Reflections on the documentary "Waiting on Superman"

I just finished watching the documentary Waiting on Superman...finally saw it. It triggered many thoughts for me, but particularly lead me to think about my experience in the American education system.  I was in "regular" classes all the way up until 8th grade.  My family kept encouraging me to get into GT or accelerated classes.  When I was in 6th grade, I tried, but I failed the test.  When I was in 7th grade I went to a new school and my sister knew the school counselor.  She told me to ask him to test me again.  So I did.  I don't remember ever getting scores back, but the next thing I knew I was in accelerated classes.  He was a White counselor.  I have often wondered if there was injustice there as in I didn't really pass, he just let me do it because I was White.  I went to a majority Black and Hispanic school...only 5% White.  I can say that I made A's all the time, but when I took the test again in 9th or 10th grade, I failed again.  Anyway, my educational experience between "regular" and "accelerated" classes was drastic. I have no doubt it would have really changed my life if I had stayed in "regular" classes.
  First, I'd like to point out that it seemed like all the White kids in the school were in these classes.  At that age, I actually liked it because there were more people that looked like me.  Now I see that as potential injustice and racism.  There were also Hispanic, Black, and Asian students for the record.  Second, the teachers would often threaten us saying "you are accelerated students, we expect more of you".  I've wondered how it would change things if that was said to the "regular" students.  I know for me, I suddenly had higher standards for myself.  Third, the behavioral challenges were extremely different.  In my regular classes I had some teachers that just could not control the class.  I was constantly being begged to copy off of.  I was bullied.  So it was a big relief to switch to accelerated.
  Despite being in accelerated classes, by the time I graduated high school, I still did not know what a revolution was. That may be because I cheated on every homework assignment in 8th grade history.  I cheated because I did not understand how to find the answers to the homework after trying many times and I eventually gave up.  However, I stopped cheating in 9th grade because I felt convicted by God.
  When I started college I cried the first few weeks of school because I felt completely unprepared.  It was because of my sister and her husband, both teachers, that were patient enough to teach me things I did not learn in grade school.   From the start of college I learned quickly my need for prayer every week to make it through.  I also had to get tutoring.  I feel like I have an acute awareness that I don't deserve to have made it as far as I have educationally.  It has been God's grace and some hands extended to help me up.   My willingness to work hard for it and persevere did have a role as well.  The sad part is that there are so many children with so much potential that get robbed because of all the flaws in our educational system.  Some may get stuck in classes with so many behavioral problems they can't learn.  Some are told they won't amount to anything at a young age and have lowered expectations and standards.  Some are segregated and stereotyped.  Some have to battle being bullied all the time.  And all of that could have been me.  So, was it because I was a more intelligent student or was it because of the social aspects of the accelerated classes that I made it?  Whatever the case, I pray that God help me to make a difference...somehow!

Now that's community...and an awesome God

The other day I was on my way somewhere and when I got in my car it would not start.  Bummer!  So I asked one of my house mates (who is also one of my pastors) if she could give me a jump.  She had a little time to spare and tried.  It did not work.  Double bummer! So my other house mate (who is another pastor -they're a couple) came to look at it and helped me take off the battery and barely had enough time to drop me off at Auto Zone before he had to go back to work.  They checked my battery at Auto Zone and said it was fine.  Tripple bummer!  So I called a friend from church that I thought would be home and lives close and asked for a ride home.  He said no problem.  While I was waiting for him outside, a Spanish speaking church member was going in with, low and behold, her mechanic.  So I explained what was going on (in Spanish) and at this point I was going to have to tow my car to the mechanic, which is not cheap and I am very low on funds right now.  But her mechanic said he would come look at it for me.  Wow!  While I was waiting for them, I was putting my battery back on and three church members drove by and asked if I was okay. Double wow! The mechanic figured out it was the starter right away and was able to get it to start and told me if I followed him he would give me a discount because I was a friend.  Triple Wow!  I followed them and he was able to work out a deal that was half the normal price!  Quadruple Wow!  My church friend gave me a ride to the ATM and home and a friend from school offered to give me a ride to school and to the mechanic the next day!  Wow times 5!  Finally, my roommate offered to let me use some cash since I forgot to get the full amount from the ATM and I now did not have a car to get cash.  Wow times 6!  Now that's community...and an awesome God!  I did not even have a chance to stress.  I did not have to ask for help, but once.  Help found me.  This is what proximal community looks like, when a group of people choose to live in an area of town.  These things don't happen when your community is scattered across the city.  An experience I'll never forget!

