Trends

this is a blog I wrote last night and forgot to put up hehehe my bad!

Banica is a very poor town by American standards and the surrounding “campos” are even more poor. One thing that continues to strike me as odd is how trends in the US seems to make their way down here. Just go get here I had to take two plans and drive for hours…so how does a trend get to a town that does not have constant electricity let alone internet access? It’s strange! Girls with skinny jeans or Hollister shirts and guys with converse sneakers…maybe they do not know about the brands that they wear but it is odd to see nonetheless.

For example, the other day I saw a girl at church with an arm full of silly bands. Remember silly bands? Those ridiculous rubber bands in the shapes of palm trees, shoes, or Justin Beiber that teenyboppers have billions of – ring a bell? How on earth does a little girl who has never left her little town in the Dominican Republic, who does not have a fan in her house left alone internet or cable TV, and who has no idea who Just Bieber is has an arm full of silly bands? If trends like that make it down here I find them sad! They are bad in the US and even worse in a third world country!

Another example happened last night as I was preparing dinner with one of the college students here. I got sick of rice and beans so I decided to cook with a girl I work with. We made French fries and eggs…not too much foot variety down here when you have to rely on the weekly market and the corner store for your food. A little girl (about 8 years old) walked in and was telling a story. She was telling me that once she went on the internet and watched a video of Hannah Montana and went on to describe the episode. How on earth does a little girl down here know about Hannah Montana?!

Today, as I walked into the colegio (the school) I was looking at the backpacks and lunchboxes that the little kids I teach were carrying. Some of them are of iCarly, some of Batman, some of Marvel comics, some of the Jonas Brothers and some are the government backpacks that get handed out with some kind of propaganda on it…it makes you think! Do the kids carrying these backpacks know about the “super stars” on them? Probably not. It’s so strange how we grow up with so many things in the United States. I know that one thing that my time here in Banica has made me very grateful for is my education. I am more thankful than ever for the education I was given and I only hope that I help make someone else’s a little bit better.

Oh trends…you are so crazy!

PS - If you are one of the wonderful people that has sent me a care package or letter I have been told that the mailing address did not work. I am going to get that figured out ASAP. Max sent two packages and a letter than got returned :( let's hope I figure this out haha! I love you all!