Pizza & Banana Mamas

For three out of the five work days we take packed lunches in styrofoam containers. We either get one of the two delicious choices of pizza or chicken and potatoes- not like the usual steak or roast beef back home. When we get back from a work day we tend to have cravings for the fruitiest drink known to mankind. This is where the Banana Mama comes in served in a plastic cup. I'd say on average I have four to five a day, I just can't get enough. Yesterday, that entire perspective changed.

We went to the dump yesterday and worked alongside Haitian refugees who remain stateless. As I was working alongside my friend Megan and a little boy I kept hearing the same constant crunching underneath my feet. I looked down only to find the exact same styrofoam container that I used just a day ago. I couldn't grasp the fact that I was contributing to what I was fighting against. It was confusing and frustrating and I just the combination of mixed emotions is difficult to put into words. I walked away from the container only to find my cup. The same cup that gave me a Banana Mama the other night. How was this happening? It finally hit me how hard life is to comprehend and how injust things really are. I'm here to help the people to build sustainable housing, make a little bit more money than the last day... and yet I feel like there is just so much to do in so little time and I can't help but to question how things got this far?

The dump is by far the most moving experience of my life. I couldn't hold me feeling inside as I walked through the my own garbage and tried to understand that people do this on a daily basis for less than a dollar a day. I immediately broke down and went for a big bear hug from one of my team members, Andrea. She simply just held me and comforted me. Later on we went for a walk to a waterfall which showed me how easily it was to escape from that morning. Although it was relaxing it also broke my heart to know how easily I can fall back into the swing of things and forget that people are digging through garbage- my garbage- as I type this blog. Its difficult to grasp and I find it hard to find the words to describe what I am going through right now.

I hope that one day each and every one of you will be able to go through an experience like I did and that it will open your eyes and change the way you live your everyday life. It has truly encouraged me to think twice about everyday things like what I eat and how much of it I eat. It's difficult to move forward in life knowing that others are at a standstill for days, months, years, even decades. Thank you for allowing me to share this experience with you.

Love & Miss you all,
Bianca