I am poor by common U.S. standards. When friends and family give to me instead of me having to go to a second-hand shop, I find myself overjoyed. When they buy lunch or coffee for me and my husband, I am humbled. But that humility can turn sour. Sometimes, I feel like a moocher, a [...][...]
Posts Tagged ‘wealth disparity’
Money Matters: An Awkward Request from Students
On Thursday, my co-worker and I received an uncomfortable petition from the graduating class at our rural school, Pacca. We had just finished sports class and were ready to jump into a mototaxi headed for town, when a teacher called us back. “Are you in a rush? The fifth graders have something the[...]
Living the High Life (and not even knowing it)
I don’t know why I hate the idea of me being rich. Maybe its because I don’t like people who flaunt money, or because I’m jealous I never will be rich, or because I’m a good-old America-hating socialist. Whatever it is, that label was put upon me recently. It made me really u[...]
Buying a New Jacket While Surrounded by Poverty
The wealth disparities in Cusco are glaring, and a ten-minute cab ride from the glossy city center filled with spas and US-priced-restaurants reveals neighborhoods of mud brick houses, dirt roads and garbage heaps. And, it so happens that life for me straddles these two polar-opposite realities. Tho[...]
