Day 1

On the first morning, the group 15 and I, adventured to the center of town where vendors scattered the streets, along with the starved dogs and trash. We went on a scavenger hunt for certain foods that we would later take a squatter community called Siete de Abril. It was hard to communicate, and even harder to bargain with the few Spanish words I know... but 50 cents per pound of rice and beans seemed reasonable.
Afterwards, we traveled to the community of Siete de Abril. It was a sight similar to those on the TV of dilapidated shacks, and protruding bellies of little children, starving animals, and colorful trash decorating the dirt. The poverty I witnessed was beyond comprehension. Electricity and running water were nonexistent. Our group separated and joined individual families to help them cook with the food we had purchased. The sight inside was just as deplorable as those on the outside. The woman that I was with had 11 children (this is a typical family size) with accommodations of 2 rooms...a kitchen and a bedroom with 3 beds- both with dirt floors. Despite conditions that would be unbearable to most, the people seemed unaffected. Optimism is a way of life. As I wrote in an email: “the flowers and birds do not worry because they know God will provide for them. This is also true of the people here.” Certainly I pray that these conditions will always remain uncomfortable to me.