I wanted to tell you that I came down with a fever this week and felt awful. I think my host mom gave it to me, and it probably didn't help much that the bed I was sleeping on was the most uncomfortable bed (second perhaps only to Nana and Grampy's pull-out couch…) and the pillow was absolutely wretched… so I never got a good night's sleep and kept waking up every hour or so.
I decided to leave early because I wanted to be able to rest a bit more before classes begin again on Monday.
All the while that I was sick (well, I still am getting over it) I couldn't help thinking that all I wanted to do was go home. I had these plans to travel a bit after school got out, but I don't really have any desire to do that any more. I'm so ready to pack up and leave.
I saw more poverty than I wanted to deal with this week. The 20-hour bus journey passed by rows and rows and rows of tin shacks or small huts. I knew this before but it only cemented in my mind that I really am living a cushy life here and not likely doing much to help those that actually need it. My life in Catacamas is among the elite-- and our life in Michigan is among the super-elite. We are a tiny tiny minority… Wall Street got all up in arms about the 1%, but we must be among the .0001% of the world's rich.
And yet I feel so selfish… all I want to do is flee and not deal with people's problems. I am reminded of what you said Dad said to you in the airport towards the end of your stay in Africa-- that he just was sick of dealing with people's problems. I've only been here eight months and I feel the same. But this is so selfish of me. These people can't flee their own lives.
I read a really moving book during this journey that probably egged on these thoughts… its called Half the Sky by Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas Kristof. Sheryl WuDunn was the only January speaker I went to see this past January-- that was the day I went out to Marie Catrib's with Anna and Emily and Emily's boyfriend. She was absolutely beautiful and so articulate-- I remember being really inspired by her talk-- and the book was rather powerful/ disturbing. There were only one or two times I think she and her husband (Kristof) overstated their case, but in general I thought it should be required reading for most high school/ colleges.
Anyway… so all this was on my mind and I wanted to talk to you about it, but then the dog business came up…
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sending you a warm bear hug… my dear Momma Bear…
xoxo
H
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