Words

I wrote this poem/spoken word after feeling a bit frustrated with how people don't seem to treat words with the power that they have and I've often been annoyed by the saying I grew up hearing about "sticks and stones..."

Words
You may have heard this saying
"Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but words will never hurt me"
But you see
I disagree
In fact, I highly disagree
Let me take you on an adventure in your mind
Lets travel back in time
Imagine a streamline of memories
No doubt, some will be bad
Whether you felt mad or sad,
Hurtful memories abound
Now lets add sound to this round of thoughts
What do you hear?
Merely joy and praise
Well, that would amaze me
If you are human, as we all are
You are probably scarred
By something someone said
As if engraved in your head
Words have power
And it is in our control
To either destroy or console
To create or with hold
Life or death
Yes
You have that power
And it is our choice
To abide by either
The age old lie
Or how about this reply
"Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but words forever shape me"
Like when you try and box me in
And then look me square in the eyes
Saying all those lies
Sometimes you have a round about way
To convey, you care
Oh how words can tear apart
Our heart
But you are not the only one who shapes me
I can reframe all those negative names
And hear my God saying who I really am
Which is the opposite of what you claim to be true
God can take all the scars from being marred
And use each jagged line to convey a person that shines
A shape that is defined
By words of praise, love, and grace
A concept hard to embrace
But lets face it
"Sticks and stones may break our bones,
but words forever shape us"
The question is, which shape will we be
And which shape will we cause others to be
Cuz remember
The power to create and recreate is within thee

Liberation Theology verses Communism

I just finished "Introducing Liberation Theology" and there was one part I found to be very curious. The author says "Fidel Castro is devoting considerable attention to the political and ethical significance of Latin American liberation theology, regarding its arguments as far more persuasive than those of Marxism itself".

The reason I was drawn to this book was because I heard about liberation theology before going Cuba and it was shed in a positive light. When I was in Cuba we were visiting the home of a friend who's husband is a professor and church leader. I pulled a book off the shelf that was a six hour dialogue between Castro and the author about religion in Cuba. I remember Castro talking about liberation theology.

Liberation Theology and Marxism have many overlaps. However, there is one very clear distinction: Liberation Theology does not promote using violence (it also does not suggest complete government control). At first when I read that Castro supported liberation theology, it was extremely disheartening. I thought he used it to justify. But now I see that his interest in liberation theology is more recent. This offers me an ounce of hope. I just have no idea if his interest in it is guiding any of his actions or his brothers actions, who is now president.

My biggest struggle with liberation theology is how much should the government be involved and at what point is it too much or too little. I think one problem in the U.S. is that I would say the majority of people don't even practice the principles of liberation theology on an individual level or collectively apart from the government. The book said that President Reagan devised a counterattack of liberation theology because it was too revolutionary.

Although I know there are major issues with the government in Cuba, I don't think capitalism is the answer. I see major problems with capitalism in the U.S. (For one, we thrive on exploitation of poor. And money drives us as a country more than God). I see problems with communism in Cuba. The book says liberation theology is an alternative to capitalism and socialism. So what would a healthy government look like? Perhaps only God knows. I'd say non-violent, preferential treatment of the poor is a good start.

**Liberation Theology in short says that God is for the poor and against the oppressors. It seeks liberation from oppression. It entails action, alongside the poor. It believes in non-violence and justice. It doesn't just believe in the future kingdom, but the kingdom to come in our midst. It believes that action alongside the poor to resist oppression is not optional, but required as a Christian. (I own the book if anyone wants to borrow it...it's only 95 pages).

Root Causes of Poverty

I had to write this for one of my classes and figured it could be shared with more than just my class!

If the question were, what are the causes of poverty, there is quite a bit mentioned in the readings. Here are some I noted:

-lack of social responsibility
-class segregation
-discrimination
-individualism
-consumerism
-spiritual individualism leading to economic individualism
-composition of family life
-geographical location
-weakening unions
-low paying jobs
-economic injustice

However, the question is not what are the causes of poverty, but rather the ROOT causes of poverty. Although the causes of poverty are complex. The root cause, in my opinion, is simple: sin.

