Leah's Post

Today we went to the workshops that were offered to the older kids at the working boys center. We had the option to choose auto mechanics, beauty salon, carpentry or sewing. I chose to do beauty salon and I got the tips of my hair dyed blue! It was really cool to experience what the older kids got to learn and do at the center. It is an amazing program for them. After we were done with the workshops we had some time to relax and play games with each other. At three we went to the farmers market which was quite an experience. There was lots of fresh produce, and flowers like you would expect, but there was also animal intestines and live animals! That was very different from what markets are like in the U.S. It was really sad to see the animals smushed into cages and then getting shoved into bags for people to go home and kill, but that is the harsh reality of what the animals go through before we eat them. In fact, worse things go on in America that we just do not see. Although we witnessed the animals being held in small cages, when they are not at the market they roam freely like we saw during some of the house visits. Altogether, the farmers market was a great thing to see because it opened our minds to what markets are like outside of the U.S. 
In the evening we sat down with Padre Juan and Madre Miguel and talked about how the center got started and the spirituality around poverty. The working boys center was started when the boys who went out and shoe shined needed a place to stay, from their it grew in to a place for families, education, meals, and health. Madre Miguel said that as soon as another need came up, her, Padre Juan, and other supporters would find a way to accommodate it. One thing that really struck me during this talk was their definition of child labor. In most countries most people view child labor as exploiting children to do jobs against their will. This was certainly not the case at The Working Boys Center, the children their used to go out and shoe shine to support their family, and themselves. It was their choice to do it. Once a group of Harvard students did a study at the center in the earlier days and asked one of the boys if he would want to be a normal kid. The boy asked what a normal kid was and the student said a boy who goes to school, plays, and then goes home and does not have to work. In response to this the boy said that he was proud to help his family and that normal kids aren't grateful for all that their their parents sacrifice for them and that they do not know what real life is and that he would not want to be a normal kid. This made me feel even more thankful for everything that I have and empowers me to help more for my community and places around the world. Today was both fun, interesting, and inspiring. Ciao!