Thoughts

I am glad that I took an ethics class in college before coming here. So much of what we do is beautiful, the people incredible, the children loving, but its hard to stop and think about why sometimes. We go up to aldeas to visit people that are more welcoming and accepting then anyone else we have met. They bring us into the simple homes, give us whatever food they have, and just visit with us. Give us their time and energy that they could use for other things. But what other things would these be? They have relatively no education, they generally have no trade or skills to offer, no transportation to get anywhere, and there are really are no jobs to be had in this town anyways. Many people live without electricity, and simply go to bed when it’s dark and wake up when it’s light out. At what point is it beautiful, and at what point is it sad. They will never aspire to be a doctor or a lawyer, or even a firefighter. They will never value education because their parents didn’t have one and they survived, and it won’t pay the bills or put food on the table to study now. They have no concept of delayed gratification, only doing what is necessary at the moment. I love the spontaneity, the laid back lifestyle, the lack of necessity when it comes to scheduling meetings or being on time. They are happy with what they have when they have it, but have no idea what they could be capable of if they put their efforts into other things. They also don’t’ expect much from us, just being there, which I think they can appreciate like no other group of people I have encountered.
There is a group of kids we lovingly refer to as the ‘street kids’. They don’t have supportive parents, to say the least, and come here to play most days, sometimes more than once a day. There are about 6 or 7 that consistently come, and we play, color, just visit with them as well. They are kids and are wonderfully universal, regardless or cultural and language barriers. They are fun, and funny, and give the best hugs! It is hard at the same time to have them here, its our house, and our only territory where we can shut off our brains for a bit, relax, put on my grubby gym shirt and old boxers and read in English, or play cards or whatnot. It’s easy to loose patience with them, they are a handful, and in such a large quantity can definitely overwhelm people. Some days, I want to tell them to just go home. I want to tell them that I am tired and sick of hearing Spanish, and honestly don’t want to play anymore today. They have never been disciplined, don’t understand rules, and have no idea what the significance of the word no is, in any language! You want to be mad at them, but they haven’t been taught the way we were, and getting mad won’t help them learn. I know if we turn them away they either go to the street to do who knows what, or go to their houses, where they aren’t particularly welcomed, and I can’t begin to imagine how they are treated. Where is the line with giving and accompanying, and trying to protect these kids from harm, and looking out for your own peace of mind?
I have no idea what the answer to these questions are, and don’t think I ever will be able to know for sure. It’s a learning process.
Thanks again for everyone’s support. I love the comments!