Value of a dollar

     When does a dollar not equal a dollar? When you live in a place where the majority of the population lives on a dollar a day. Think about that - we spend, what, $600 a month on rent, $150 on food, $50 on gas, maybe a $30 haircut every now and then? That's about $30 a day, just living like a normal 20-something American. Now think about a place where 97% of the rural population doesn't have electricity, 85% have dirt floors and palm thatch roofs, and almost half use a bike as their main transport? You ever think your apartment seems barren? Half of the rural population have a bed, and less than half have a chair. I looked around my house recently, thinking of all the things I would be leaving behind when I left Africa. My dirty, ripped-up, five-year-old tennis shoes, with two holes in the toes and duct tape holding together the heels? Those would be gold to somebody. My stained tee-shirt? Years of wear left. That extra bottle of vitamins? Okay, I bet those have no value as they're probably too weird to a Zambian to even be of use.
     You get the point. I'll be heading back to a place where I can get peaches year-round, coffee imported from Jamaica, designer shoes, and the newest electronics at the touch of a button. I will never go hungry, my feet will never get calloused from years without shoes, and I won't ever have to choose between educating my children or paying rent. I'll be the first to admit I'm absolutely salivating at the thought of the sushi and good beer that awaits me, and I may or may not have already ordered a pair of jeans on JCrew, but I doubt I'll ever look at dollar bill again without seeing the inequalities that are hidden behind Georgie's little smile. Yes, it's a mad, mad world we live in.

By the way, all the stats are from the Zambian Demographic Health Survey, 2007, available online. The numbers paint a fascinating portrait. For instance, 34% of teens 15-17 years old are orphaned or vulnerable, 21% of women who work report their husbands make the all the decisions about their earnings, and 47% of women have have ever experienced physical violence as adults. Interesting.