Moving away from home is always an adventure and one I'm not too unfamiliar with. It always reminds me of the little home comforts that I was used to before I left. And I would be lying if I said that one of those wasn't my bed! Now I was never really a bed snob until I was surprised by my wonderful family with a wonderful new bed on my return from Uganda. After 10 months of living fairly basically, my new double bed felt like I was sleeping on the clouds.
Two months later and I was once again packing my things to start university. We all know that student accommodation doesn't pride itself on luxury but my little room is lovely and all the photos on my wall are a little reminder of home. My flatmates have become my friends and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. However I have found myself complaining about my bed, dreaming of my mattress of clouds back home, secretly admitting to myself that I actually miss it more than is probably normal.
One day, I remembered an article that I'd seen online about bedrooms from around the world. The photojournalist had taken a series of photos showing a child, and then their bedroom. The children came from Brazil, Scotland, The West Bank, Nepal, USA and some others. Here are some of the photos...
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| Alex, 9, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
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| Bilal, 6, Wadi Abu Hindi, The West Bank |
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| Ahkohxet, 8, Amazonia, Brazil |
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| Indira, 7, Kathmandu, Nepal |
You can see the full article here:
http://news.distractify.com/culture/childrens-bedrooms-across-the-world/
It's a real eye-opener. We see our beds as a place of comfort and safety, but I imagine that this isn't the case for the majority of these children. When I first saw it I swore I would never again complain about my room. But as with most promises to myself, I soon forgot about it.
Then I met Gladys and Edith.
These two little sisters came along to the school we taught at in Uganda.
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| Gladys (yellow), Edith (green) and us gappers. |
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| Gladys |
I will tell their full story one day.
Every time I complain about my bed, or my room, or a bad night's sleep, I think of these two. Without fail. When we first met Gladys, my friend Anna went to visit her house. When they arrived they found a room with a thin foam mattress on the floor. That was the bed of their pregnant mother.
Where did Gladys and Edith sleep? On a carrier bag. One each.
A plastic bag that we use to carry home our food shopping and then dispose of without a thought. But to Gladys, that was her bed.
When I first heard about the conditions the two girls were living in I was brought to tears. And even now thinking about it makes me emotional.
Thankfully, things are looking up for these two precious lives. They both go to school regularly and have lunch provided for them. Their mother is trying to set herself up with a food stall to earn an income. The charity Smile International are also helping to build a new school building for Ruth Mother Care which I am SO excited about and so thankful to God for blessing such a wonderful place.
When we count our blessings we don't usually remember our beds. They're just a given. We're always going to have somewhere warm and cosy to sleep. But maybe next time you snuggle down under your duvet you'll spare a thought for those who don't have the same luxury. This isn't a guilt trip, really it's not.
I just want to remind you how blessed you really are.
(If you want to take part in some practical help, I know that child sponsorship programmes quite often provide children with new mattresses or blankets. Smile Internationals' 'Gifts with Love' give you the opportunity to send a blanket to someone in a developing country)
