Current mood: curious
funny, in the united states we learn that there are 7 continents in the world...asia, australia, europe, africa, antarctica, north america and south america.
i've learned that here in colombia and all latin american countries...there only exists 6 continents in the world....asia, australia, europe, africa, antartica, and america (both north and south).
now i'm not sure if the u.s. is the only country or if latin american countries are the only ones who teach differently. i would love to find out. i will let you know what results from this.
i remember when i was younger saying i was american...south american. i'm pretty sure andres and i learned that from my parents, that america is one whole continent. cheers!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
The Little Boy
Current mood: thoughtful
So lately I have been incredibly pensive. I can't top thinking.
I walk down the streets of Bogota, and I see everyday the reason why I want to be here. The children...who are on the streets begging, washing windows in the middle of traffic, selling anything/everything they can, stealing, etc. The same children that should be in school, the only worry on their mind should be their homework for the next day, having a crush on a classmate, or what video game to play. It truly kills me to see that they live their childhood like this.
I'm used to the foster care system in the United States where children are placed with foster parents if their current situation happens to be unstable. Yet that system isn't perfect and is flawed in many ways, atleast it's a system. Here it's not at all illegal for a child not to be in school, in fact the primary schools are sometimes too expensive that children can't afford to go...something is wrong with that picture.
I was at my uncle's house a couple weeks ago. We went out to grab a couple things for dinner that night, while I was waiting outside the store a little boy (around 7-8 years old) came up to me and asked me for money. I gave him some coins. And I continued to see him with the courage to ask the next and the next and the next person for money. He looked so sad yet with this courage that was like his determination. I started to cry, that's a flaw I have, well maybe not a flaw but something that runs deep....my compassion. My uncle gave me a hug and said this is life for most children in Colombia. I thought to myself, why???
A couple minutes later, I see two little girls with their mother walking and the two little girls seem to have new toys. The youngest girl (around 2-3 years old) had dropped a part of her toy and was looking around for it, out of nowhere this same little boy, with sadness and courage, came up to the mother of the two little girls to give back the little girl's toy that he had just found (she didn't say thank you....that really bothered me).
This little boy made me realize that I didn't want to leave Colombia any time soon. I feel like I can do something for children like him. I don't know what or when, but this little boy showed me that this is something to be handled. It's not just to have to live a childhood like this. My childhood wasn't the prettiest but i had the best damn memories ever, I loved every second of it.
Everyone deserves a good life. A happy life. Then again who am I to say that because they are poor, begging on the streets and such, they aren't happy....they may just be happy. I learned a long time ago that money doesn't buy happiness yet it does make the world turn. It's unimaginable to live without it, unless a person has never known money. I always daydream about a person being born on an island where nothing matters....kind of like the Blue Lagoon (great movies). They eat fruit, fish and laugh all day. They know nothing about reality but the peace of life....that's pretty freakin cool....unrealistic but a good daydream.
I enjoy a good daydream. much love! -C
So lately I have been incredibly pensive. I can't top thinking.
I walk down the streets of Bogota, and I see everyday the reason why I want to be here. The children...who are on the streets begging, washing windows in the middle of traffic, selling anything/everything they can, stealing, etc. The same children that should be in school, the only worry on their mind should be their homework for the next day, having a crush on a classmate, or what video game to play. It truly kills me to see that they live their childhood like this.
I'm used to the foster care system in the United States where children are placed with foster parents if their current situation happens to be unstable. Yet that system isn't perfect and is flawed in many ways, atleast it's a system. Here it's not at all illegal for a child not to be in school, in fact the primary schools are sometimes too expensive that children can't afford to go...something is wrong with that picture.
I was at my uncle's house a couple weeks ago. We went out to grab a couple things for dinner that night, while I was waiting outside the store a little boy (around 7-8 years old) came up to me and asked me for money. I gave him some coins. And I continued to see him with the courage to ask the next and the next and the next person for money. He looked so sad yet with this courage that was like his determination. I started to cry, that's a flaw I have, well maybe not a flaw but something that runs deep....my compassion. My uncle gave me a hug and said this is life for most children in Colombia. I thought to myself, why???
A couple minutes later, I see two little girls with their mother walking and the two little girls seem to have new toys. The youngest girl (around 2-3 years old) had dropped a part of her toy and was looking around for it, out of nowhere this same little boy, with sadness and courage, came up to the mother of the two little girls to give back the little girl's toy that he had just found (she didn't say thank you....that really bothered me).
This little boy made me realize that I didn't want to leave Colombia any time soon. I feel like I can do something for children like him. I don't know what or when, but this little boy showed me that this is something to be handled. It's not just to have to live a childhood like this. My childhood wasn't the prettiest but i had the best damn memories ever, I loved every second of it.
Everyone deserves a good life. A happy life. Then again who am I to say that because they are poor, begging on the streets and such, they aren't happy....they may just be happy. I learned a long time ago that money doesn't buy happiness yet it does make the world turn. It's unimaginable to live without it, unless a person has never known money. I always daydream about a person being born on an island where nothing matters....kind of like the Blue Lagoon (great movies). They eat fruit, fish and laugh all day. They know nothing about reality but the peace of life....that's pretty freakin cool....unrealistic but a good daydream.
I enjoy a good daydream. much love! -C
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