“I’ve never gotten sick but living amongst cockroaches and lice is hard to get used to,” she said. “I’ve had some pretty interesting [insect] bites.”
When asked why she doesn’t sign on with an international aid organization, Carton chooses her words carefully.
“I guess I’m dubious about where all the money goes. For me I just want to make sure it makes it to the right place. And I want the freedom to work with different kids,” she said.
“[Institutional] aid organizations usually want you to go over for a year and for me that’s too much. I can see why they would stipulate this … because the kids get attached and are really sad to see [us] go.”
Having worked with refugee children, Carton plans to return to her native Ireland next year and begin studying child counseling so that she can turn her humanitarian work into a career. But first she plans to travel to the camp after Christmas and spend another two months teaching and helping out.
“It’s changed me ... and when I come back [to Taiwan] I always feel a little sad because I miss the kids,” she said.
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