Happiness

Hola! The internet connection went down so I have lots to tell you over the past few days!!

Yesterday we went to the dump. The Garbage Dump is one of the most emotionally draining days throughout the entire trip. You work alongside a local, usually of Haitian background. What is really difficult to wrap your mind around is the fact that the person you are standing next to is stateless.

Imagine cutting your foot and needing stitches- but you can't get them. Imagine wanting to go to school and become a doctor- but you can't get an education. Imagine wanting to leave your country to travel or get a better life- but you can't. Why? Because you have no documentation that proves that you exist. Many of us don't even think twice about how much a birth certificate means. Several people in the garbage dump remain stateless- someone with no registered citizenship or nationality. They don't belong anywhere or to anyone and to many, they don't exist. Imagine not existing?? It just doesn't seem possible.

With that being said, statelessness plays a huge role in poverty. Many individuals cannot get ahead, even if they wanted to. The children cannot enrol in school because they have no record of even being bored. Statelessness limits many opportunities for the people out here.

The garbage dump was extremely difficult to get through. We picked through garbage to find plastic bottles that could be recycled. The individuals make approximately 40 cents a bag, resulting in about 1-2 dollars every day. Imagine living off $1 a day? It doesn't even seem possible. The garbage dump day was a lot to wrap your head around. It's very difficult to put yourself in their shoes, to really understand what they go through each and every day of their lives.

I worked alongside a girl who was only 15 years old. She would constantly pick up clothing she would find and keep it for herself to wear later. At one point, she found a bag of uneaten crackers and took one and ate it. I couldn't help but to just stare, who was I to tell her what she can and cannot eat? She turned over to me and offered me a cracker. Here I am thinking about my life. If I were to even drop a piece of cracker on the ground, I would throw it out... and here she is eating crackers she found in a pile of garbage?! Something is seriously wrong with this picture and something needs to be done. We ended up filling about two-three bags together before I had to leave. Overall, the dump experience is one that is impossible to forget. The things you see, the people you meet, and most significantly- the smell of poverty will always be remembered.

While I was there, working alongside the 15 year old girl, I couldn't help but to imagine my life at 15. I was in school and playing sports.. a place where children belong. She should be in school and she should be outside playing sports or drawing or learning an instrument- not going through garbage to try and make it through each day. Sometimes things just seem so unjust and its difficult to fake a smile for the day... but the people here make the most of every moment and possess something we should all have- true happiness. You can see it in their eyes, feel it in their hugs, and hear it in their voices- they know what true happiness is.

The garbage dump has taught me so much about what to value, and how easy it is to forget what our real needs are. We overlook everything that's important or meaningful to us and pay attention to the little things that we don't necessarily need. We need to focus on what makes us happy, and that starts with the people in your lives.

This one goes out to my family, I love my family and could not be more appreciative. We have the most giving and most loving family in the entire world. There are not many families that hang out every summer weekend or go on trips with extended family. There are not many families like ours and I love every one of you guys! Thanks for the support throughout this and I cannot wait to come home to all of you!!! :)

Love You

Bianca :)