Thebes afterward by Laura Kwong
Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 04:10PM Monday, June 22, 2009
I’ve been thinking about my friends in Thebes and their problems for days. I can’t get them out of my head. I don’t know what I can do because the problem is so big, and I’m not even talking about ending the war. It would be hard enough just to help my friends improve their situation, much less get to America. I feel like I should start a fund-drive to help them…but what can I really do? I can buy them all plane tickets, but how do they get into the US with no money and no job? Perhaps I could organize a support network….the first thing I need to do is to educate myself. Adel, Izet, Ali, I want to help you but I’m not sure how. But I told you that I’d do my best and I am true to my word. First, you have spurred me to educate myself. Then I’ll see how to best employ my effort.
I’ve also been thinking that I’m frustrated with myself for not being more outraged at the situation of my friends and the conditions that they are living with. I think that I am not as upset as many others would be because their home and food are not unlike the home and food I would choose voluntarily. I like living in a tent and cooking nightly over a stove. I like living with a large group of people.
The other factor that diminishes the apparent gravity of my friend’s situation is that they were all outwardly happy. They had enough food to get by and a few men even had a little bit of a belly. (Although, I found out later that Adel, Ali, and Muhammed all have stomach ulcers that were being treated in Iran but not in Greece and that Adel suffers severe tendonitis from working in the rice fields of Baklan.) They lacked fruit but not necessarily because they lacked money. They felt that fruit was too expensive, but they did splurge for cigarettes and pop. But all considered, they had smiles on their faces, they sang and danced and talked on their cell phones. They didn’t seem desperate. Inshallah, they shall never be so desperate that they can’t smile around friends.
The world is big and I have much to learn.
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