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...
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
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...
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...
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