In October, we lost someone so magnetic that he’s still pulling us together, even in death. Someone so funny and kind that at his funeral we laughed (almost) as much as we cried. Someone so good to the core that he was donating as much time and money as he could, without fanfare or pretense. … Continue reading
Okay, so full closure: for the last month, I’ve been a one-woman Get Out The Vote campaign. I helped my UK/US dual citizen intern register for her first ever Presidential election. I made sure my ex-expat coworker was properly registered. It has gotten to the point where people have blocked me on facebook, and people … Continue reading
When I was in Tahrir Square and a gun went off, I remember being afraid of the cops. I instantly knew that the gun was not from a civilian, and it crossed my mind that the scariest thing in the world may just be the feeling of living in a place where you can trust … Continue reading
Whiny 18 year olds keep asking us, “What do you even do all day?!” (Just kidding on the whiney, they’re actually very thoughtful and a bunch of fun, and so far not getting into too much trouble.) Well, every Thursday I TA a section of the Global Experience course, taught by Staci, an Asst Site … Continue reading
Picture this: you’ve spent three weeks living in a beautiful foreign country but have barely seen the beaches. You only have two showers and they’re both always cold, and you’ve been eating arrozcompollo morning noon and night since you’ve been here. Your mattress is thin, the pillows are stuffed with rags and old cotton batting. … Continue reading
I awoke last week to a facebook update from Angie: Mata is underwater. Mata is incomunicado. My reply: come mierda. Eat shit. Sort of the Spanish equivalent of the f-bomb. For Mata los Indios and other bateyes, a flood, even for a short time, can be devastating. It means the truck with potable water cannot … Continue reading
Once upon a time, the DR could make a lot of money selling sugar all over the world. But it needed more workers, so they imported Haitians by the thousands. But they didn’t ant the Haitians to stick around, so during the dead season they were kicked out. And on and on it has gone … Continue reading
Sometimes we forget that the totally normal things we do at home can be seen as totally not okay elsewhere. Before going to Egypt, we were asked not to go running through Cairo. For one thing, between the smog, the traffic and the craterous sidewalks, it’s quite dangerous. And for another, it’s insulting. Some people … Continue reading
It is the expected common practice in the micro-credit industry not to advise client on their enterprises in a direct way. Every time I learn about MFIs, this is a huge controversy. The reasoning behind this is that if the business fails and it was recommended by the MFI, the associate would blame them and … Continue reading
Freshman year in all my classes there was The Marine. Old for a freshman and a fellow International Affairs major, he was always on time and often wore his mil backpack. Manifesting himself as the booming faceless voice from the back of the class, the professors always seemed overly eager to both hear and honor … Continue reading
