For this blog we were asked to watch the movie Living on One Dollar. In the movie, four college students travel to Guatemala for two months and attempt to live on a dollar a day. They struggle with a lack of food, health and financial stress and feel all hope is lost. While in Guatemala, they received help from 20 year old Rosa and 12 year old Chino. Rosa and Chino help the students to use their money wisely, gain more nutrition and collect supplies.
I was amazed to see how many people around the world are struggling with this level of poverty. 1.1 billion people live on less than a dollar a day all around the world. This is just over 14% of the world. Until I watched this movie, even after my service trip to Tanzania, it never really hit me as to how huge the poverty problem is, and it still hasn’t completely sunk in. Even worse, most of America does not realize that this is a problem in the world around them.
I do not think I would be able to survive in these conditions. I have grown up in a life where everything I own is more than one dollar and I am used to living in a world of expensive goods and taking things for granted. Although I wish this was not the case, I know it is, and there is no way to change that. I would be able try for a few weeks, with preparation. This preparation need to require learning how to prepare food and learning what is best to eat. I would also need to be in great shape so I could endure the farming and labor that would come with living in these situations. If I had to go from what I have now to a life in that level of poverty, I most likely wouldn’t survive because I would be leaving everything I have adapted to and quickly need to adapt to a new way of life. I do not feel as though I am physically or mentally able to do that. I believe if I grew up with that life, I would find a way to survive.
I think the most challenging part of living in poverty is the lack of food. In a blog from one of the travelers, he said they had to split 36 calories between the 4 people. That is not nearly enough to sustain anyone. Although many people are able to grow their own food, many problems can arise such as a drought or too much water. Also people might grow sick and become unable to tend to their farms, leading to death of their crops. At the beginning of the movie, they attempted to cook rice and beans. Rice and beans have very little nutrition. Although they eventually learned how to get more food at the market and expand their variety, the students were still eating far less than they needed and not getting the proper nutrients from a variety of food.
A second most challenging part is the level of stress that comes with this poverty. In the movie there were days in which the boys made no money. Also, they had to pay $6.42 for rent with this income. This was something they had to budget for and made it so they had even less money to use on what they needed, for example emergency medical situations, or other important materials.
A second most challenging part is the level of stress that comes with this poverty. In the movie there were days in which the boys made no money. Also, they had to pay $6.42 for rent with this income. This was something they had to budget for and made it so they had even less money to use on what they needed, for example emergency medical situations, or other important materials.
The largest difference between my culture and the culture in Guatemala is many children do not go to school because they must stay home and work. Only 60% of the school will graduate the sixth grade. Many students fail classes because they often have to miss school to go to work. Also many girls get married at the age of thirteen. This is a part of the Guatemalan culture.
I think one value that is different for me and the people of Guatemala is how close their families are. Although I am very close with my family in the movie it showed a couple, Rosa and Anthony, who live in the village. They invited the students in for food. WIth them lived their three children, Anthony’s mother and Anthony’s Aunt. This may have been due to financial struggles but in my eyes you live with your parents and siblings and only visit your aunts and uncles.
By watching this video I now have a better understanding of the struggle people go through every day and I understand how many people live. This has again reminded me that often the things we want so bad are just material things we don’t need. Although I will never understand how these people live, it opens my eyes to the world around us and how lucky I am to have what I have. This movie has made me want to give so much more now and I know it will make me work harder while I’m in Cambodia.
