dia 299

Yesterday I watched a truck filled with 50 kgs bags of rice pass by, and I thought to myself... I probably eat about that much rice in one month (maybe 2)...

I felt a sense of pride stir on Sunday that I didn’t realize I had. I was at church and the new pastor made a reference to the way families in Europe raise their children, and said perhaps the hermana (in the protestant churches we refer to each other as brother and sister) can explain. Eli, turned to me with a knowing smile and I mouthed back: No soy europea - I’m not European. He noticed and after the service he spoke with me for the first time, besides the standard greetings and farewells. I told him I was from the States and he then asked me if I understood what he was saying. I told him that I understood his words, but they are completely different cultures. I wondered if he had ever been to Europe, or if he was just generalizing.

I prepared a Bible study for my church on Matthew 25 (what you do to the least of me…) to be part of a meeting and was disappointed when no one showed up. I was complaining to a volunteer friend about this when he said to me, “well, maybe the bible study wasn’t really for them, and was meant just for you.” I’ve thought about that comment, a lot. What was I supposed to get out of it? It talks about the excluded people. Was I excluding people? Was I being excluded? Sometimes it feels that way… but that’s not it, that wasn’t the message meant for me from the study. Upon reflection I realized, it was my attitude towards the beggars that needed to be changed. I can’t say that I’ve become accustom to the beggars, but they have become regular, routine. When I lived in New York City, I saw many beggars, almost every other corner had an old man or woman in rags sticking out their hand or shaking their cup at me. I usually walked by, I was an unpaid intern living in an expensive city. But here, it’s different. Its not just the old crumpled up old man on the corner, it is a young mother, a father, a child offering you candies to buy for 10 centimos or singing you a song on the bus. Sure, I would give to the first one that asked me in a day, but never the next one. I would feel, well that’s my obligation for today. Now, however, I see that attitude was wrong. If I have change in my pocket, I will buy candies from the next one and the 3rd, until I don’t have anymore centimos in my pocket.

I have been here for 299 days and I’ve found it difficult to write about my experience lately. I suppose that’s because things have become routine for me. That’s a good thing about the YAV program - a year gives you enough time to really get into the swing of things. I have about a month left and it feels so short, but then I realize some volunteer opportunities are only about a month and a half total! The reason I know today is day 299 is because I counted on Sunday. I had been feeling stuck in routine, not looking for the new opportunities each day can bring. I’ve made a commitment to myself to try to take things a day at a time. I intend to aprovechar(take advantage of) the next 44 days.

See my latest facebook pictures: http://owu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015395&l=6b6cf&id=24100417