Picture this:
You wake up at 7 in the morning and go to eat breakfast. The anticipation in the room goes around like a frantc bee. Everyone´s emotions are electrified. This was the feeling in our group about an hour before having headed over to Batey Libertad, an impoverished community consisting mostly of Haitians looking for work.
When we got the Batey we were immediately bombarded by droves of shirtless children begging us to carry them. I only saw one person refuse (they were extremely cute). That day we didn´t do any work. We just hung around with the kids. I got to meet Pablo, Miguel, Rosa, Pepito, and Miguelina, as well as many others whose names seem to have eluded me.
The thing about the Batey was that there was so much love around us. From the little children constantly assaulting us, to the women who let us into their homes to eat, everyone was very kind to us. We began to feel like part of their community. With my broken Spanish, I managed to talk about girls and music as well as play pool and futbol.
I might blog about the second day later, but right now it´s time for dinner and I´m hungry.
Kareem Sayegh
University Laboratory High School
Urbana, IL
P.S. (If my family reads this, I send my love to them)