Unfinished Stories

This is now and for the moment an archived blog from my work in agricultural development in Ghana. 

I am a woman, young and white – with too many freckles to count. I grew up on a farm just outside of Owen Sound, Ontario with my Mom, Dad and little brother (add two other brothers, lots of books and some sheep and you’ll have a better picture).  I speak English and good enough French and Spanish.  I am Canadian, although my Dad is from Pennsylvania and we still have strong family ties in the states. My partner is a fabulous musician from Nigeria and we have little grey and white Ghanaian cat named Mac.  I have been travelling for as long as I can remember, and so far I have visited or lived in 25 countries on 6 continents.

My passion, what I live and breathe, is thinking and talking about the world we live in. Most of the time, this means development, culture, equality and trying to understand how we can, together, build a socially just world.

I have studied development, with special emphasis on gender and Africa. I am currently finishing a Masters in Sociology and starting a PhD pretty soon. I’m looking at relationships in development and how development projects work with the people that they seek to support.

Why have I told you all this?

It’s important to understand that all knowledge, stories and perspectives are grounded in our personal experiences, culture, perceptions and circumstances. What I choose to write and show in this blog is shaped by on who I am, meaning it can only ever be partial, or unfinished. In order to help you situate my stories, you need to know who I am.