Hiking for Charity

The first of the Peace Corps’ three goals is, “To help the people of interested countries in meeting their needs for trained men and women.” I am a volunteer in Indonesia because the Indonesian government asked for native speakers who can help both their students and teachers improve their language, learning, and teaching skills. Every day I participate in a valuable cultural exchange between both my home and host country – and it is a wonderful experience.

But there is a risk working or volunteering in international development. Sometimes it is easy to let our heads get a little too big, to be lulled into a sense that if we didn’t do the work no one would. That is simply not true.

Third time’s the charm

Check out this story, written by Jennie Maibor, about one of my awesome fellow PCV’s here in Indonesia – bringing a life of service to a whole new level! Keep up the great work, Jay.

Idul Adha: The Feast of the Sacrifice

Disclaimer: This post is about animal sacrifice. While I have not included anything particularly shocking, there are pictures in this post of raw meat and animals about to meet their ultimate demise.

This post also contains information about Islam. In no way do I claim to be an expert on any type of theology or religion, especially not Islam. If I have written anything that you believe to be untrue, please correct me in the comments. I would love to learn more! Happy reading.

You think about a lot of things when you witness the slaughter of a sacrificial cow. Like how strange it is that humans are the only predators on Earth who buy an animal in advance, kill it, package its meat, and store it until they decide to cook it and eat it – how we don’t have claws or razor sharp teeth, but are so frighteningly smart that we don’t need them. It also strikes you that the world is a much harsher place for our four-legged brethren than many Americans like to believe.