Living on one Dollar

      The most profound thing I saw in the documentary is the amazing community the people lived in. The Pena Blanca village in Guatemala was really like family. When one man's wife was dying, he didn't have enough money to pay for her medical bills, much less take her to the doctor. His neighbor willingly paid all of the bills for him, even though it cut into his expenses. Things like this are priceless, the love that individuals in this village had for one another was incredible.  Here in the United States the communities are varied. There are some communities in this country that think of one another as family and have an incredible bond. There are some communities however, that hardly know each other and don't make an effort to be a good neighbor and get involved with activities within the community. I believe that the Vail Valley has a very strong community and lots of people know each other and have for many years. Although this is the case I do not think, for example, that a neighbor would pay for another  ones medical bills especially if they themselves weren't financially stable. I don't think that many communities in the U.S. would have that strong of a bond and put a neighbors needs before their own. 

If I had grown up in those conditions I believe I could survive, though it would be incredibly difficult. I think I could do it because that's all I would know. I wouldn't know what it feels like to live in a big enough house where I could I have my own room and many bathrooms and a good size kitchen, or where my parents could afford to send me to college and primary school. If I had not grown up in these conditions and I was living like this for even a little bit I do not think that I could survive. I use technology for almost everything, whether it's snapchatting or texting my friends to trying to type a paper for school or looking at what the weather is going to be like for the next day. Honestly it would be one of the biggest challenges of my life to live without technology and electricity. I use these things for many day-to-day things that I don't even realize.  That's just the beginning of living in poverty though. These people hardly eat anything all day.  They work from dusk to dawn and most of them don't to school or only go to school for a little bit. Thinking about living in poverty is incredibly difficult for me because even though I have seen what it's like and have been to Nicaragua it is still a much different experience than actually living it. However, based on my lifestyle and how I live I do not think that I could go from my fast paced life to living in poverty. 

I think the most difficult part of living in poverty would be the inability to feed my family or children and know that I wouldn't be able to pay for their education. In the documentary, one of the villagers said that you have to choose between feeding your children or sending them to school. That would be heartbreaking for me. If I were a mom, I would want what is best for my children and give them the best life I could, if I couldn't do that, it would kill me. Also, seeing that my children wouldn't be able to follow their dreams or really be a kid because they barely get any food would be so challenging and sad for me. In the documentary one of the dad's said that his children don't have enough energy to play, they just lie around because that's all they have energy to do. 

My values and those of the villagers in Guatemala are very similar. Like the Guatemalans in the video I value education, food, water, hard work, and shelter, plus many other things. I work very hard in school so that I can continue my education and go to a good collage so that when I am older I can get a well-paying job and provide for myself. I also am very grateful that I can have my own room and can eat more than enough food. Sometimes I do stop and think how lucky I am and I understand it much more after going to Nicaragua  However, I still take most of these things for granted. I complain that I have to go to school, I many times whine that my parents need to go to the store because we have no food even though our pantry and fridge is packed ful of food, am careless when running water, and get lazy when I have to do work. So I take even the things I value for granted. Whereas with the villagers, they hardly get any food, drink unclean water, can't afford education, and have to work incredibly hard every day in order to receive their small paycheck, yet they are still incredibly happy and make the most of their life. 

I will apply my knowledge from the documentary to my work in Cambodia in many ways. First I know, even after going to Nicaragua, I will go into Cambodia more empathetic towards the children. Because of this, I will be more motivated to help the children as much as I can and be able to make a bigger impact on their lives. Not only that but the children living in the orphanage live in similar conditions to the people in the video. Since this is the case I have a better idea of how I can help the children. For example, I understand that education is very important because if you are educated you can provide for your family and make a better life for yourself and them. Because of this is will put extra work into making sure the children understand the concept I am teaching or helping them with.  I will not move on until I know that every child has a clear understanding. I have been to Nicaragua and seen what poverty looks like and the effects it has on people. I will put every ounce of effort into this service trip cleaning the children's sleeping quarters and doing any repair work on the orphanage or giving supplies out to people in the slums. I will do whatever it takes to help these children have a better life and know that they have a bright future. They just need to work hard and believe in themselves.