Living the Dream

The poverty here is the real deal, as you can tell if you’ve read my previous posts. Sometimes your brain can play tricks on you, and you feel a little like you’re in a movie and it isn’t real. Sometimes you question why people would ‘stay’ this poor. Then you wake up and realize no one would want to be hungry, dirty, or thirsty. We all want the same things for ourselves and our families, no matter where we call home.  

Working from home

This young woman makes and sells tortillas outside her home, using a makeshift adobe oven and the bottom of a barrel as a pan. She sells them to members of her community and takes pride in her work. Many young women like her went to school, but the public school systems here are reported to pass everyone regardless of grades, instead focusing on maintaining voters for the party in power, among other things. As a result, much of the population is relegated to these kinds of jobs, including waste picking.

One morning at the clinic an 8-month-old baby with a foot rash showed up. A 12-year-old girl gave the baby’s information to the triage nurse and sat on the bench with the baby until a doctor was available. A small little girl, likely 5-years-old or so, tagged along. When Dr. Perla discharged her patient the baby was next, and the doctor asked who was responsible for the baby (the dentist was seeing patients too, and sometimes the moms were spread thin between kids). No adult responded. After a pause the preteen said the person responsible for the baby was the 5-year-old, who cares for the baby everyday while their mom was at work.

The medical team just stared at each other. This tiny person, barely out of toddler-hood, was responsible for this child. There was no other choice for the family - they needed to eat, someone had to work, and Mom was all they had for the job. The visit was a quick one, a comprehensive note was written to give to mom, and we all silently praised the healthy baby and the job her sister was doing to keep her that way.

It can get mighty depressing thinking about such hardship, but there are plenty of lightbulb moments too. Literally.

While visiting some of the homes, we looked quizzically at syringes hanging all over the place. The infrastructure is pretty minimal in the barrio, and people splice wires from the poles to use for power. However, when your walls are made out of scrap corrugated metal there really isn’t a spot for a lightswitch. Watch this:  

It was amazing to see such ingenuity...regardless of education level! (That is a syringe and 2 ends of a live wire! Kids, don’t try this at home.)

Travel writer Rick Steves has a wonderful book called, Travel as a Political Act. He advocates that travelers need to be cultural chameleons and leave our ethnocentricities at home, if not in the garbage. This helps us understand and empathasize. In fact, 96% of the world exists outside US borders - 96 percent!!! As Americans, we are crazy if we think the way our 4% thinks is the only way to think. Steves writes, “Just like Americans have the American Dream, others have their own dreams. Put yourself in the shoes (or sandals, or bare feet) of the people you meet.” 

Maybe the dream is to make tortillas, or maybe it is to babysit your sister so you can eat that night. Perhaps the dream is to be a third world electrical engineer. Whatever it is, it deserves respect. 

The Medical Mission team, from all over the Western Hemisphere (with the donated charts, thanks Gina!)