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December 26, 2003
Quito, Ecuador
Drove to 2nd largest volcano in ecuador today, Cotopaxi. Nice to get out
of Quito. Quito is a study in contrasts... probably the 2nd most
developed city in western south america, but also with the most striking
poverty i have seen anywhere. Though perhaps not equal to the
shantytowns in Rio, or sharing the raw
number of poor people in Calcutta or Burma, and certainly not witness to
the raw human tragedy of AIDs
in Africa, Ecuador has its own flavor to be certain.
Today, on the drive out of Ecuador, the Panamerican highway was lined
with beggars for the for the entire 20 mile drive to Cotopaxi. Usually
families of the poorer indigenous Ecuadorian natives, spaced every 25 to
50 feet along the road. Kneeling with their hands outstretched hoping for
the random coin flung from a speeding vehicle. I try to keep spare change
handy for tolls, and for kids that come up to Jesse to ask a kind favor,
but I wasn't even out of Quito before that was exhausted. Usually,
poverty is a fleeting interaction, perhaps a face at a corner during a
red light, or an occasional person encountered on a walk. But this was a
constant plea, for
mile after mile after mile, awesome in magnitude.
Halfway there, we happened along seconds after a car ahead of us had
apparently run over a young childs
leg. He must have chased along the car, in more vigorous pursuit of a
donation, and suffered the consequences of getting too close. The
perpetrating car was
moving slowly along, just 10 or 20 feet ahead, and the young boy was
writhing and screaming on the pavement, clutching his leg--his mother
pulling him back to safer territory, somewhat more in resignation than
anger. The two people in the car were looking backwards, obviously aware
of what had happened, but perhaps not feeling obliged to take
responsibility for a situation that maybe from their perspective should never have happened in the
first place. Probably more in fear than in anything else, fear of
retribution, fear of being taken advantage of.
My heart went to my hand and I struggled hard against what would have
been an obvious unthinking reaction
in the states to pull over and lend a hand. But here? To do what? To take
responsibility where others more involved already had refused? To take
this child 20 miles to a hospital and stay with him all day long?
To pay an unknown amount of money to cover costs that i know his family
could not afford. And a trip to the hospital is no simple thing here in
latin america, where if you don't come from money, you often have to
bribe the guard at the emergency room just to let you in the door ahead
of the rest of the throng, or simply wait outside with the many others in
the chance that they might take you if you remain long enough. And to
interrupt this christmas day with my mother, and make that sacrifice on
her behalf as well... all these things flashed through my mind in a
moment, balancing delicately as we passed by as if in slow motion--in
full appreciation of a life probably altered forever by the events of two
seconds just gone.
And I let momentum decide for me....
Mom and I passed several minutes in silence, not speaking once of what we
had seen, save for my softly whispered "Jesus."
later, in thinking about it, i realized i made the wrong decision. In life,
there are generalities and there are opportunities. That was one
opportunity missed to do some small good. A shame to realize
that in the moment, when it mattered, i had the wrong reaction.
[also later... learned that this display of people by the side of the
road is indeed only in real force for christmas day, or christmas week
maybe. guess it makes me feel a little better... tho i don't know
why it should really]
----
Cotopaxi was beautiful of course.
---
Received my first spanish love letter today. It was written by a
gal that pumped my gas at a station on the way out of town.
That translates to: "Truly, I like you."
I'm a sucker for a nice note.
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