Health and International Development MSc student Muyan Chen shares her reflections on the Department’s first Cumberland Lodge trip of the academic year (13-15 October) which was themed around Health, Politics and Development.
We left London and took a 2-hour bus to get to our destination, Cumberland Lodge. It was almost dark when we arrived. After a quick introduction about our trip from the staff, we went to our rooms to put our bags away. Although it was starting to get chilly in the UK, especially as it was raining that day, the rooms were warm, cosy, clean, and bright, giving us a good place to rest.
After a short rest, we went to the bar, with its delicate decorations, it felt like I was in a film. The bar served paid alcohol and free coffee and tea. Students felt more relaxed to chat with each other outside of class, and it was a good time to get to know each other. On this trip, most of the students were from the Health and International Development course, and others were from different courses in the International Development Department. As our department is very diverse, students come from different parts of the world. I found it so interesting that we always started our chat by sharing the food and culture of our countries.
Walk to Windsor Castle
On the second day, we had a lot of free time in the afternoon and decided to walk to Windsor Castle. There were 7 students who are from 5 different countries in our walking group, crazy! We chatted and enjoyed the views along the way. The scenery was amazing.
We finally arrived at Windsor Castle after about an hour, and although we didn’t get to go inside, the view from the outside was spectacular enough. It was well worth the trip!
4 key terms from our workshop sessions
As well as having fun, we listened to four inspiring sessions focusing on global health, human rights and maternal health. During the sessions, students had the opportunity to ask questions and participate in the discussion, allowing us to have deeper insights on our courses.
1. International Human Rights
The first speaker was Kate Gilmore. Her speech focused on “International Human Rights”. As development students, it is our responsibility to uphold International Human Rights.
2. Participation
Chiara Chiavaroli introduced a participatory research method through video-making, and she showed her research in Colombia. It was very interesting, and many students asked questions and discussed how this research method could be used in development studies.
3. GHPs (Global Health Partnerships)
Charnelle Nunes concluded her findings in the COVAX case (vaccine GHPs) that both technical and political solutions are essential to achieving global vaccine equity.
4. Treatment Delay
Adura Banke-Thomas pointed out that treatment delay was one of the biggest killers of maternal health in Africa. Besides, he He presented an innovative and interesting tool to estimate the travel time to access maternal health services in Africa.
Overall, this trip allowed us to immerse ourselves in nature, expand our knowledge and meet new people! I would recommend this trip to other students.
The views expressed in this post are those of the author and in no way reflect those of the International Development LSE blog or the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Featured images: Muyan Chen
View Harnoor Ghuman, MSc Health and International Development student, reflections from the trip on Instagram.
