Have you ever been so hungry that you got a “hunger headache”? Have you ever been so hungry that you became irritable as you felt your blood sugar dropping? Have you ever felt the frustration of not being able to find a restaurant, in an unfamiliar area, that would suit your fancy? Can you relate to the utter disappointment and sometimes disgust felt when the plate of food that you just took out of the microwave was still a bit cool in the middle? Have you ever passed by a restaurant and just caught a whiff of the specially prepared delectables being plated for its customers?
I’m sure all of us have been hungry for one reason or another. Maybe it was because you were “too busy to eat”. Maybe some of you were fasting for medical or spiritual purposes. Maybe you’ve actually had no food in the house because money was “tight”. No matter what the reason is, not many of us have been so hungry that our only meal for the day would come from either the hand of stranger or a garbage bag.
As one of my classmates mentioned, the image of man sharing his meal with a dog out of the garbage is forever etched in my heart. My personal experience is another that I will not soon forget. As I ate dinner with my professor and her husband, we reviewed the happenings of the day and talked about how we couldn’t believe that we only have a little over a week left of our time here in Granada. We spoke to many of the vendors as they tried to sell us their wares, cigarettes, candies, earrings and hammocks, to name a few. Repeating, “No gracias, no gracias”, about 50 times, more for persistent ones. Then as I saw a young man approach our table with nothing to sell, my eyes widened in disbelief as he asked my professor for her tostone con queso (plantain with cheese). She gladly gave it to him and told him to be careful. My heart dropped to my toes. Wow… I had seen people beg for money on the sidewalk and even ask for leftovers after a catering event, but to see this young man so sincerely ask for what was on a stranger’s plate was a really surprising. Not only did he approach us but before the night was over all three of us had given away our dinner to various boys who asked. When all we had was the garnish left on our plates, a couple of the young men turned to say thank you.
I hope we think and take a different action when we leave our leftovers so long that they are no longer edible. I hope we hold our peace and reflect before we get agitated because we are “so hungry”. It’s a process to change our mind set but it is definitely possible. It takes a conscious effort; one thought at a time. Let’s not make our kids eat what they don’t want “because there are starving kids in Africa”. Teach and show them that there are poor, starving children everywhere dealing with more issues than they could imagine. Teach them and they will gain a greater appreciation for what they have while helping others.
In a docutmetry entitled La Nina a Madre there were thre great examples of hunger. Three young ladies, expectant mothers livedin very meager surroundings.Though they e were not educated and were unemployed they didin't seem to be to concerene with feedign thier children. They all seemed to be brave and had some sense of security knowing they would do whatever it took to take care of thier children. these young women seemed to have a hunger for survival. No matter how little help they had a or what obstacles they had to overcome...They knew that they were strong enough to take care of thier children.They would survive even through the sadest and roughest times.
Hunger for Survival.
Marcella
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Hola Marcella,
ReplyDeleteYes, we were able to see one of the negative effects of the development of tourism in Granada. Some families even force their children to beg or sell trinkets because tourists are more likely to give them money than to give it to an adult. Other children ask for money to buy glue.
As I mentioned in our conversation in class yesterday, our visit to Masatepe showed us traditional life in a small town that has not had tourist development. I wanted you all to note the difference. There were many children with happy and loving families. We need to all be careful about stereotypes that can be developed in our short time here based on a single experience, albeit a powerful one.
It is also why I asked all of the students not to give money to children. The more successful they are, the more likely this is to continue to grow. While it seems cruel, giving money really serves only to assuage guilt in the traveler while it perpetuates this problem that often comes with unequal development.
However, I could never deny another human being food. Yes, it is an experience that makes us reflect on so many aspects of our lives and living in the world today.
Do you feed a child, or do you teach a child to grow and learn to feed a family or a town someday? Beyond observing the problem, what are ways to participate in solutions?
Saludos,
Alba