August 5, 2009

The last work day... bittersweet. Squatters Hill was pretty much the same, face paint and necklaces. My friend Anne really wanted to show me her house yesterday, but I didn't think I was allowed to, because it was a little ways away from the site. It turns out I was! So, today I went as saw her house with Kathy, Jim, Haley, Brady, and Paul. We met some of her family, and I got to hear a little more about her story. She's one of eight... four girls and four boys. They live in mud huts. There's one main mud hut, her brothers hut, the kitchen hut, and the pit latrine. They have a two bedroom 'house'. It has a tiny sitting area in it as well. The kitchen was small. A fire was going in the corner. There was only one bowl of food in the kitchen, and you wouldn't believe what it was... chicken intestine. Yum. I didn't really want to check out the pit latrine... haha. They had corn growing in every open space. They haven't gotten a lot of rain, so they aren't doing so well. It was really interesting to see her house. I'm glad that she showed me. When we walked back to the school she told me her whole life story. Ten years ago her family was pretty well off. Her dad got in a motor-vehicle accident and ended up passing away. His brothers came to their house and took everything from them, except the clothing on their backs. They were kicked out of their own house. So they relocated to Squatters Hill. I'm not sure how it all works, but somehow they got some land. They built their own house. They've lived there for ten years now. Anne told me that some of her siblings couldn't attend school because they couldn't afford to pay the tuition. She was lucky though... she is attending school. I can't believe that some people actually live this way. It's sad. Unimaginable. I wish I could do something besides just tell them how sorry I am... they're okay though. They're actually pretty content. They're getting by, and they praise God everyday for keeping them alive. I am so blessed.

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A few more things to add... here people burn their garbage. Americans aren't the only ones harming the atmosphere! Thick, black smoke billows into the sky. The smell of burning plastic all around. It's lovely. Some people at the clinic said that people were burning rubbish inside their houses, resulting in carbon monoxide poisoning. How sad. Mindy also told me that they put honey on their infections. That way the bacteria eats the honey, rather than the open wound.

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Mindy got me hooked on these Cadbury Moros! They are really good chocolate bars. I'm pretty sure I've gained weight on this trip... I'm supposed to be losing weight!