It is amazing how one homework assignment in school could change the lives of two individuals so profoundly. In this true story, students in a 7th grade class in a suburban school in Pennsylvania had to choose a country and write a letter to an unknown pen pal there. Caitlin viewed the list of countries on the blackboard, and liked the exotic way that Zimbabwe looked and sounded. She asked her teacher how to pronounce the name, and when she heard her teacher say it out loud and explain that it was in Africa, that's the one that she chose. Up until that point, Caitlin was more interested in taking trips to the mall with her friends and talking about boys, and she had no idea how this choice would change her life.
Martin lived in Mutare, which is the third-largest city in Zimbabwe. Along with another family, Martin's family lived in a one room shack with no running water. Their only piece of furniture was a mattress, where Martin's parents slept. Martin's sister and young brother slept underneath the bed, and Martin and two other brothers slept on the concrete floor. At times there were twelve people living in this one room, with only a curtain dividing the space for the two families. Students were required to wear a uniform, and Martin owned only one, which he washed on Wednesdays and again on the weekend. He also owned a t-shirt and shorts, but no shoes. Occasionally they would bathe with soap, but if they ran out they would just use water. His family was very poor and his main meal each day was sadza, a cornmeal porridge. If money allowed they occasionally ate beans, and once a year on Christmas they ate chicken. He only ever saw a white person when a group of people from the Netherlands visited his school.
Martin and his classmates were so excited when the teacher announced that pen pal letters had arrived from America! There were only ten letters and forty students, but Martin was given one of the letters because he was at the top of his class. He read the letter out loud to his classmates. In the letter, Caitlin shared that she liked the Spice Girls, soccer, and field hockey, and that she was very interested to know what life was like in Zimbabwe. Martin was so excited that he had a new friend and pen pal in America! He replied with some basic information about his family and what sports he liked, and in Caitlin's next letter she sent a photograph of herself and requested Martin do the same. Martin didn't know anyone who owned a camera, and the only way to get a photograph was to hire a professional photographer which his family could never afford. He didn't want to make Caitlin feel badly about his situation, so he never shared with her the details of how poor his family actually was.
I found this story to be so eye opening and a heartbreaking glimpse at poverty and the struggles that many poor families encounter. Reading about the changes in how Caitlin viewed the world were so interesting to me. Her life changed from being a typical teenager who went bowling with friends and hung out at the mall to someone who wanted to learn more about poverty and privilege and how people around the world lived. She didn't have to think twice about having enough to eat, or having enough money to pay for school fees, or being able to go to the doctor when she was sick. After exchanging several letters, Caitlin slowly began to get the feeling that Martin's life was nothing like her own, and she wanted to help him. This true story of friendship and perseverance and the bond between two people who knew each other only through letters is one that I will never forget.
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