Tag Archives: short term

Short Termer Visits School for Street Children

From a short-term worker in Asia

Some of my friends here have a school for street children that they began several years ago. I’ve been visiting it this past week. The streets that lead to the school building are lined with trash matted to the dirt. Women call out greetings to my friends; they’ve known them for years. Turbaned men steer bikes over the rocky road. I walk into the schoolroom, increasingly aware of the issues that the children face. Continue reading →

Firsts

A blog post from Emily, a WEC Trekker

  • I was called “Sir” for the first time in my life a couple weeks ago, and it wasn’t someone trying to be funny; he was actually trying to be respectful. In Mandinka (not sure about all the other languages) there is no differentiation between he, she, and it. Those pronouns are all the same word. For this reason, men get called “her” and women get called “him” on a very frequent basis. I usually hear this mistake several times every day. Continue reading →

The Long, Dark Alley

By Ashley, A WEC Trekker in Asia

Last week my friends and I were invited to lunch with a family we know. We were led to their home by one of the family’s young daughters. She held my hand as we walked the path she walks daily at all times of day, with all kinds of people. Down a very steep hill we walked to a valley of busy people and yellow dirt, then climbed back up another hill. Passing under a bridge, a shadow giving relief from the hot street, we then clambered over the railroad tracks. We continued through more streets, past children in their school uniforms and nylon backpacks. Continue reading →