Saturday, January 15, 2011

This past week...

This has been the busiest week of my life. It feels like it has been over a month, but tonight marks the 7 day mark. I'll share the two most important parts of my week: dancing and Cien Fuegos.

For those of you that know me, I'm a pretty lousy dancer. I somehow have fun at dances, but I never really looked forward to them. So, when I was informed that we would be having dancing lessons in Merengue and Bachata, I was worried. The classes were alright, and on Wednesday night, we had a little dance in the comedor (cafeteria) of the ILAC center. I absolutely loved it, and I didn't want to stop. I was able to have fun and actually put a pop in my hip movements. During these next few months, I'm looking forward to practicing and getting better. It's the most comfortable I've ever felt on a dance floor.

Cien Fuegos, which translates to "100 fires," is a town built next to a large trash dump. The city is straight out of a textbook describing third-world countries. To see those pictures is one thing, but to experience them is something entirely different. To see wild roosters, wild dogs, and malnourished children roaming the streets littered with debris nearly made my heart explode with pity. I was overwhelmed by the entire city, and, as we stood on a decaying basketball court, I could see the slum extended for miles. The rusted roofs glinted in the sunlight, and the school that we were visiting was comprised of 13 classrooms for over 800 kids. They weren't there that day, because yesterday was a holiday, and the kids usually don't want to go after a holiday. The dirt roads were pock-marked with holes and tainted by an air of desperation. The children were really the only ones smiling. That school will be my service site this next semester, and I hope those children can get me through it. I will need to focus on their joy and innocence to fight against the desolation that surrounds them.

Adios

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