Travelling with the eyes of others
Kathy, one of the MCC Zambia reps, shared this quote at the MCC Zambia retreat in April, and it’s stuck with me ever since. While I’m sure I would have had a great time in Zambia and Zimbabwe whether anyone cared or not, knowing I had a home and friends to return to made it … Continue reading
Portraits
A number of you have been asking where the stories I wrote over the last few months will be appearing. I’m sorry to say it will be a while before they’re all out. It takes time for the stories to work their way through MCC, and we don’t want to dump too many stories from … Continue reading
On leaving Toronto
When I was trying decide whether or not I should take this new job with MCC, I had a thought: “If moving was the right thing to do, I wouldn’t feel this upset about it.” I was distraught at the idea of leaving Toronto, and was trying to give myself excuses to stay. Of course … Continue reading
Language Barrier
A room full of eight people eating should never be this silent. We scoop rice into our mouths, gnaw on chicken bones and pierce chunks of squash with our forks, but nobody speaks. It’s my first night in Mtshabezi, a rural community about an hour and a half outside of Bulawayo, and I’m staying with … Continue reading
Priorities
I stayed with a Zimbabwean family in a rural village for a few days last month, and in casual conversation the mother asked me what percentage of Canadians had AIDS, and I realized I couldn’t answer. As a person who considers myself fairly well read this was a bit embarrassing. I said I knew it … Continue reading
emily ruth adventures 