Of Graduation Speech — Hubert H. Humphrey fellow 2021

https://www.facebook.com/danishalibhutto/videos/10215272458963746/? Transcript of the commencement speech Good evening everyone! Thank you for being with us on our Graduation in such an unprecedented time. We are glad to have you.  I am honored to represent the class of twenty twenty-one. I learned about this fellowship in 2015 at a very early stage of my career. I …

Of Humphrey fellowship & inter-cultural dinners

I come from a country that is known for its warm and generous hospitality. Claiming that Pakistan’s multi-colored fabric is sewn together by all sorts of food from every nook and corner of the country shall be no exaggeration.  Whether festivities or funerals, tears or cheers, weddings or wailings, joys or woes, food is the …

Of a trip to the Lake of the Isles

Before I had to fly to Minneapolis, Minnesota, the one thing that I was most apprehensive about was its extreme weather. After I looked at the forecast for December, January and February that I should be spending in this city, whoever I talked to from amongst the people who I knew lived here, one question …

Of an ode to Minneapolis Winter

I was born and grew up in Larkana where the Summers surpass 50 Celsius. In Winters, when it gets anything below 15 Celsius in December, my folks turn on the heaters and uncontrollably shiver. While anything below 10 Celsius in Minneapolis, they tell me, ‘people sunbathe here rejoice in such a pleasant weather’. When it …

Humphrey fellowship: meeting the host families

I was selected to participate in one of the exchange programs in 2015 which required travelling to the United States. In addition to meeting very high-profile people from the public, private, non-profit and tech sector during the three weeks in the US, the program involved staying with the local families for three to four days …

Humphrey fellowship: of adapting and settling in

Settling in at the University Village Minneapolis (my point of stay for the next seven months in Minneapolis, Minnesota before I head back home) after very long and too many connecting flights with the COVID-19 fear looming over was never going to be easy. Amidst the traveler's fatigue sided with the jet-lag and the foreseeable …

Hubert H. Humphrey fellowship — the long-awaited departure to the US

Finally, I got e-mailed that I was going to travel in these crazy Corona times on first of December Twenty20 to pursue my Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota. I was already very excited because the fellowship was considered highly prestigious. But cherry on the top as …