The past two weeks have been weeks of extremes for our
family. I cannot begin to tell the stories of how blessed we have been by the
families who have hosted us and shown us around (special thanks to Jenny,
Steve, Renzo, Nanja, Andrew and Jane).
We have seen some amazing sights, told some tough stories,
made new friends, rekindled friendships that began in Lesotho and so much more.
We have been on planes, trains, subways, boats, and in automobiles. We have
been in 6 countries since June 11th. And through it all, we have
observed some things.
In Lesotho, there are no rest areas around and when one of
us needed to use the toilet, we just pulled the car over and went. In England
and the Netherlands, we had to pay to use public toilets, 50 cents in Euros or
pounds. 50 cents in Lesotho is all some people earn in a day.
Yesterday, we got 2 free adult and one free child ticket to
take our kids to Legoland. It was their first amusement park experience. It
brought Bryan and I great joy to see their smiles, hear them laugh and watch
them reading the map and telling us where they were taking us next (quite a
change from being dragged around on our sightseeing day, not the kids were in
charge)! Bryan and I were sitting at a picnic table and saying how amazing it
would be for our staff to see a place like Legoland. What would they think of
the rides and sculptures of lego creations. What would they think if they knew
that people could make a living out of making things out of toy blocks and people
would pay lots of money to see them? We are not saying it is bad, just curious
what our staff would think.
Yesterday while sitting at the airport, we listened to
people whine and complain about delays and missed flights, etc which really is a
big deal, when most of our Basotho friends in Lesotho will never be able to
even afford a plane ticket to go anywhere. Hearing the entitled attitude that
was being used toward the airline staff made me feel bad that these people have
no idea how privileged they are to be able to travel.
I am sure there are many other things which will stick out
to us and I hope that you do not find me being judgmental, that is not my
goal. I want to use this time as an opportunity to see the world through
different eyes. I want to appreciate people and their struggles and I want to
understand, but I also know that it will be difficult not to compare things
with what I know of Lesotho and my precious friends there.
No apologies necessary. Entitlement behaviors are a problem that aren't realized until they are pointed out. We all have them. Can't wait see you guys. Lovethe Beukers
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