A harsh dose of reality

Alright, I said I would post the Hygiene Puppet Show as soon as I got it, so here it is:

Hygiene Puppet Show- Group B

Today, I had the opportunity to go to the King Abdullah Park refugee camp, in Ramtha, and then to visit Camp Zaatari. This time it was only a small group that went. We took one group of puppeteers, and a few other people to help with the stage and "crowd control". It was a very last minute trip, but one that I am glad to have been a part of.  

Group A (whom I commonly refer to as "my boys) Marc (Nurse), Matt (Marium) Phil (Mother), Joachim (Jelal) and Logan (Faysal) 

We performed the puppet show in King Abdullah Park. It is called the "Five-star camp", and I believe it. It was so difference, in appearance at least, than Cyber City was. There were nice buildings and more solid structures (than tents) for families. It was a lot more organized as well. Part of that is because it is where most refugees cross the border, and they generally have to register with UNICEF or UNCHR...or some other alphabet soup organization. 

The walls of a "Five-Star" refugee camp

The people there were better dressed, as in they had clothes that fitted them better and weren't as dirty. But, you had to look and see if a kid had pierced ears to tell if it was a boy or girl, since boys were wearing pink (or other girly colors). We walked into camp, and the children just began to flock around us. They were so cute and innocent looking. Some of the kids just watched us and wouldn't come near us when we said 'hi' to them, but a lot of them came up to us and began playing with us. 

We have an almost "Pied Piper" effect, the kids just start following us everywhere

The show was great. It was a hit with the kids, like usual. From behind the stage, it seemed as if they weren't listening, but we saw some pictures and it 

showed that a lot of the kids were really paying attention to what we were saying. It was a great feeling. Of course, the kids got wound up, and a bit rowdy.

This toddler shoe was on the ground outside the car

One of the kids, a boy probably about 4, was the only one we had a problem with. He kept running around and trying to get into things. When someone was holding him, he was okay, but once you let go, he was gone. He kept trying to take things from our pockets too. He actually took my water bottle from my backpack, but some other kids told me and I got it back. I found out later that when he was coming to the border, something happened (I'm not sure what exactly) that was very traumatic (most likely he saw someone in his family be killed), and that his acting out is a cry for attention. As we were leaving, he was climbing the fence, which I'll admit, was a pretty impressive feat. 

This is the kid who climbed the fence as we left

A lot of the kids had very timid, reluctant smiles. But, once you stopped and said 'Hi, how're you? What's your name?" they'd answer you and then you'd see a real smile. 

After we left King Abdullah Park, we drove about an hour east to Camp Zaatari. Oh, for the record, Ramtha (where the first camp was) is about 2-4 miles away from the Syrian border. Zaatari is just as close.  

See that hill in the background? That's Syria. 

Camp Zataari is the main refugee camp. It currently has about 40,000 people in it, with more coming daily. It started out very primitive, little more than tents pitched in the desert. But, now, it is beginning to resemble a town. There has been a lot of foreign aid. The US has contributed the most. Jordan contributes a lot (besides their land, and what little resources they have). The other Arab countries help out a lot too. Saudi Arabia has a huge section of camp that they are providing the housing, water, etc. for. Bahrain has built a new school. Morocco built a hospital, a high end hospital. It is fully equipped, and has pretty much anything and everything. There are neo-natal incubators for pre-mature babies, there are all kinds of specialists there. There is an actual triage set up. The doctors are rotated every few months so they don't burn out. The King of Morocco visited, and went around and passed out blankets to people. He also has made it so that when a child is born, the family gets a newborn kit (with some onesies, diapers, blankets, etc), and the kits are as good as if not better than the ones that people receive in the US. 

Camp as it looks now

You can't see it very well, but that's essentially a tank outside the camp

LDS Charities has helped out a lot as well. They were among the first to come in and lay down gravel, so it was more like roads and dust didn't get everywhere. They have been funneling a lot of money into the camp itself and in other humanitarian projects. 

France has helped with the field hospital, and I couldn't resist taking this picture for my mother

We didn't do the puppet show there, we just walked around and talked to people. Some people were more open with us, others didn't want anything to do with us. We talked to one lady in a kitchen, and she saw that someone had a camera, she immediately backed behind the door, and said no pictures. She still had family in Syria and didn't want to risk them being targeted. I saw a lady in a wheelchair, I don't know what exactly was wrong but one of her legs was bent at an odd angle, it didn't look like it was really bleeding or injured or anything, but it just didn't look right. As she passed by, I made eye contact with her, smiled and said hello. She in turn smiled a genuine smile, said something and nodded at me. It is amazing the difference a smile can make. 

Sister Anderson and I. She's the one who got me involved in the puppet show and this has been her project as much as its become mine

The area where we walked reminded us all of a market. There were some people selling produce, others clothes, there were some falfel stands, it was like a small town. But, it still was very sad looking. And very different from what a lot of these people were used to. We were told that a couple months ago, it looked totally different. There were a lot of white tents, which were new. Then there were some tents that were an orange-ish red color, that were 4 months old. I'm very glad that I never saw the camp when it was first starting, otherwise I probably would've cried....a lot. 

After we left Zaatari, we got lunch at a shwarma place

I am so grateful for what I have. That I live in a country that isn't embroiled in turmoil. That I even have a country really. That I have a house, that I know where my whole family is, that I don't have to worry about them being targets. I'm grateful that I live in a land where I'm allowed to speak my mind and not fear any violent repercussions. I am grateful that I haven't seen the truly ugly side of life that these people have seen. It amazes me that we are capable of such violence, but at the same time capable of equal if not greater compassion and love.