In my experience, Christians can agree that sin exists. However, the perpetuation of poverty comes through the variations of how sin is viewed. Some say the poor are poor because they sin (i.e. lack of discipline or poor decision making). There is some truth to this, however, I frequently see the sin of the wealthy overlooked. In scripture, when sin is addressed on an economic level, it is always the rich that are sinning. Other sin that is addressed is attributed to sin that all humans experience regardless of economic status. To extend that further, not only sin by the rich, but also sin by leaders is rebuked by God (Isaiah 10:2, 1:15-17, Amos 5:15, Micah 3:1-4 and 9-12). Scripture often speaks of sin as not only what we do, but what we do not do. There is a quote I once heard that I like "evil is not perpetuated by bad people doing bad things, but rather by good people doing nothing". So many are quick to point out the sin of the poor, but we appear to struggle or feel uncomfortable pointing out the sin of the wealthy and of leaders. This is an area of sin I am working on!

Another variation of how sin is viewed is regarding individual sin verses communal & systemic sin. In my experience of American Christianity, sin is often viewed as an individual experience. However, in scripture, we see sin committed by whole nations as is the case in Amos, for example. We also see sin in systems (Colossians 1:16). This variation goes well with the reading by Hilfiker that suggests a cause of poverty is spiritual individualism which led to economic individualism.

All throughout the readings, poverty is discussed with particular focus on the United States. The poverty that plagues so much of the world is quite frankly much greater than that of the U.S. People are eating rocks. Death due to starvation is staggering. Yes, America has a problem, but we must not forget the world. I believe America really needs to look at the sin it is committing not only within the nation, but as a nation against other nations.

God of Everyday Miracles

God is always answering prayers, but sometimes it's very obvious. There have been times that I've tried to remember God directly answering prayer and I can't think of an example. Somehow I forget so easily. So this time I'm writing it down.
I'm taking a class right now and last week I knew I was supposed to be sharing my story in 2 weeks because that is what I signed up for. But being in the class, I felt some anxiety and was just ready to share it sooner than 2 weeks. So I went to the restroom and I made a simple prayer of like "God can I please share my story next week instead of in two weeks?" My human mind thought, there's no way it's already scheduled. Well, at the end of our class the leader explains that the next week was going to be a little different and she asked if I or the other girl that was going to share wanted to share the following week instead of that week. My eyes got wide, my eyes brows raised in amazement and I said quickly "Yes, I will." I didn't even give the other girl a chance, but I knew this was an answer to prayer. Thankfully the other girl said she'd rather wait and didn't put up of a fight or anything.
Then today, I was talking with my accountability partner and after some processing she was saying how she really wanted a mentor. We talked through all the places she could possibly get a mentor and no one came to mind and nothing stuck out to her. So at the end, I prayed that God would do a miracle and provide her a mentor. And that He did! When she got home, she got an e-mail from a friend that had just got back from North Africa and she was looking for someone to mentor. Wow were those some quick turn arounds in prayer!
I know God always hears our prayers and is trying to answer them as long as they are in His will and in our best interest. But I know sometimes it can take a while because He's having to work with the free will of people and systems etc. I just love it when He does it so quickly and blows me away. He's done it a million times, but I want to remember because it's so easy to forget.

Modern Day Good Samaritan (well sort of)

So I was driving to meet my co-workers at a restaurant and I was in the turn lane to go under the freeway. On the corner catty corner from me I see this elderly guy fall flat on his face, no knees or hands to stop the fall. Yeah, flat on his face. It looked bad! So I panic and think, "Oh my gosh is he okay." My good Samaritan and motherly instincts kick in and I immediately am trying to figure out how to go check on him. I also think of the bad falls my grandpa has taken and how when an elderly person falls, it's especially bad. I see him get up and pull out a napkin of sorts from his pocket and put it over his nose or mouth. I can tell he's trying to stop the bleeding. I think to myself, I can offer him some water and then see if he wants a ride to a CVS or Walgreens to get whatever he needs to doctor himself and I would pay for it all.
My light turns green and I'm forced to turn left away from the guy so I get in the turn lane and make an illegal U-turn to try and get to the right side of the street. Then the guy starts walking across the street and I have to make another illegal U-turn to get back on the right side. I pull over and roll down the window to talk to him and then I see the cars come at me in the rear view mirror. So I thought I'll just go through the light and find a spot to park. Bad idea. I had to go through two lights and go part way down another street to find somewhere to pull over and park. I park, grab the water and walk as fast as I can to get to the guy. By the time I wait for all the lights, cross the intersection and get back to where he was, he wasn't there anymore. Then I see him walking to the bus station holding the napkin up to his nose or mouth. I try to catch up to him, but he takes one of the elevators and I don't know which one it is. Believe it or not, at this point, I'm actually shaking trying to help this guy. I was so disappointed. I tried to be a Good Samaritan, but had a million hurdles to jump.
As I reflected on the whole ordeal, I realized a couple of things. One thing is that the compassion that overcame me made me think of the compassion God has for me. Sometimes I may think God or even people don't notice me in pain and aren't doing anything. But maybe there are just hurdles that have to be jumped to get to me. The second thing I realized is that I should not have let traffic stop me. I should have just parked my car in the street and put on my hazards. The other cars had 3 lanes to go around me. I had my priorities mixed up. I let the thoughts of people getting impatient and honking at me get in the way of me helping this old guy that just took a bad fall and was bleeding. So that was my lesson for the day...don't let traffic stop you from being a Good Samaritan!

