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
In Transit
* Note: I wrote this post during my layover in London, and now I’m back in Canada. I’ve got a few posts left from Africa stored up that I’ll share in the next few days, but it seemed like this one should go first* I love travelling. Not the just the part when you get … Continue reading
New normal
Now that my time in Zambia and Zimbabwe is coming to a close (sooner than expected), I thought I’d share my accumulating list of things that would have bothered me at home but have become routine in my 3.5 months here: when my bus leaves an hour and a half after I get on (and … Continue reading
emily ruth adventures 