The ICMH

One of the big reasons that I chose to study abroad with the Kent State Geneva-Semester program was the option of receiving an internship with an international organization during my time abroad. I am still unsure of what I want to do after graduation (which, in my eyes, is entirely too soon) and working in the international law community or for and NGO has always been something that I have been interested in. This chance sounded like the perfect opportunity for me to really see if this was a path that I wanted to pursue; and, even if it isn't, it provides me with a wonderful opportunity to gain valuable experience as an intern and to be exposed with a different side of the city of Geneva.

I was fortunate enough to receive and internship with International Center of Migration and Health. I say fortunate because as interns in Geneva, we are oftentimes competing with graduate or even doctoral students for these internships. The ICMH is an NGO who monitors, writes reports, and makes policy suggestions to international health organizations, most notably the World Health Organization. As a WHO collaborative center, we receive funding and other benefits (like access to research, international conferences and meetings, etc) which help the organization to operate and conduct research.

Anyone who knows me know how passionately I feel about the field of migration and the rights of migrants. So, this internship seems like a perfect fit for my interests. And, up to this point, it has truly been an adventure. Right now, I am helping to compile data, to interpret the data, and publish my findings in a report about the effect of migration on family members who are 'left behind:' including increased levels of violence, psychological and social effects, and lower success rates at school.

While the research has been great, I think that I have enjoyed the daily interaction with the people that I work with the most. The office in which I work brings another whole level to my meaning of diversity. Honestly, I am not entirely sure how many languages can be spoken by the 15 people who work with me. Last week, one of the women who works at the ICMH, Joyce, celebrated her birthday by bringing in a meal from her homeland, Congo. Apart from being absolutely fantastic food (a unique combination of African, Spanish, and French influences), it gave me the opportunity to look around the table and to contemplate how diverse our group truly was--or at least through the typical lens of diversity. The majority of us hold very similar outlooks and views on the world, another very important form of diversity.

Not including Joyce, we have nationals from Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, China, India, the Philippines, Venezuela, Cuba, the United States, and Spain. That meal, I heard about 7 or 8 languages spoken, realized that there were 5 or 6 different religions represented (from Islam to Judaism to Sikhism), and realized that I shared very little about my upbringing with many of these people. What a very strange, yet invigorating feeling.

And then, it hit me. This collection of people, no matter how odd it seems, comes together for a certain goal. It shows me that all religions, all peoples, and all nations can and DO come together for the betterment of our world. It shows that problems have truly become globalized and that we are all one population, no matter how diverse we may initially appear. And this, gives me great hope for out future. I would love to hear your (yes, you the readers) thoughts on this idea.

I leave in 3 hours to catch a train to Copenhagen. We have the upcoming week of school of (for traveling) and I am headed up to Scandinavia for awhile. I will be spending about 3 days in Copenhagen and 4 days in Stockholm. Wish me luck. I will write again in about a week. If you need me, I will check my email once or twice... hoffmamd@muohio.edu. I wish everyone back home all the best, especially those still effected by the windstorms and those without power.

Beat UC!

Love & Honor,

Matt