Siobhan McDonough, Writer
I lost my religion in midwinter. What I wrote that night sounds incongruously spiritual: “Today at midnight I had this unexpected, strong, desire to read a specific book… I walked through the basement and entered the library, and the first room I went into was empty, and the book was there…I am reminded of all…
Ever since I’ve arrived here, I’ve been obsessed with capturing the sense of place of my walk to work—every day, there is something new. Here are the attempts from last week. Day 1 The weather was cooler today, but a bit more humid, and walking through the neighbourhood seems like a dream slipping away, like…
Author note: Hi everyone! I will now be reposting/linking my actual development writing for my organization for those interested. By Siobhan McDonough, Lilian Lehmann, and Jeffery McManus Since 2015, IDinsight has engaged governments and NGOs in embedded learning partnerships: we provide data-driven advisory services on clients’ most pressing questions in real-time. These long-term partnerships allow flexibility and…
“The most beautiful things at Harvard are invisible and silent,” I wrote in October of our freshman year: “the thoughts of the people and the books whisper inaudibly through the bricks; the veil of conversation leaks out shimmers of truth….the world keeps turning like a fast-forward video…” I’d only once felt as happy as I…
Today, someone voiced surprise at the lack of love for Delhi on this blog. Yes, I said, I had posted some gushing praise and was embarrassed and erased it from all existence. But since I’ve been here over three months and my love for life in Delhi hasn’t abated, I think it’s time. See the…
I spent my Tuesday morning disinfecting my closets from a termite treatment. It was an out-of-body experience, because, like a good development worker, I haven’t done manual labour in a very long time. Sure, I cook and wash dishes and my clothes, but for the past year and a half, and before that, four years…
Sorry for the hiatus, all. (Update: apparently my blog is now big enough to attract 5-10 spam comments a month). For those of you who don’t know, I’ve moved to Delhi! After leaving Zambia in the most dramatic way possible, I’ve landed on the other side of the world. The story of how I got…
A week (to the hour) before my flight from Lusaka, I came home to a broken back door lock. “Just to let you know, one of our locks needs to be replaced.” I texted my housemates, and then paused. “Oh s***. we might’ve been broken into.” I walked into my room and everything was in…
It was an overcast day, my favourite weather, like Scotland in the early autumn – late afternoon in the season in Zambia where the last flowering trees are coming into bloom and everything is beginning to grow from the rain. Most of the garden was still dust-coloured, but around the arbour was both flower…
This guest post is by my friend Steven Brownstone who recently moved from Zambia after living here for two years. Editor’s note: I hope to bring different viewpoints about Zambia to this blog over the coming months. The views expressed in the following piece are the views of the author, and not necessarily mine. I…