I have wondered where to start...
view out our apartment dinning room window
home life has taken over
already it feels like a life time ago
funny how life does that.
But my commitment to myself was to not forget...
thus the book that is to come
because not only do I never want to forget
I want others to be awakened
*
I thought I would start with some visuals
of what I saw each day
when we drove up to the center each day.
In Medellin they have a class system
ranging from 1-7
1 being the worst
7 being the best
where we stay is a 3
where our center is, is a 1
(though in my opinion it really seems lower than that)
We all agreed we would not want to stay
in any higher level of class
3 felt real and still offered us a level of safety
being that our apartment complex is gated
anything 4/5 and higher is much like home
too much like home
I have to say
I am amazed at the levels that represent
the affluent
since poverty dominates the classes
but I have found that all over the world
there is a level of denial about
that which happens to those less fortunate
in all areas of life
Medellin has a population of 3.8 million people
When I am there I am tornado-ed
into
the sounds
the bodies
the never ending movement
that is this very large city
It is a place of sensory overload and stimulation.
It is everything I avoid in my everyday life.
But this place
has become a home to me
my Other Home
and each time I leave
it is harder
and more painful.
it is harder
and more painful.
The rainy season had started early
and the city was lush with green and blossoms
this was a welcome surprise
especially around the center
which is perched above the city on
the mountain side.
Our people up there
are now recognized as "displace people"
This is because
many of the ghettos formed are by
those who came in from the country
escaping the threat of the Guerilla warfare.
The government is now recognizing these people
which is good
as they now have proper hydro power
and also
can apply for government relief.
But this also unpackages a problem
that is universal amongst the poor
-how to manage these grants
When you are poor
you have been stripped of many more things
than finical stability
the stability of clear thought is also taken
the stability of making a long term decision
is also taken
the living beyond the moment
is taken
So often this money is not spent with long term
plans in mind
thus
what could have been a help up and out
gets sucked up by the dry earth
that is poverty.
BUT
there is hope my lovelies
and you became part of that hope!
These are some of the things
that your donations helped with:
medicine
shoes
food
clothing
cab fare and phone minute
for one of our university students
this is for her safety as traveling alone
can be dangerous at certain times of the day
12 gift bags for the women who work at the center
special outing for some of the kids
youth out reach program
and the big one
we...you and I
bought an industrial dishwasher for the kitchen at the center
our hope is to add another meal per day
a dish washer would help greatly for this to become a reality
yes smile
yes hug yourself
I told them all about you
woman around the world
who gave
who care
who love
they were so amazed
dis belief and confusion
would often cross their faces
when my interpreter told them of you
Thank you
from me
from them
Love and Light
