A Warm Welcome to Sydney’s Winter
About the author: Michelle Howard’20 is an FSI Global Policy Intern at the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) in Sydney, Australia. Michelle is currently studying Bioengineering at Stanford University.
I’m wrapping up my second week here at the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) in Sydney, Australia. Compared to the frenzy of finishing my junior year, Sydney’s been a slice of meatless pie (we’ll get to that later).
I live in what may be the best neighborhood in Sydney: Newtown! It’s famous for its pub scenes, cafes, and overall quaintness. Some trendy, delicious meals I’ve had so far in include an all-vegan three-meat laksa, a four-course lentil dinner, and delectable hotpot in Chinatown. Another favorite so far: Newtown Pies, where you can try one of Australians famous pastries (vegetarian or not, I highly recommend the pumpkin coriander pie)!
The week before my arrival, IEP launched the 2019 Global Peace Index, which constituted the end of months of hard work for the office. With some interns rolling off and people traveling around the world speaking on behalf of the report, the office has been fairly lax. I’ve been taking online training in R and have learned to clean data. I’ll be developing the database for the 2020 Mexican Positive Peace Index — google this term! We use information on violence, such as homicide and drug trafficking, collected by the Mexican government to rank Mexican states according to their levels of peace. Once the database is created, I’ll get to help write a report on it, which should all be published in the next report release in June 2020.
IEP’s mission is really dope. Google the 2019 Global Peace Index to learn about how this think tank is trying to capture levels of peace using a huge variety of data, then assign peace economic value to generate interest in investing in parts of society necessary for keeping peace (attitudes, institutions, and structures, related to welfare for the poor, education, human rights, protection of the environment, etc.) and anti-conflict, anti-terrorist, anti-abuse, anti-violence, anti-etc. efforts. Also browse the website, Vision of Humanity, to learn about IEP’s consulting in places like Colombia and Zimbabwe on locally promoting elements of Positive Peace.
I’ve checked the list of most touristy things to do in Sydney, such as a walk across the Harbor Bridge and a visit to Manly Beach. There is no denying that a 9–5 work life in a new city can be lonesome or overwhelming; there’s a small amount of FOMO (fear of missing out) that crosses your mind when you talk to your friends living together in New York or SF. But this opportunity is too unique to be compared to other traditional junior summers. I’m excited for the adventures that await me — I’ve packed my weekends with trips to places like the Blue Mountains, Kangaroo Island, the Outback, Melbourne, and a dive in the Great Barrier Reef. Here at IEP, I look forward to producing a product that contributes to public good. Let’s see how this sacrifice of a summer for the chilly winter of Australia pays off!
