see rock hill

time just keeps flying on by. we only have three more full days left here, and then we go back to brussels. weird. yesterday we went for a walk with ida, one of the local people here that works for kristin and keith. she took us into her neighborhood and to a place called rock hill. it was one of the most moving experiences i've had here. there were people everywhere, and the houses just seemed to be put in places that didn't really make sense. keep in mind that i use the term house very loosely. there were usually walls and sometimes roofs, but the roofs that they had were always leaky (not very fun for rainy season). and then at one point we were walking over a makeshift bridge, and there was a little girl, who looked so frightened by this strange group of white people, washing clothes in the very water that i was afraid to put my feet in.

then we made it to rock hill. it is called rock hill because for income there, people will literally take the big rocks and break them up in to carryable pieces. then they'll sit with those pieces and crush them until they are much smaller. then what they sell is just the buckets of rocks. i can't quite figure out who is buying the rocks, but i think people are using the rocks to make the roads gravel. a lot of them right now are just dirt... interesting way to make a living, but they only make a few dollars. that seems like a lot of work for not a lot of money.

i think the reason this walk was so moving to me was because it really brought to light the stark difference of situation for these people. there is still so much poverty. it reminded me of this book i'm reading that someone wrote about their experience in liberia. he said he came to liberia expecting to feel what it was like to be really, really poor. instead he came and felt what it was like to be really, really wealthy. i think we can resonate with that. there is definitely some serious need here, and i almost find myself wishing i could stay.

peace and love,

julia.