Heartbreak Hotel

"With great power comes great responsibility."
      I'm not sure exactly why I quoted Uncle Ben (from Spiderman, for those Marvel-challenged individuals that may be reading this), but I feel like I could use his Barry White-like, manly voice for some support on my own life-changing quote "Humility will save the world." I know this probably sounds like the next Heroes tag line or perhaps Diddy's next name and therefore album title, but it's definitely something worthy of being quoted. Since being here, I've been exposed to some of the craziest things I've seen in my life, each breaking my heart every time. I've seen the humility that people with nothing cling to and the pride that blinds others from lowering themselves to help out. If everyone in the world could give this a try, maybe, just maybe, we will be alright and maybe, just maybe, the poorest people can actually begin to live like human beings.
      Three weeks ago we went to Oaxaca for the weekend, one of the several trips included in our program. Sunday night, we went out to dinner in the portales in the zócalo of downtown Oaxaca (pretty much a big park in the center of everything with tons of people.) While waiting for our food (sitting at a table outside as goes the environment there), we were approached by several older women trying to sell bracelets and what not and "musicians" trying to make a living by serenading people who don't necessarily want it and therefore don't help foot their bills. As bad as I feel for this people who toss their pride aside and do whatever they can to survive, I'm slowly becoming desensitized to these "tele-marketers" of the street that don't take "no" for an answer. However, what caught my eye most this night and has tugged on my heart ever since can most appropriately be described as the Mexican version of the orphan cast of Annie ("Tommorow, tomorrow, I'll love ya..") belting out what seemed to be a song but sounded more like a kindergarten school play gone horribly wrong. The reason why I feel I need to mention the lack of Justin Beiber or Miley Cyrus stardom (yes I went there), helps emphasize the fact that these kids are out there, deafened by the blindness of their circumstances, doing what they can, or are forced to do, in order to support their families. One older girl continues to hopelessly struggle to find the right pitch while the others (ages of about 5-8) spread out, approaching every table within earshot of the girl to collect their night's earnings. Now it was my turn. A 5ish year old boy, covered in dirt and dust from head to toes, walks up next to my chair and without hesitation pushes his hand on the table and places it in front of each of our plates, carelessly touching our utensils in the process. Lowering his head, he begins his minute long spiel about his family not having money or food, only taking a quick breath to grab his "coworker" and ask what the next part was. Upon finishing, he put his hand back on the table again, looked at each of us and after realizing none of us where reaching into our pockets, simply said "malo" and proceeded to the next table.I sat there for a few seconds, stunned. What could I have done to make this kid's life just a little bit better? Truth was, I had no idea. We didn't want to throw money at them since we have no idea whose hands it would end up in or what propina (tip) jar in the nearest bar it would politely accompany. However, before I could fully get the thought process started in my head, I saw the director of our trip stand up with two little girls at her side. She walked over with them to a snack cart across the path from the restaurant and began purchasing tamarindo candied apple (a snacking favorite in these parts) after tamarindo candied apple for what seemed like the line of "It's A Small World After All" in either of the Disney theme parks. Aka, the line was long. And full of children. Wow. That was truly the perfect idea. Two hundred pesos later, she returned to her seat at the table, leaving 15 of the most innocent, brightest smiles I have ever seen, which I swear lit up the zócalo that night, even causing The Big Guy to unveil his pearly whites. A minute later, one of the little girls returns, holding the hand of the cutest, most disheveled two year old girl in Mexico (and probably the whole world). She walks up to Paola (our director), pulling her shoeless sister by her side, and says that her sister would like one also.
       I would like to say that this one incident changed my life. I have been exposed to this level of poverty before in Jamaica and another time I visited an orphanage in Mexico a few year back, but this hit me hard. I need to do something. I want to express the love that God calls us to share with others and I want to do the best I can to be that light in someone else's world. The world needs us to take a stand in God's name and get out there to help save people's lives. My journey has already begun.


