a beautiful way to start a November weekend...

Following my rule of no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, this morning as I left the apartment for class, I searched my ipod for some music to accompany me on the (rather short) journey. I landed upon some Christmas jazz, and out the door I went. Just as I was leaving, big fat snowflakes began to fall from the sky, and I had a perfect walk to class.

A couple of friends and I decided to head to the Charlottenburg Palace Christmas Market (just a short walk down the street from the institute we are studying at) after class for a look around the shops, and to enjoy a glass of Gluhwein, a traditional German Christmas drink and roasted chestnuts. I didn't know people actually ate those - I thought it was just a Christmas song! They sure were delicious though! The weather has turned quite "Christmasy" within these past few days, so a trip to the Christmas market was the perfect idea. However, I did realize how badly I need to get a pair of boots. My toes were just about frozen solid in my Converse sneakers...

When I got home I re-heated some of my leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner, then came to check emails. In a newsletter I subscribe to, I came across a link to this article.
The Secret Life: A Portrait of a Sex Worker in Haiti

Just a couple of days ago I received news from my colleague from the NPHI Medical Services team who works in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. He told me a couple of weeks ago about the unbelievable amount of sex-workers in Petionville, where our orphanage is located in Haiti (about an hour or so from Port-au-Prince). He said he can't walk down the street without being called by the women (or young women...). In the most recent email, he told me of the much needed break he took a couple of weekends ago, when he went to a hotel near the beach (he's currently located in our home near Santo Domingo). While out to dinner one night, he said the women would just come and sit down at his table...

He tells stories of UN "aid" workers and others, he sees taking up the offer from the women. It certainly makes you wonder...

It's a terrible situation the women are in...that their only lifeline is to sell the little bit of dignity they may have left within them. And then there are the "relief workers" who put fuel to the fire.

So, just something to reflect on today, the day after Thanksgiving. Sometimes it's so easy to forget, or take for granted, all of the blessings in our lives. I started the day today feeling on top of the world. I have so many things to be thankful for - for being born into a life in which I have so many opportunities. I have a loving family, and many close friends. I've received a good education. My work experiences over the years have opened my eyes to many things I never imagined I would ever see. And I saw them because I held my future in my own hands. My destiny was not determined by the chance of having a place to sleep, food to eat, clean water to drink, safety, a place to study, and good teachers to guide my learning.

I have never had to worry about what I will have tomorrow. I have been given the opportunity to determine my own destiny through the decisions I make. So many people in this world don't have the chance to determine their life-path, but it has been chosen for them, by the circumstances into which they were born and forced to live in.

Well, I didn't mean to get all sappy here, but was just thinking about this a bit, and wanted to share with the rest of you. It is so shameful to hear about these stories...that reflect the power that just continues to drive these people into the ground...