One of my experiences

One of my most interesting experiences within Ecuador occurred while visiting the houses in the countryside. Even before the trip, I had imagined what the living conditions must be like. When I actually got to see the natives in their homes I was surprised by what I found. I had prepared myself for realities of poverty, but I had not expected the attitudes of those living in poverty to be as positive as they were. A family with nine children lived in a small hut with a tin roof and dirt floor; they lived well below the poverty line for sure, but one could not tell this by the way the mother acted. This family made the best out of their situation and they were not embarrassed in any way. In fact, it seemed that the only people who felt embarrassed were the students from my group, including myself. The disparity between my own home and the home which this family sleeps in every night hit me hard and left me feeling uncomfortable. This family was eager to point out every part of their house from the outhouse made out of plastic wrap to the homemade electrical box that siphoned electricity from the city. It did not matter to them whether they had the latest or greatest in technology, but just the fact that they had someplace to call home. They are content with the way they live and have more self-confidence than I have seen anywhere else in the world. This experience has changed the way I view poverty and those who live in it. You don’t have to be wealthy or have many possessions to be confident in yourself.

Anthony Odorisi