March 31: Day 4-1st day of Project

Today we went to our schools and met the kids-they were so adorable!  We got a lot of work done and Selmy said we might be finished tomorrow (which is exciting because this was supposed to be a five day project).  These kids were so cute and decided to help us paint towards the end of the day.  When it was all finished I was exhausted.

We saw a movie today that really moved me-Which Way Home.  These little kids are travelling in hopes of a better life and they end up with no lives.  I want to know what happened with Freddy and Olga, the nine year old children.  It is so sad to watch children that young face such a difficult journey.  I did not cry during the movie but I got close.  It really made me sad and I want to do something to help these children; I know I can't save all, or maybe any, of them.  The children had such high hopes and big imaginations for what the United States was and what they could accomplish.  I was so sad when everything they hoped for was let down.  Kevin did not want to be here or home; to be that lost and feel like you don't belong anywhere is so sad.  I honestly have no desire to describe how I feel after watching that documentary/  All I can say is sad, disappointed, and hopeful, for the children.  I hope that those children find better lives.  I hope Olga gets reunited with her family.  I hope Kevin, and the rest of the boys, find a place in which they feel wanted. 

**UPDATE: I looked up information on Kevin and he currently lives in San Jose and is doing fine.  He made it across and was granted asylum.

 After seeing the film, I am left feeling pity for these boys.  They want to be loved and no one will love them.  Another thing, they think America is a dream and the reality of it is that it is not. America is not a dream house by any means; there are people who are struggling to get by and even though our country was founded on immigrants and the work they did, it is just another place to live. [Do not assume by my saying this that I think we are a bad country; people just think we are so amazing and the thing is that we have a ridiculous amount of problems that we need to fix].

Anyways, on to the kids at the school again.  They were so happy and were so interested in what we were doing.  They would smile and wave and were so excited for us to be there.  The school was nothing extravagant and there is a lot of work to be done but the children were completely fine carrying out their activities there.

This trip has opened my eyes to a different what of living.  The movie has had, possibly, the strongest effect on me.  Maybe because I can see the children's struggle throughout their journey.  We have so many immigrants that we never think about what it took for them to actually get here.  This just solidifies my choice in choosing to help children.