Rich/Poor Judgements and Reality

I had a revelation, an epiphany, yesterday. This realization has been in the works for a while now, but I finally felt some breakthrough. I've been praying that God help me have a healthy view of both wealth and poverty steering away from judgment. I've learned much about poverty over the years and have found it easier to not wrongly judge the poor. I've ofter tried to put myself in the shoes of the poor to try and understand where they are coming from (it helps that I didn't exactly grow up wealthy). Some say the poor are lazy and just want handouts. I've learned although this can be true at times, it's more complicated than that and many times there are reasons outside the control of the person that influence them and there are great hurdles to overcome that make elevating oneself economically very challenging.

However, for the first time yesterday, I realized I need go through this same process for the rich as well. I have easily jumped to the conclusion that the rich are greedy and insensitive. I just realized yesterday that it's just as wrong for me to call a rich person greedy as it is for someone to call a poor person lazy. I know hardworking people that are poor and rich people that are very giving and generous. The rich also have pressures, obstacles, and things out of their control that lead them to their economic state. I want to continue to have a healthy understanding of both sides and be the bridge that God has called me to be.

Grocery Store Adventure...Embracing Culture and Christmas

So my roommate decided she wanted to make jambalaya for Christmas and she was going to have to work during the day so I agreed to go shopping for what she needed. I knew the stores would be closed on Christmas so this was my only chance. It was the day before Christmas.

Little did I know that I did not know what half the items on the list were. So I am standing in the aisle looking for peeled plum tomatoes and decided to ask the African American lady next to me if she knew what they were. She wasn't sure either, so I told her it was for jambalaya. Then she told me exactly what to get. Feeling confident that she may know what the other items were I went on to ask her what scallions were. She was super nice and told me where to find them. Then I asked her what worcestershine sauce was. She said "I'm gonna help you with that whole shopping list ain't I!" with a smile. She could tell I had no idea what these things were.

I proceeded to find the items she told me about. When I came to the scallions, I had to ask another lady cuz I couldn't find them. She described what they looked like and told me to ask the stocker. I asked him and he said they didn't sell them anymore. As I was walking away, a white guy came up to me and handed me what I call green onions and said "These are scallions" with a smile. The older African American lady next to me said, the stocker guy probably didn't know cuz we call them green onions. I saw the first lady I talked to near by greeting the lady that told me to talk to the stocker about the scallions and double checked to see if they were scallions and they said scallions are bigger, but they are the same thing. I ran into these ladies 2-3 more times and every time they said "What else you need help with, what else you got on that list?" in a very kind and excited to help kind of way. I felt so cared for by these ladies that they took joy in helping me find all the ingredients. I found myself smiling big trying to hold back my laughter as I was shopping feeling utterly dependent on the people around me. I find great joy in learning cultures and love the excitement people have to share their culture.

People have said that people can be grumpy and impatient around the holidays, but this day people were very nice and even taking time out to help me. The cashier was telling me with a big smile how excited she was to be off for Christmas and get off early. I could feel the joy radiating from her. As I was leaving the parking lot I let an older African American lady pass by and I said "Merry Christmas!" She said "Thank you and a Merry Christmas to you too!" with a very upbeat attitude. It felt good to experience people in such good spirits.

Finally!!

