stevgriffin

I guess they call it third world, I was on a tour bus with a guide who was showing us the sites. We stopped outside a village for a minute while some sheep crossed the road in front of our air conditioned, plush, luxury tour bus. It was over 100 degrees outside but we were comfortable.

As we were stopped, I looked to the right and saw a sweet young mother with her two little children out in front of what I learned was their home. It was a tee pee. The mother got up and flipped back the flap in the front of the little home, which was a big tee pee by tee pee standards, but the smallest home you could imagine. She pulled out a broom and started to sweep the dirt floor in her little tent. There was no TV, no computer, 4 little cot type beds, a big fire pit in the center and very little else. And she was sweeping the dirt. I got tears in my eyes as I thought of how hard her life was.

The tour guide told me not to cry, that she did not know any different life and more than anything, she was happy. I looked back and she appeared to be singing to the children, although I couldn’t hear anything over the noise of our air conditioning and the bus itself. She was smiling, her kids were smiling. I guess I have a lot to learn.