Disappointing!
I was born in a country that had some of the happiest and most carefree disadvantaged people in the world. Several times, I journeyed back there with a medical team in order to give much needed optical care to my people. My first trip was extremely difficult because I was mentally and physically exhausted. Nonetheless on my husband insistence, I went on the trip.
It just happened that the organization that does that work was formed by his then boss’s husband medical partner. I suppose as a favor to his boss, he volunteered me to go. It was a unique situation because I have lived the majority of my life in the US. I had, however, spent enough years in my country to know its people and customs.
During the trip, there was a doctor that would always try to educate me on the customs of the Belize people. At times, he simply spoke about the vegetation or whatever else, a visitor might have found fascinating. I found it rather amusing and would simply chuckle, every time he chose to give one of his lessons. Then in one of his speeches, he said that Belizeans were the most hospitable non-ambitious people in the world. That he instructed his children not to thrive to be a Belizean. My laughter immediately faded.
That country possesses such natural beauty, both in the environment and with those people's attitude. It is the reason I miss that place. Unlike that doctor, I would never want my children to become heartless and spend their life working for things that have no eternal value. People and friendships should be placed ahead of material gain and wealth. In my experience, people here place such high value on material possessions as opposed to the welfare of others. They are so consumed with their own affairs, they do not take the time to know their neighbours.
This came to mind because I did manage to get a reservation at beach side resort. In my opinion, it is one of the dirtiest beaches, I have ever seen. I went there a few weeks after a horrendous ordeal. I just needed to be near the water because, as a child, I found solace in it, but this is not the same. The waters, I was used to were green not brown, and one could even see fishes swimming in it. Instead of achieving what I had hoped, I walked away sorely disappointed because the day was as dreary as the water was dirty. Then like now, I failed to take hold of the solace, I so needed. It is not the dirty water that is offensive, but that is the root of my frustration.
I grew to become so, unlike my people. There is probably not another Belizean girl who would fuss about a seaside vacation. For me outing with my family are never relaxing, they are simply taking my responsibility to a different location. I guess for that reason, I imagined spending my birthday in a serene place. It would have been gratifying to recapture the person I was on the day, I came in this world. That will be as impossible as my being content about being alone during my breast surgery.
For more of Ruth's poetry purchase, Fantasy/Controversy or My Reality.
It just happened that the organization that does that work was formed by his then boss’s husband medical partner. I suppose as a favor to his boss, he volunteered me to go. It was a unique situation because I have lived the majority of my life in the US. I had, however, spent enough years in my country to know its people and customs.
During the trip, there was a doctor that would always try to educate me on the customs of the Belize people. At times, he simply spoke about the vegetation or whatever else, a visitor might have found fascinating. I found it rather amusing and would simply chuckle, every time he chose to give one of his lessons. Then in one of his speeches, he said that Belizeans were the most hospitable non-ambitious people in the world. That he instructed his children not to thrive to be a Belizean. My laughter immediately faded.
That country possesses such natural beauty, both in the environment and with those people's attitude. It is the reason I miss that place. Unlike that doctor, I would never want my children to become heartless and spend their life working for things that have no eternal value. People and friendships should be placed ahead of material gain and wealth. In my experience, people here place such high value on material possessions as opposed to the welfare of others. They are so consumed with their own affairs, they do not take the time to know their neighbours.
This came to mind because I did manage to get a reservation at beach side resort. In my opinion, it is one of the dirtiest beaches, I have ever seen. I went there a few weeks after a horrendous ordeal. I just needed to be near the water because, as a child, I found solace in it, but this is not the same. The waters, I was used to were green not brown, and one could even see fishes swimming in it. Instead of achieving what I had hoped, I walked away sorely disappointed because the day was as dreary as the water was dirty. Then like now, I failed to take hold of the solace, I so needed. It is not the dirty water that is offensive, but that is the root of my frustration.
I grew to become so, unlike my people. There is probably not another Belizean girl who would fuss about a seaside vacation. For me outing with my family are never relaxing, they are simply taking my responsibility to a different location. I guess for that reason, I imagined spending my birthday in a serene place. It would have been gratifying to recapture the person I was on the day, I came in this world. That will be as impossible as my being content about being alone during my breast surgery.
For more of Ruth's poetry purchase, Fantasy/Controversy or My Reality.
Comments
Post a Comment