The conditions the men lived in for the time they spent in Guatemala seemed pretty extreme. I believe I could live in these conditions for about a week before I would choose to find different living conditions. At this moment in time I have a warm house with a bed and a roof over my head. One of the most intriguing and stressful things for me would be picking the number out of the hat not knowing if you would get paid. I would struggle with food as well. Not knowing whether or not your going to get food for the day would be a constant question in my mind. I don't think I would be able to live in these conditions more than a week because of the culture I have grown up in.
Living in poverty would be an interesting experience because every day is a constant struggle. Getting proper nutrition would be the most challenging part of living in poverty. Without proper nutrition you head downhill very fast. Not knowing if you will eat that day would be a constant mind game of yes and no. The other day I learned an interesting fact about the USA, about 95% of all the money in the United States is owned by about 1% of the population. To me that is money that could be used to help people in poverty get the proper nutrition they need for every day life.
In the village where most of the film took place the people their value education, family, and others over everything else. Everyday I go to school I hear "school is the worst" at least once every day. The kids in the documentary would give anything to go to school and get an education. The only thing holding them back is money. Before I went on any trips with CGA I had very little appreciation for school. Now I go into school with a big smile and an urge to learn something new. Another thing that the towns people value are family and others. They all support each other when someone needs help. They are always willing to lend a hand even to strangers the don't know. I value my family very much but now I have a much stronger appreciation for everything that they do for me. They are always putting my priorities before theirs. I also have learned not to judge a book by its cover and take time to get to understand every page. The values of the Guatemalans in the village are highly respectable and important to apply to everyday life.
From this documentary I am able to understand the constant struggle in everyday life and how people are able to cope with it. I have taken inspiration to be the best I can be for others and improve their lives. I will travel with this inspiration to Tanzania and exhaust every inch of energy I have and put it towards improving others lives.
