Sunday 17 February 2008

Slum Survivor; the ultimate challange

Here's our Slum Survivor blogsite:
http://slumsurvivormalta.blogspot.com
That's bacially what we did with a few photos, I hope that they upload more of the photos and ask for testimonies =)

Hello!!
We're back and all alive.. Talk about an adventure! I have honestly NEVER been so happy to look apon my bed before, ever! I don't exactly know where to start and what to say but all I can really say is that we're so lucky to live with all the basic comodities that we're given yet that we give such little grattidude for the most basic things such as a daily shower, food, water, a bed and a warm place to live in.
Wow, it's really been an eyeopener, we're so spoilt!! To think that I complain about food and my computer for being slow and not having credit in my phone when there are people in the world who wake up wondering if they are going to get the chance to nibble at something that day and who can only dream of ever getting more than living in a slum out of life. We're such a selfish world, well, most of the five-sixths of the world's population (the other one billion are living in slums all over the world) who just go on with life normally and acknowlegde the fact that people are living under the worst sort of conditions yet don't do anything about it. I'm not pointing any fingers at anyone, really, I'm not because I myself was all care free when the money boxes used to come round at school, but after living just three days in a slum and withstanding the elements and the horrible glances from people (yeah, people actually thought that we were homeless and avoided eye contact-how rude =P !! You know, rude when it comes to the no eye contact thing haha).
I honestly can't call myself anything other than -S-E-L-F-I-S-H- for ever complaining about such stupid and petty things that I probably will complain about by the time next week is over. But that's what happens when you're not living the life that these guys lead. Before slum survivor we were all discussing about how great it's going to be and what fun we'll have bla bla but it was honestly really hard and really challenging and until you're actually living the way that they do, you can't imagine how tough it is.
So, here's my brief overall of the weekend..
day 1: We arrived at baystreet at 4pm. The last thing that I ate and drank was a bacon baguette and a diet coke. We started to build our slums at 5pm and kept going till around 9pm. Then we were served 3kg of rice which was like WAY too much cos we could only eat like a cup/ladel each (quite funny really). I don't really remember what we remained doing but at around 12am we all prayed together, gotinto our slums and whilst the others slept I stayed awake praying and thinking and the moment I closed my eyes to sleep, ben or drew called me out for nightwatch. Gruppetta and I went to hacienda so that I could use the bathroom haha. At around 2am (couldn't really tell cos we didnt' have watched so we had to ask for the time) duncan and darren came and the poor guys had to listen to ben going slightly mad and me being all sleepy =P by like 3am everyone except rob and drew were awake hehe but then brooks, gruppetta and I went into the girl's slum to sleep and the beams from the ceiling fell on us and the ceiling caved in and I was woken up by a puddle literally sploshing onto my face >.< we had people passing by us all night and looking at us covered in boxes and sleepingbags looking like the biggest group of losers ever, but it was worth it! Three guys spent like 2 hours with us and really made us laugh, jonas, chris and someone else (can't remember who- sorry =/) and then I slept for like an hour on brooks poor guy haha.
day 2: Everyone was telling me to go home because I was sick. My mum came and she was really worried and wanted me to go home but, well let's just say that I'm a very stubborn person =P Kevin came with the whole camera crew to film us for the news..

http://public.di-ve.com/streaming/on_demand_media_streamer.aspx?id=1705&encoding=8&backUrl=streaming%2fon_demand_event_encoding.aspx%3fid%3d1705

(Go 30mintues into the news and wait a few seconds, we're there =D)

Tutzi, sam, bettina and philippa came to visit us to and then after praying and eating another cup of rice, we started to finish what the weather had started (break down our slums). We started on a new one, a better one that was more sustainable. Ilaria ahd a bad migrain and ended up going home. We basically spent the whole day building, sleeping, praying, chilling, doing a bible study, making a football and playing with it and at like 7pm we tasted what we thought was the best thing ever- rice with salt pepper and olive oil *heavenly angels singing lool* Aww, it's amazing the way that a little bit of oil, slat and pepper can turn 24 of nothing but two cups of plain rice and having another cup with those into something beautiful =P Tine felt really sick and had to go home. We were really worried about her and prayed for her as well as for illy. After that, the arch bishop came to visit us together with tutzi and becky and he ate some rice and actually came into the slum and sat inside.. Then we had a challange and came draw (girls vs boys) and we got like 10 skittles each AND a chocolate croissant *melt* then we just laughed around and after y4j everyone came and I stayed up last with drea, fabien, matt and andrew until like 1am and then they 'tucked' me into bed lool how cute (they held the cardbaord door, what gentlemen =P)
day 3: I woke up qutie afew times in the night and by what we think was 7am (no watches) cara and I went to security to use their bathroom haha. we cleared up all the flyers that we found on the floor after all the wind (gail force 6- coldest night in malta in the last 21 years wooooow!!) and sat down on the benches in our sleeping bags. Mina and brooks came out to join us and my mum came with panini instead of rice- YEY! so we all had a panina each and a mug of hot water that helped thaw our hands and insides haha. Tine came back so that was quite an encouragement =) We counted the money that we collected and then got ready for mass. After mass everyone halped us bring the slum down and pack everything up and by 1pm I arrived home to the hottest and longest shower in my life and what I know will be the most appreciated meal of my life, oh, and a diet coke =D

I just want to say a HUGE thanks to everyone who took part in it, to all of the people who aupported us and to everyone who prayed for us; you're incredible =) Obviosuly all the glory goes to God and I know that the only thing that kept us going was the reassurance that He kept placing in our hearts.
I think I'm going to bed now haha. I'm running a fever so I don't think that I'll go to school tomorrow- I'm not complaining =P
God bless you all and obviosuly, I shall finish this off with my tagline of the day (or week/month/howeverlong it lasts..)
"thank God for your bed tonight =)"

2 comments:

Martine said...

Hey babe!
each of us learnt a hell of a lesson huh? Amen to all you said! You didn't miss one bit... and i'm glad my return was an encouragement! :)
All I can say is that having felt sick... we had the choice to go home (although if i wasnt that bad I would have remained)... real slum people have no choice but to endure it and hope they will survive. If an actual slum person were to get as sick as i got (and sadly im sure they do), the chances of survival are little considering No hygiene and no medication...
Just food for thought
"Nobody deserves to live that kind of life"

LG said...

great post!