Poverty Lessons
Life Altering Events|Poverty Lessons part III
Life Altering Events
By Dr. Gabriella Kőrösi
Life brings us to a halt many times and things can go very well one time and everything changes the next time. I have been in a situation before when everything was fine until I got a phone call that changed my life. One day was full of excitement and opportunity with a new job, a new city and new options in my life. The next day I got a phone call that my house burned down with everything in it. At that point “material” things were gone. At that point the only thing that matters is life. Fortunately, no human or animal life was lost. Yet, my life changed. The focus on what is important becomes very different. Where will we live suddenly become the most important question.
First, it was a hotel, next it was a short-term rental, part of my family stayed with another family member, next I was staying with a friend, next I just did not know, another rental, then with another friend. My life had changed from being in a stable environment to something unknown. Where will I be and for how long with no stability and no stable home. I know many people might never own a home in their life. This was the first time that lasted almost a year when I was without a stable home and many times homeless crashing at a friend’s house. Part of this time I also did not have a job as I had to move from one state to another. Savings deplete very quickly in these situations.
Fortunately, I was never hungry or without basic things to survive. I never had to sleep outside without a roof over my head, yet this event changed my view of many things in life. What matters is: life and my loved ones.
Poverty Lessons Part III
By Annelise Lords
Your hair? You are always in braids,” she said, unconsciously twirling her golden
locks.
“We do each other’s hair,” Vanessa said.
Her eyes widen.
“Yes, I can cut my brother’s hair and they can braid mine. Another skill picked up,
Barber and Hairdresser.”
Eying Vanessa with raised brows, she shared, “One of our maids, Daphne is from
Jamaica, and she talks about lots of water lock-offs.”
“We learn to plan?”
“How? Do they tell you?”
“Sometimes, but on Fridays after school, we all rush home. If water is there, then
three of us wash all of the uniforms. If no water is coming from the pipe, a river is
nearby. Then Saturday, the other three do the ironing. My mom encourages unity
among her children.”
“Daphne talks about blackouts and power cuts?”
“We use coal iron. That also teaches us organization skills and planning too.”
“While you were busy learning all that, when did you find time for school?”
“Girl which world do you live in? Life lessons are learned every day, in everything
we do.”
“Damn! She cried. “You make your poor country sound like heaven.”
“It is.”
“Then why come here?”
“You got to taste hell to appreciate heaven,” Vanessa elaborates.
“Discrimination, I know all blacks face that here. Yet you act as if life was easy
with your disability.”
“Discrimination doesn’t affect us, immigrants from the developing countries no
matter the race.”
“And why not?”
“Being born in a developing country a fight for life begins at birth and ends at
death. In many of these countries, there is no way. In this country, there is an easy
way and a hard way. Whichever way you choose, you will be paid accordingly. So
when discrimination comes our way it’s just another obstacle, and to a fighter,
that’s nothing compared to what they have faced in their country.”
“You make poverty sound like a game.”
“Life is a game,” Vanessa said with a wink.
“And let me guess, you know how to play it,” she said, swaying her upper body.
“Some of us don’t have to, since we will be fighting with hope. When
discrimination is up against hope, hope wins most of the time. The world sees
HOPE in America, and compared to theirs, it’s heaven. And what your race does to
us is nothing compared to what our own people have done to us. So, girl, bring it
on!”
Part 4 Next Wednesday…
Check out part 2 from last week.
Thanks for reading,
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Dr. Gabriella Kőrösi, Founder
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Remembering how quickly life can change from one moment to the next can be very painful. Nothing is for sure in life and re-reading my own words again the memories of not knowing are ever so vivid. Can one imagine not knowing where to sleep at night, where the next meal will be coming from, or where one can clean themselves or go to the bathroom? Poverty can strike very hard where necessities that seem nothing now can become a burdensome survival fight for life.
Life has weird ways of recharting our life's journey. And with patience, we will find out why.