When I was a sophomore in college, God put it on my heart to move to the city and live incarnationally among the poor and marginalized. While in college, I tried to be involved in city stuff but I lived 30 - 45 minutes outside the city and had too many other commitments including graduating from college. So I tried to care for students in my college coming from poorer backgrounds instead. After I graduated, I knew it wasn't a wise move to live by myself in the city. I didn't know anyone to model it for me nor that would be willing to join me. So I felt led by God to join Servant Partners thinking I'd finally be able to do what I wanted to do for the 3 years prior. But I was wrong. I ended up living on the corner of two main streets, not in a neighborhood, on church property, and surrounded by church members and seminary students for the majority of my stay. What the heck, God! Not only that, but the internship was so heavy on the studying scripture end that even if I had time to invest in any kind of neighborhood ministry I was too tired. I was expecting to be challenged in caring for the poor in my neighborhood, but instead I was challenged in how long I can engage in scripture study before I was spent and how many books I can read.

FINALLY, I will be moving into a neighborhood and I will be able to do what I've been wanting to do for the last 5 years now. Wow, was that a journey to get to. As I talked to a friend about our housing situation, I found out they had been looking for better housing for us for 6 months and that was our only option. The frustrating part was that housing opened up in the neighborhood a week after we signed the contract. I'm excited that I'm finally able to move into the neighborhood if all goes well. But I'm still asking God what to do with the last two years and how long it took me to get here.

Storing up Treasures in Heaven

I'm rewinding to before I left for Mexico. Northwest Neighbors, an organization that does bible study for at-risk youth in the neighborhood, had a volunteer appreciation night. To my surprise, they were actually honoring the work I had done with them over the two past years. So each of the youth I invested in shared about why they appreciate me. I knew they appreciated me, but I didn't know just how much. Some of the comments that stuck out to me was that one of them really appreciated my insights in bible study and always wanted to hear what I had to say. One of the other girls commented on how I was the only positive role model for a friend that she has. She also affirmed me in that I am not afraid to be myself.

It was cool to hear from them that the time I was investing in them was making a difference in their lives. It reminded me of the scripture that talks about storing up treasures in heaven instead of treasures on earth. It reaffirmed my decision to move into this neighborhood and give up all the "things" I could have such as a really nice home, really nice car, in a really nice neighborhood. The treasures in heaven I am storing up feel so much more rewarding and worth it than those on earth.

Forgiving Ignorance

I had a revelation the other night. I went to a free concert in the park in Pasadena. The performer was an Asian, folk singer from Austin, TX. At one point between songs she was talking to entertain the audience and used the word "y'all" in reference to the audience. One of the guys in the audience began to scream "y'all" repeatedly in a teasing and demeaning way. I felt this anger well up inside of me.

I've had this happen to me many times. My initial response it to get really angry at that guy and then my mind wonders to all the Californians that have done that to me and I want to get angry at all Californians. (As progressive and liberal as Californias are I don't understand why saying y'all is such big deal. It's expresses gender equality better than "you guys". ) Then my mind shifted to all the stares I got in Mexico and the anger that created (now that I think about it, maybe they were just wondering who the new neighbor was).

I began to pray and ask God how to have a healthy response to this comment and those stares. There are some common threads that run through these experiences: one is being misunderstood by others and two is ignorance. Then I remembered what the black student that went to Cairo said how we have to forgive, but I realized in that moment that what I'm forgiving is ignorance. Jesus understood forgiving ignorance. Some of his last words on the cross were "Lord, forgive them for they know not what they do." Now that is amazing grace! I'm glad that at least Jesus understands!

Media...why don't we do something?

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When do I get off?

Each time I've gone out of country to large cities and have experienced the public transportation there, I have to remember how to know when to get off the bus, jeepney, or micro. It is actually a bit of a challenge to find a unique landmark that let's you know this is your stop. The first time, I picked a big yellow bank because I thought it was rare. Then I saw many big, yellow banks and my landmark was a failure. It's not like in the states where they call out the street name or something. You just have to know. Now that was a fun challenge when it was dark, raining, the windows were fogged up, I was sitting in a row seat, I was sitting on the opposite side of when I initially went, and there were people standing in the aisle blocking my view to the other side. Thankfully, God was with me and I remembered the timing and enough people got off for me to see across the aisle to see the landmark my co-staff had suggested. I got a little wet and muddy due to getting off a little too early, but it could have been worse.

