POV

Two weeks ago, (still in Kingston) I went to a children's home with my grandmother and her charity group to throw a party for the children born in June. I was sad to see how the children there were so starved for attention and stimulation. It made me reflect on the way I thought of my mother's overprotective tendencies, so I decided to change my perspective on that. The next time that I think "Oh, she's so annoying" I'll have to remember "Well, she cares about me so much."


I also noticed that many of the children didn't have any shoes or clothes that fit them well. Looking at my life in America, I see that I am living in excess. I have loads of clothes and shoes which most young people like me take for granted.

Barefoot man struggling to walk the scorching sidewalk

Living in the suburbs of south Florida, I find my life to be very sheltered. Most of my friends live in gated communities and we don't have much to complain about. The thought of not having any shoes: horrifying. Comforted by the whirring sounds of our laptops and air-conditioned rooms, it becomes easy to forget the issues many other people have to face every day. I almost forgot, while writing this, that the same misfortune I was going to talk about in Jamaica is also in America. 
I suppose, I can do a better job of ignoring it in America but when I'm in Jamaica it's nearly impossible to push the poverty out of my mind when it's staring me right in the face begging for change.