He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." Mark 16:15

"Baby on Board"

Random man on bike

One of the smaller topes around

Every morning, on my daily commute to class, I am taken aback over and over again by the sights I am exposed to. Some are starting to become second nature to me, while others still manage to leave me in awe every time, primarily, the use of the "bicycle." I have early classes every morning, so I am walking to the bus stop (or if I am feeling up for the challenge, embarking on the 2-ish mile hike to school) at the same time that all the kids are arriving at the elementary school around the corner from me. The mornings here are pretty cold (50 *F), since it's technically winter in these parts, so all the children are bundled up in their coats, hats, and bufandas (scarves), as they take on Jack Frost and all his friends. While I'm crossing the street, headed toward my bus stop, I quickly hop back onto the sidewalk, dodging what appears to be a bicycle. The reason why it's hard to determine what is approaching me is that fact that there are 4 people on it; the dad, wearing the child's backpack, is "driving", with a kid in between him and the handlebars, while the mom is sitting sideways on a rack attached to the seat, holding onto the dad with one hand and holding a toddler in the other. That's ridiculous. Riding your bike in Newark, Delaware (where my school is for whoever may not know), we have to worry about being pulled over by a cop for running a red light or not having the proper "light-reflector" fixtures on the front and back of the bike. Here, there are no laws (concerning bikes I mean.) MAYBE (in all capital letters to stress the un-likelihood) there is some kind of law on paper, but in reality, no one knows or cares whether these laws exist. Things down here run with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality. From what I've seen, the topes (speed bumps) that can be found on every side street and even some main roads, do a better job monitoring traffic and regulating speeds than the police (I'll save the driving and traffic patterns for another day.) Now to get to the title....Last week, while walking around my 'hood on an adventure, I stopped and marveled at a very peculiar sight. There was, I lie to you not, a two year old being held by a guy driving a motorcycle with one hand. I watched as he quickly slowed down as he approached a tope. Had he miscalculated his speed or simply not have seen the speed bump, he and the baby, who of course were riding sin cascos (without helmets), would have been tossed around like leaves in the wind, resulting in a very short life for the baby and one sad-behind family. Simply put, life here is different. They are different people, a different culture, a different language, and have different views of life. A classmate was telling me recently that she was told by a native that people value family and friendships so much that they would easily dismiss attending a class if they could continue spending time with the people they love. I like that. I love this culture, I love these people, and I can't wait 'till I am a part of all of this, in some way or another.

Haves, have-nots and everyone in between...

I've never been one to blog or even write out my feelings and opinions for that matter, but being in a new culture with a fresh start has opened my eyes in many ways. So here it goes...

All I have to do is step outside my front door and I'm presented with a world of people of extremely differing financial backings. Conversely, stepping inside the front door to the courtyard of my house is like entering Narnia, an oasis in the middle of a dessert, a diamond in the rough. While walking to the bus stop, which I take back and forth from school everyday, I'll pass what appears to be a husband and wife digging through their neighbors' trash for anything useful they can find. Within the next block, I see a man opening the gate to his driveway to reveal a black, shiny 2010 model of whatever the newest Ford car happens to be. Walking back from my friend Katie's house, I look in through the doors of the little "tiendas" and see nothing but a chair, table, and a stack of papers in the middle of the room. I don't even know what this "business" is selling. The exterior walls of the "building" look like they haven't seen a fresh coat of paint since Mexico's independence (ok, a little exaggerated I admit). However, immediately next-door, there's a beautiful spa, with large, perfect windows and a beautiful interior, completely furnished with decorations and room to spare. The haves and have-nots exist side-by-side, and the most the "poor" people do about it is patiently waiting on a sidewalk with a small cup in their hand, smiling and politely asking with their words, or the look in their eyes, for a small "donation." Walking from my room to the front door of our residence, I pass a beautiful garden with an avocado and orange tree, (both of which my Mom uses to prepare our lovely meals) knowing that in just another minute, I would stumble into a world of want and need, with several street dogs awaiting my arrival around the next corner. So it goes, there are rich and there are poor and there always will be, but I sure hope that some of these people can learn to humble themselves and reach out to help their struggling neighbors that have just been making it by their whole lives. I sure know I need to...