Dear readers,

As per popular demand and numerous requests, I have started a blog in order to share with you my experience in Karachi, Pakistan. I will attempt to share my day to day experience, my thoughts, reflections and emotions. However, I have decided not to take as many pictures while I am here nor will I share them. Taking pictures here will only single me out as a foreigner and make me a target.

A little about how I got here and why. As most of you know, I have been working as a Registered Nurse in Vancouver, Canada for almost a year and a half in a cardiac unit. However, it has always been a dream of mine to pursue a career in public health and eventually in global/international health. Therefore, I decided to apply for an international internship in order to broaden my view about what public health means in general and international health in specific. It is with hope that I leave my current program with more questions then I entered with while seeking any opportunity for learning that I can find.

For those who are not aware, I am currently affiliated with Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. AKU was found by His Highness the Aga Khan and charted in 1983 and serves as Pakistan's first private university. AKU's objectives are to "Promote Human welfare in general, and the welfare of the people of Pakistan in particular, by disseminating knowledge and providing instruction, training, research and service in the health sciences, education and such other branches of learning as the University may determine." (http://www.aku.edu/) AKU is an international University spread over eight countries – Pakistan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Syria and Egypt. AKU is part of AKDN (Aga Khan Development Network), which is a group of development agencies, also found by His Highness, that seek to offer services in fields of health, education, architecture, culture, microfinance, rural development, disaster reduction and many more. For more information, visit http://www.akdn.org/about.asp

AKU's International Internship Programme seeks to develop and nurture learning opportunities while recognizing AKU and AKDN as a significant partner in the developing world. Partnerships with the developing world are that of relevance, access, impact, and quality. The partnerships that AKU is attempting to forge with the developing world is centered around the sharing of knowledge, resources and expertise. For more information, please visit http://www.aku.edu/job/Partnership/overview.shtml
I will be visiting my "boss" tomorrow, who will provide me with a clearer understanding of what my roles and responsibilities would be. Stay tuned for more information.

I will provide you with a detailed description of my experiences thus far tomorrow. For the sake of time, I bid you adieu.


Please feel free to leave you comments or questions.

Looking forward to sharing this experience with you.