I have really started to enjoy it. Those who’s names were just text at the start, are now known academics with real power, influence and most importantly an opinion. You even manage to build up the muster to reply to tweet and initiate conversation. I have no doubts over the coming months this will continue to grow, and by the end of the year I will be a full pledged ‘tweet-o-holic’. 

Highland Cow - CC

Trekking 

I will return back to my native homeland of Scotland for the first time in 10 months in April. During this time I will see family, friends and do the normal nostalgic activities before I fly back to my residence in Copenhagen. However I specifically wanted to do something worthwhile when back. So when my girlfriend suggested doing the West Highland Way, a 150km walk through the Scottish Highlands over 8 days, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity. I may regret this decision when the typical Scottish weather of rain, wind, sleet, snow, sun and thunder are all endured during one day, but it’s a risk I am willing to take. 

Tanzania 

Moshi, Tanzania - CC

As part of our MSc Global Health Curriculum, 20 students in the course will be embarking on a 5 week long field trip to Tanzania. I am one of those lucky students, and I’m quite intrigued to get my first taste of Africa. A considerable amount of our course content and readings is situated in this area of the world, and I for one look forward to being able to apply theory into practice, with a mixture of university lectures and institutional visits. I also look forward to the challenging working environment, which will hopefully put me in good stead for later on in the year.

CC

Time

By the end of June, the first year of the course will come to an end, with the seven compulsory modules in our back pockets. Even though It would have been a short duration since returning from Tanzania, it will soon be time to pack up the bags, as Croatia and Germany are the destinations where I will be taking some much needed time off. 

Columbo - CC

Training 

Between August and November, I will be saying goodbye to Europe and hello to South Asia. If it all goes to plan, I should be in Sri Lanka working as an intern for the World Diabetes Foundation funded diabetes prevention NIROGI project. This will provide me with some fantastic training and experiences working in a relevant organisation, in a fascinating, urbanised, non communicable disease environment. I also hope to conduct some research while i’m in Sri Lanka to use towards my MSc thesis, which will hopefully provide me with further credentials. 

CC

Theoretical Top Up 

When I return to Copenhagen in the middle of November, I start two new fresh modules, which ultimately are my last ‘classes’ of the MSc. The first module focuses on the relationship between the global north and south, with a particular emphasis on urbanisation. It is offered as part of the brand new MSc Global Development course starting later this year. The second module focuses on a topic which is very close to my heart and interests - Air Pollution. A combination of a brief introduction to the topic during my undergraduate studies, working with COPD patients, and being interested in China’s developing health crisis, makes this an eagerly anticipated course which will equip me very well for future explorations of this topic. 

Thesis Thinking

Finally we have the Thesis. Maybe it is optimism. Maybe it is delusion. However right now I am quite looking forward to spending 4 months in 2015 working on a topic which throughly interests me. I have no doubts it will be challenging, combining the theoretical framework with the research I collect during my internship, while fitting it into a tightly confined space. Although I have already experience in writing a honours project during my undergraduate, I look forward to expanding on the skills and taking them to the next level. 

Global Urbanisation - CC

So the good news for the readers of this blog is that there will be many interesting articles to come. Ok maybe it will be difficult to link a West Highland Cow or an Electronic Music Festival to Global Health, however I look forward to continue to be inspired by my studies and environments I work in. Keep your eyes peeled !