Windy, Dusty

When I was teaching English one day, we were reviewing the seasons (summer, winter, spring, and fall) and I asked them for the weather conditions in each one. They said windy and dusty for all of them. And that is what I experienced being there. I've never experienced so much dust and mud before. I don't believe God intended for people to live on a lake bed where you can't grow anything like trees, flowers, or grass. Yeah, we aren't doing such a great job of having dominion over the earth.

What you starin' at?

As a young kid I went to a majority black school. There were so many times that people snapped at me and said "What you starin' at?" I remember that it bothered me that they got such an attitude and yelled at me. Sometimes I'd say "You!" with some attitude in my defense. Then they'd say "You want me to do something about it?" And I'd hold my head down and whisper, "No.". I never wanted to fight or get in trouble. I honestly think that some of the black kids would dump all the negative experiences that they or their family had with whites on me.

Anyway, walking down the street in Mexico I've gotten many stares. They don't come off as very positive or inviting. I've heard that reaction I used to get as a child in my head "What you starin' at?" But this time it was me saying it. I've felt defensive and upset. On the one hand, I think I understand better the black students responses. I'm sure they got a lot of stares and yes, it's quite unsettling and annoying. On the other hand, I begin to get upset because I consistently feel misunderstood in life. I feel like I get boxed in a lot and I feel like people don't recognize the ethnic and cultural experiences I've had all my life that don't fit in the boxes that are put on "white" people. I'm know I'm guilty of doing the same to others at various points. It reminds me to check myself and my assumptions about people.

After debreifing with some other students that had more extreme experiences in Cairo, Egypt, the comment that stuck out to me the most is that we have to continually forgive and have mercy on others. It's usually ignorance and conditioning that creates those responses.

My Personal Mission Statement

When I was in Mexico City, the team leader for Servant Partners had us write a personal mission statement. It may evolve over time, but this is what I have for now. I'm not sure if it's grammatically correct:

To usher in Shalom efficiently and expediently in my life, family, community, city, nation, and world through being a bridge, using my voice, confronting powers, empowering others with and using my life experiences, ethnic upbringing, power, natural abilities, spiritual gifts, lengual abilities, knowledge, privilege, resources, and connections to benefit, love, serve, and uplift "the least of these", fighting injustice, complacency, apathy, silence, and settling, being an agent of change in society, not limiting myself nor God, periodically reminding myself of those lesser and presenting myself before the Lord open to change and redirection, believing God (with the help of people) can change people, powers, and systems, not limiting myself to any geographical setting, not being afraid to take risks, obeying God, living simply, and upholding Kingdom values in my life, being a vessel and bearer of truth, and above all else seeking to love the Lord, my God, with all my heart, soul, strength, and might and love my neighbor as myself.

Slum Communities...I can have a role

It was cool to realize more and more what I have to offer slum communities after going to Mexico City for six weeks. First of all, being American and choosing to be there lets the people know they have value and are cared for, that I would give up my comfort to be there with them. I never thought speaking English could be so impactful, but the people were so eager to learn correct pronunciation and grammar. The English they get in school is low quality. I guess it makes sense, being able to speak English means access to better jobs. Now I realize what a privilege it is. Being able to connect with different ages and cultures. Because of this people will trust me and choose to listen to what I can offer about God and life. And mediating conflict. If this didn't happen, our kids club could have been a disaster. It was cool to see that God can use me in a different cultural context and that I have a lot to offer (there was more I realized than mentioned here). And I could see what a difference the church and organization I worked with was making in peoples lives as the people realized their value and God's love for them and their community.

But I'm just a stranger

I saw and experienced the love of God in my host family. They invited me, a stranger, into their home and family. They gave me a place to sleep, food to eat, helped me do laundry and dishes, taught me their culture, and tended to my health problems. I was amazed by their openness and sacrifice. I think I got a glimpse of what the disciples must have experienced when they traveled and stayed with strangers. It takes some risk, but is so rewarding beyond my imagination.

Wow, that's a big back yard!

When I first got to Chimalhuacan, Mexico and saw all the dogs (I counted 115 one day on the bus. That was in about 2 miles, 15-20 minutes in slight traffic with a lot of speed bumps. And that's just what I could see.) roaming around, I thought the people were insensitive and didn't care. That was because in America if you see a dog roaming around outside, it's a stray dog. But over time I realized that I was wrong. Even though the dogs were roaming around many (if not most) had owner, names, and some could do tricks. Chimalhuacan was just their huge backyard .