The International Village

It's lunchtime... and we're just getting back to food and air conditioning from being out all night at the International Village. Basically, you get placed with a group from your church and put into a village that is based off of real homes in other countries. There were 6 places: Appalachia, Guatemala, Thailand, Zambia, Refugees and Urban Slum. Our students were placed in Thailand, Zambia and Urban Slum. We all had different difficulties and had to deal with a lot (over and above the heat and humidity). Each group got a food basket, and not everyone had food, and not everyone had all kinds of food (for example, the Urban Slums had rice only, Thailand had rice, eggs and onions, Zambia had rice, potatoes and carrots, Guatemala had water rights and a ton of food, and Appalachia had wood rights and no food) - so you had to trade for most of those things. It was interesting to see some people hoard and/or get greedy when they had a lot, and also to see some people be really generous with what they had. Then each "home" had to cook dinner (adults could not help) and do all the chores, etc. The adults had to be elders or 2-year-olds. Most of the adults around here choose to be elders, able to give advice and needing a little extra help, but mostly self sufficient. Brent, Amanda and I all chose to 2-year-olds. I'm proud to say that the Heifer Ranch staff said no one (ever) has take on those roles to the extent we did. (Amanda ran away when her family wasn't watching her, I ate some of the food when they didn't feed me when I was hungry, and Brent peed *aka poured his water bottle in someone's sleeping bag* when they didn't take him to the bathroom this morning). All in all I think the kids had a really great and difficult experience, and I think they learned a TON about life for a large portion of the world's population. I'll let the students talk more about it at the Shareholder's dinner, but I think it was a really amazing experience for them, and almost everyone handled it really well with maturity and heart. I'm very proud they call me "mom."

This afternoon we're working some more and taking classes. It's really hot (we're in a heat advisory) so they're being pretty careful with us soft MinnesOtans. Tonight I'm going to surprise the kids with a trip into town to get ice cream. It will be a treat after such a difficult night and hot day. :)

Keep the prayers comin!

Natalia
aka: little mama (my two-year-old name)