letter30

Sorry if this one's a little depressing, it's simply what came to me today
and I had to share it!!! :-)

Dear Family and Friends,

Today, I was humbled. I was walking to school, lost in my thoughts, as I
made my way along the icy bridge over the River Iskar. I wrinkled my nose
as a putrid smell flooded my nostrils, unsure of what was the cause of such
a horrid stench, yet, still, I continued on, unaware.

I held on to the rail of the bridge for dear life as I scuttled along, a
community suddenly opening up before me, bringing me to the realization of
the cause of the smell. The snowy bank of the cold river was flooded with
Roma (Gypsy) people of all shapes and sizes, a colorful mesh of scarves,
clothing, flowing skirts, and shawls. Roma children of all ages and genders
played along the bank, their little noses running faster than their feet.
Women balanced sparsely-clothed, crying infants on their hips, while
struggling to keep their young ones wrapped in dirty clothing and jackets
which were much to small. Roma Babas coughed and wheezed along that river
bank, adorned in colorful scarves and as many items of clothing as they
could possibly own, while even the oldest men stood watch over the cluster
of families . . . a sea of dark faces and raven hair. But, what humbled me
was not merely the congregation of Roma people. I watched as the people
worked together to gather brush and sticks from the river bank, and then as
they piled and ignited their collection to make meager bonfires. The
youngest child to the oldest man worked dilligently to gather what they
could in order to stay warm despite the cold winter. These people don't
have heat, yet must do what they can merely to survive.

Bulgarian society teaches you to detest the Roma population because they are
poor and because they are of a different racial background; Bulgarian
society despises the begging and stealing nature of the Roma and the
divisions in this society are deep. I have watched as a Bulgarian man
pushed a Roma woman down a flight of stairs, I have noticed as Roma children
as young as 2-years-old have been taught to beg, I have seen the filth of
Roma mothers holding empty baby bottles as they beg for money to feed their
children, and I have stepped over piles of Roma children asleep on the
streets of Sofia during the coldest moments of winter, sharing one thin
blanket filled with holes. It's incredibly depressing, but it somehow
eventually seems to blend in as a societal norm and you just seem to learn
how to say, "NO" and move on.

However, as I peered down at that little community of river people, I saw
people just like myself, trying to stay warm admist a cold winter; I saw a
COMMUNITY trying to make the most of dire circumstances. I was humbled
because I have complained so much lately because my apartment is so cold,
yet I have still never had to live without any form of heat; I was humbled
because I realized that, when I clutch my possessions every time someone
with dark skin walks by, a lot of this "Bulgarian mentality" has already
rubbed off on me; I was humbled because I saw a community of people working
together for their survival. Every day, something new humbles and refines
me as I adopt a new culture . . . every day, my eyes are opened just a
little bit more.

Love Always,
Chantel