TLP: Fantastic Opportunity

The first time Mr. Hide commented about the Teen Life Project was when came from December vacations. At first, I wasn't really interested because in the only thing I could think was that I had entered school again, and I was really tired. Soon, after we started making our Google lists and started looking at the other school's webpages I got a little more interested. However, my real interest started when we made the Introduction Video. At first, I thought it was going to be imposible to make it, but when we got the pictures and music it was easy to put it together.

After that, was when we made the Wiki and we started looking up after our goal. At first, I thought that we wouldn't achieve the goal because every school was like in their own stuff. We didn't talk to each other and few comments were posted. That was when I started loosing the interest again. Then, we started talking about the phone call. The day of the phonecall we went to Mr Hide's apartament and get to know his baby. That was really fun. That day, I realized that the TLP was starting and that it was going to be really fun.

Then came the part of choosing the topics. We needed to think a lot in what we chose because it was a very long project and we needed to be very interested in our topic. At first, I was thinking in terrorism. Especially the one here in Colombia. Then, we thought on poverty. That made us think a lot. We really liked it because in Cartagena there's a lot of poverty so we could investigate on that a lot. Then Isabel and me were thinking to change to eating disorders, but then we decided to stay in poverty. That was when the posts started. Even though it was interesting investigating about poverty, it was very hard to make each week 500 words of writing. There, I started loosing my interest again.

Few days later, some of the students of Malaysia add me to their msn. Getting to talk to them and know about their lifes made me become for interested. Then, some students of North America add me and I added some. That was when I became interested again. I started thinking in how was that I was making the same project as other 3 schools in the world. I was talking with people I didn't know existed. I was talking with people very different from me, with other ways of living, activities, etc. There was where I realized how much I could learn from those people and how much I could discuss with them.

Finally, making the video. That was a hard part, but it was really fun making it. Isabel and I went to Niños de Papel. That is a foundation that helps poor children. That day I realized how fortunate we are. How fortunate we are of having a family, food, and a home were to sleep. One of the girls of the place answered some questions we asked, and I realized that we are very fortunate persons. The people there don't have a family that goes after them and loves them. That is something very sad. Finally, after many problems for finding a camera, we finished the video!

I, and I know that all my classmates are happy with what each of us did in this project. I want to congratulate Mr Hide and all the teachers from other schools. I think we achieved our goal.

Imagining Songs

It seems as if water was falling from a lake. As I heard the first part of the song, what first came to my mind was a girl drinking water in a forest. This happened beside a lake or something. This girl was a poor, beautiful, and kind girl that lived near the forest. Then, I imagined the girl running looking for someone or something. I also imagined that in her way, she encounters many obstacles, like animals or enemies who try to atack her but at the end she always beat them. At the end, I imagined the girl etering a castle and getting rewarded. The king rewarded her by marrying his son, the prince. They both loved each other from a long time ago so they were both very happy. Finally, she realizes that the music she was been hearing was from a group of musicians from outside the castle. The day of the wedding the girl looked awesome. She was always beautiful, but this day she was even more. She had a very long white dress with her beautiful hair under a veil. The music that played as she entered the church, was the same music she heard the day she was rewarded with who was now going to be her husband.


The second one made me think on the farms and the cowboys dancing with their hats and their ropes. It remembered me a movie, I dont remember the name, that showed some cowboys dancing with hats like those from Mexico and then they entered a place like a restaurant that is tipic from the cowboys. This place is like all in wood and to enter the bathrooms there arer special doors that when you push them they don't stop moving. In this place all the cowboys drink beer and most of the time, in movies, in here is the place where the people always end up fighting.


The third song made me remember sad moments in movies. It made me remember the tipic moment of most movies. The main character is sad so he takes a taxi and it is raining so you see the rain plus the tears in the face of the person. The movie that mainly reminded me was The Parent Trap. It made me remember when the girls, afte the camp, reunite their parents but then they went each home. At the end, everyone gets living together so it is really happy. The end of the song reminds me the palenqueras from here in Cartagena singing in the beach.

Poverty in Cartagena

Finally, I could research about poverty in Cartagena. While I was researching I found a website called "Cartagena, Como Vamos." It talks about different things in Cartagena. In 2005, it was said that Cartagena's population was 1.030.149 people. From this, the 49% was considered as poor people. As the people living in Cartagena said, the topics that most attention need in Cartagena are education, health, and jobs for people. Nicolas Curi, is planning a Project "una Cartagena mas social y equitativa." This means a more social Cartagena with equalness. It consists in a place that offers better conditions for its people.

In the summer of 2005 a survey was done. This was done to see the perception of the economic situation. 1000 people above 18 years old participated in the survey. Following the results, the 29% of the people in Cartagena said that their economic situation in 2005 was better than in 2004; the 46% said that their economic situation compared to 2004 was the same. On the other side, the 25% said that their economic situation compared to 2004 worsened. The arguments these people discussed were: the cost of the food, the cost of the public services, lack of jobs, and lost of job. Some people don't eat the 3 meals a day because of lack of money, but definitely, others don't eat it because they don't want to or because of eating disorders. One of the primary causes of poverty is lack of basic needs. So a family, to be able to live, they need a budget. For many families, this budget is not enough in order to be able to live. The basic needs are: a proper house, a living with basic services, being able to eat, being able to go to school, and feeling good with your economic situation. In Cartagena, many families have a lack of these things. The one who less people has is the basic services one, most of the people don't have it.

Finally, after all the surveys done it was viewed that Cartagena's poverty increased from 2002 to 2004. The lack of basic services is what affects most poverty in Cartagena. Cartagena needs so much help in order to overpass this situation. It needs the help of its people, government and politicians. Cartagena is not the only city in which this is happening. Poverty is affecting worldwide!

I think that getting out of poverty is not easy. There is so much poverty in the cities that getting out of this big problem isn't as easy as it looks. Not even if all the wealthy people help others this problem is going to end, what we really need is a miracle. I feel so sad when I am in my car and I pass by a poor family. They look so sad in the floor, all dirty, and hungry. There are some kids that stand up in the streets asking for money, but if they get used to receive money from others they are going to be no one in life, so that’s why many people don't give them money. Also, some kids, as they get money they go and buy drugs, so that is why sometimes it is better to buy them food instead of giving them the money. I wish I could someday grow up and change the world, but I know this is just a dream.