Poverty

Poverty. 

pov.er.ty

noun

the state of being extremely poor. 

Growing up in the United States and living there all my life, I have never been exposed to much poverty. I have seen briefly what penury looks like in Mexico. I have seen what poverty looks like in Nashville, Atlanta, and Rhode Island; But never have I seen this ... 

-- Families living in a shack on the side of a busy road. The children not attending school because parents simply         can’t afford it, so the kids are left to play on the side of that busy road.

-- Frail old men and women begging for people to buy their stuff ... candy,fruit, cigarets.  

-- A CHILD sleeping on the steps of an overpass. A CHILD! 

 Homelessness in the USA don’t compare to the amount of impoverishment I have seen here in Cebu. 

For the last week Ronald and I walk to the Country Mall and get some bread to eat for breakfast, and everyday we see the same two children sleeping on the steps of that overpass. Hundreds of people must walk past these kids and yet NO ONE stops to give them even 1 peso (equivalent to 10 cents in the states). They say I will become numb to  seeing this, that I just simply have to turn away from it. But will I become numb? Will I be able to turn my head from this? Im not sure I have that capability. 

I have seen so much poverty. I am not used to this. 

However, the people here are STILL happy. They know nothing else. In whatever circumstance they find themselves, they are still genuine happy people. I have a lot to learn from them. 

Peace and Love. 

--Caidy