"It is awfully easy to poke fun at ideas that sound like little more than backward, misinformed superstition. The first time you chuckle. The hundredth time you clinch your jaw to prevent yourself from saying what you really think." Then you stop and think about your own culture.
When Ulan's nine-year-old sister needed her appendix out, you'd be surprised what his parents were required to do to ensure a successful surgery.
I sat in a hospital that was—well, let's just say it was different than the one I'd sat in almost two months prior.
A 12-year-old girl and her grandma walked into the clinic. The receptionist handed them a clipboard with a short form to fill out and told them to take a seat in the waiting room until called by the nurse. When it was their turn, Laura opened the door that led into the doctor's office and … Continue reading Where Malpractice Insurance Isn’t a Thing
Her phone chirped, and Laura looked down at the screen. It was 10:00 on a Saturday morning. She didn't answer. Sometime between 1:00 and 2:00, Laura was freed up enough from the chores around the house to answer the missed call. It was Gulya, a young woman who lives in the village with her two-year-old … Continue reading Just a Little Bit
Bazaar workers shouldn't have to work all day long for peanuts. Their fingers, toes, and noses shouldn't freeze from the cold trapped in all the concrete and metal shipping containers that surround them. They shouldn't try to milk you for every last cent. Yet they do. A service called Drunk Taxi—no joke—shouldn't be a thing. … Continue reading All The Things That Shouldn’t Be But Are
I wished with all my heart my friend was lying to my face. I looked him in the eye. He was telling the truth. "Last week I woke up one night with a really bad pain in my stomach. It was about two in the morning. I woke my wife up and asked if she … Continue reading Moving On