Day Three – The Shack Experience – ‘New Appreciation’

It’s about 4:30pm and I’m currently sitting in front of a pot of water waiting for it to boil for my instant noodles…We woke up early to work with a family who picks rocks to sell for landscaping. We had to pay for a babysitter to take care of our ‘kids’ while we went to work. The family we were supposed to work with did not show up. Our neighbor pointed out that this happens often, people show up for work but are then told that there is no work for them that day. So people have to go without pay and are left wondering when the next day of work will be. In our case today, we were fortunate enough to find work doing landscaping and odd jobs.  After a hard days work, I struggle to understand how people do this on a daily basis, yet get paid so little. How do they still have enough energy to function – to cook supper, care for their families, and prepare lunch for the next day. At home in Canada after a shift at work I would go straight to bed or to the couch for a nap and then do nothing for the rest of the day. And now I know the true meaning of exhaustion and have a whole new appreciation for people who are stuck in a cycle of poverty that forces them to get up and do this every day of their lives.- 2010 SOL Student currently living in ‘The Shack’