Culture

My dad asked me tonight if the people over here have tractors which has inspired this post. I cannot put into words how moved I have been by this culture. I am not the same person for having experienced their way of life. There are so many people living in poor conditions in the country, working so hard for so little. Yesterday, there were American military visiting E's orphanage and they said the average income here is $1500 a year. Teachers at the local school make about $50 a week. We were told that some of the translators working for local "goodwill ambassadors" make about $150 a month.

I wish I had a car that would just take me around and stop and ask if I could take all the photos of the images I see every day. There are so many children herding cows and sheep. I read a story on another blog of someone working here that one mom had to tie her child to a tree so that she could work. What a choice to have to make -- work to feed your child and leave them or starve?

Cars are always broken down on the sides of the road. Women are seen carrying buckets of water for cooking. Animals are tied to eat the grass (no mowers), donkeys pull carts or people carry things on the back of bikes. People push things in wheelbarrows a lot. People dig through garage for food. I've seen this. And yet, in the midst of so much poverty and need, there is so much beauty, so many strong spirits, so many we have seen doing good in the midst of all of it. So much God.


Here are some photos:


This man is looking through the trash.

Carrying goods in wheelbarrow

Broken down truck

Farm implements
Man carrying bags with toddler on tricycle

Some sort of "modified" scooter

Tractor and wagon
Biking - goats alongside road

Bailing hay

Carrying home groceries??

Biking with bags
Carrying buckets of strawberries (they sell them on the sides of the road)

Going to market
Herding cattle