It is incredible how eight weeks have passed. It has been amazing to learn about many different topics and, in particular, to learn more about gender in public policy. This is a topic that I have always found interesting, but I never had the chance to work on it.
As I wrote in my first post, instead of relocating to Mozambique for my internship because of the pandemic, I ended up working remotely from my room in Somerville, MA. Eight weeks after writing that post, I cannot help but still feel bitter because of how things ended up happening. Yes, I understand that we are all going through the same. Still, since I knew I wanted to come to HKS to the MPA/ID, I could picture myself living in a completely different country, as far away and different from Peru as possible, in order to make the most of the experience.
But this is how things are, and two months later, we have no more clarity than what we had back then. The next semester will be virtual, and we do not know how the Spring term will be. There are still many uncertainties, such as if our families will be able to come to our graduation. However, the positive things are that even if things are still the same, we will be more prepared and better adjusted to this "new normal". Also, I think that we will be ready for future unexpected situations (hopefully).
These past eight weeks have been amazing as they gave me the chance to learn about gender topics and a bit more about a region that I have never worked on. It has been quite revealing to find out that, despite the geographical distance, Latin America shares many common problems with Africa. There is significant room for improvement in both regions in terms of economic growth and, most importantly, in terms of development.
I am still not sure where I will end up working upon graduation. However, I am confident that many of the things that I have learned during this internship will be tremendously important for my personal and professional growth. It has given me an awareness of topics that used to be more theoretical in my head. I am incredibly grateful to the Women and Public Policy Program's Cultural Bridge Fellowship at Harvard Kennedy School and the World Bank's Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation Global Practice in Mozambique for this fantastic opportunity.