Yesterday morning, during our second day in Honduras, the U of D mission trip ventured out for a new experience. We hopped into a bus at 8:30 to head to the main site of our Mission work; El Ocotillo.
Through countless presentations and speeches, we had a vague idea of what to expect. During the long hike to the city, we encountered many eye-opening sites such as an old women carrying metal frames on her back in the middle of a busy street to a spectacular view of the mountains in the distance. However, nothing was as breathtaking and emotional as the second we entered the garbage dump, the workplace of many El Ocotillo natives.
When our guard opened the bus door we were engulfed with the smell of decomposing trash. No one could believe the sights we were seeing; mountains and mountains of trash, cows living among the people going through garbage trying to strike a goldmine of food or any materials that can be salvaged.
The sites we witnessed were ones that will always be instilled in our head. It was truly a life-changing experience. With our mission trip just beginning, we are sure to encounter more experiences like the one we had at the El Ocotillo dumps.
International Samaritan volunteer Carson McGuire sends us this blog from the garbage dump community of Ocotillo, Honduras. He is a student in the Class of 2012 at the University of Detroit Jesuit. Look for more photos and live blogs from U of D Jesuit in the next few days.
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