On the Bus

Hungry? Thirsty? Sick? Bored? Tired? Spiritually deprived? Bus rides here are ready to please. Whether I have been riding for 6 hours or 15 minutes men, children, and women holding baskets and pots climb onto the bus shouting out their merchandise: watches, popcorn, apples, pens, chicken platters, fruit juice, pastries, pop, cold medicine, tapeworm medicine, and recently santa hats. Some people juggle, sing, or read from the Bible while others who have an obvious physical impairment just walk down the isle with their palm stretched out.

The other day I had the honor of sitting next to theman who had just finished selling potato chips. I was intrigued by the whole process and asked him about his work. he starts at 6am and finishes around 5pm spending the day hopping on and off buses between San Pedro Sula and La Entrada. He restocks his huge basket of homemade chips in a little shop along the road. The most shocking thing was that he began selling papitas when he was 9, and 12 years later this intelligent 21 year old is still shouting "papitas, papitas!"

The rest of the day I watched the children and wondered how long they would be getting on and off buses, and looking at the older men I wondered when they started. Did their parents sell things this same way? What do most of the children do at 12? Questions like these have been plaguing me since the beginning of my trip. Should third world countries become "Westernized?" Should education be made mandatory (if this were to happen the families would need an external source of income)? The conclusion in my mind at this point is that everyone deserves an opportunity...how to arrive at that is where the work begins. Work for who? When? What overall impact would it have on the culture?