Queen V

Monday April 7th, 2014 marked the 20th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda that took place across 100 days in 1994, taking around 800,000 lives.  I wanted to take the time to write about the genocide in Rwanda not from an informational perspective of what happened, but from a positive perspective that I hope can serve to restore your faith in humanity. I especially wanted to write this because whenever I first tell people that I will be moving to Rwanda for Peace Corps service, the  response often goes something like - 'Is Rwanda safe? What about the genocide?' Many people (like myself) are surprised to hear that Rwanda is currently one of the safest countries in Africa when looking at crime, killings, and general safety.  I was informed by both my Dad and my uncle-two people that both know a good amount about the continent- to inform me that Rwanda is currently one of the safest countries in Africa. I of course did some research of my own  to find that in...

It recently just hit me that I will be leaving Chapel Hill in 2 months before moving to Rwanda in June.  I've known that I was leaving since October, but now that I finally started finishing up  all the logistical things like medical appointments and vaccinations it is becoming more real than ever before.  I told my boss  that I would be leaving Duke for the Peace Corps about a month ago which was difficult but such a relief. These last few months in the states are going to be exciting as my departure date approaches but also very sad as it's getting closer to when I have to say  goodbye to my family and friends. I've lived in Chapel Hill for  almost 5 years- the longest  I've ever lived in one place. Although I don't consider it to be where I'm from it's definitely the place I call home. I've gotten so used to my life here which in one way is nice and comforting but on the other hand has made me eager for change,  adventure, and a new experienc...

This week I did something I thought I never would give in to- a cleanse. My coworkers and I have been  motivating each other to lose weight (working for a weight loss study may have been an influence!), so one of my coworkers suggested we do this cleanse to jumpstart this process. I have never been who has believed in drastic or strict diets (hence my previous post on obesity research and avoiding drastic changes for weight loss) but I became convinced that this would be a good way to start making healthier choices- ah yes, I didn't 'practice what I preach,' per say. I decided that trying out a cleanse would be a new way for me to challenge my body and to show myself that  I  can avoid unnecessary foods and additives as well as to clear out my body. Because this cleanse came with weight loss in just a week  I know that it will be a challenge to maintain it afterwards. In doing this cleanse I hoped to work on self control and prove to myself that I can make healthy ch...

As you probably already know, obesity is a huge health problem here in the U.S-more than a third of adults are obese- meaning they have a BMI of over 30 and 20% more body fat than normal. (A normal BMI is 18.5-24.9).  My main duties as a research assistant are to recruit, screen, enroll, and assess participants for a weight loss study. We recruit patients from health centers who meet certain criteria, the main one being that they have a BMI that falls in the 30-45 (obese) range. There are many people that view obesity as a problem of laziness or a lack of self control in diet and exercise. To be honest in the past I have had those same thoughts. However I have learned- especially from interacting with many people dealing with obesity- that other factors such as the social determinants of health greatly influence obesity so we shouldn't be so quick to judge. To a certain extent we as individuals can control what we eat, how much we eat, and how active we are. However many d...

Thought I would use my sick day off work for something useful so here it goes! Macklemore  & Ryan Lewis won best rap album, rap song, and rap performance at the 2014 Grammys. There are many people both famous and in the general public that don't think they should have won all or some of these categories- just do a quick google search or twitter search and you'll see all the backlash. I have listened to all of the albums  nominated for rap album multiple times, and have seen all of these artists live in concert (Jay-Z, Yeezy, and Drake before their  latest albums). Are Macklemore and Ryan Lewis a talented hip hop duo?- Yes. But is The Heist as good of an album or better than Good Kid Maad City or Yeezus?- No. Although I  really enjoyed Drake's 'Nothing was the Same' I do see how it  beat that album out, and The Heist was arguably better than Magna Carta Holy Grail (Although Jay-Z is  one of my favorite  hip-hop artists I am not a huge fan of tha...

You know when you get back into a song that you forgot about for awhile? Here are my 'lost songs' for today. Enjoy!   Not Going Back (Childish Gambino ft. Beldina Malaika) 100 (Big Sean ft. Kendrick Lamar & Royce Da 5'9) Problems (J Cole)

A bit different from my usual stream of posts, but BEYONCE. If you know me even the slightest you know that I am her number 1 fan (A title that I'm sure 10 million other people in this world claim). But there's one thing that should be clear. I don't think Beyonce is the best person ever. I don't think she's the smartest person ever. But Beyonce is the best at what she does and the smartest at what she does- performing, singing, expressing herself as an artist. I'm aware that what I and the rest of the world see is not just the work of Beyonce. It's the work of Beyonce and her team. Her producers, writers, glam squad, the list goes on. She's a grown woman, and she does whatever she wants. And that is why I love Beyonce, in a snippet. On another note, I am finally going to make this blog public, and link it to one of my social media accounts, so enjoy world (and by world I mean the 4 people that will actually read this!). I love you like XO, Ve...