Day 2: Of the Hunger Project

Today was a long day. Tuesdays are always long because I leave for work at 5:30am and don't get home until 9:30 pm. Today seemed extra long though. Meal times seem to break up the day. I never realized how much I schedule and measure my day by when the next meal is. When you are not really eating the day just drags by and you are more conscience of every moment that ticks by. When I woke up this morning I had no appetite which helped me get all the way to 12 pm before a hunger headache hit. My left eye and temple throbbed from lack of sugar and caffeine. I chose to eat the cup of cheerios at that point to help subside the headache but I think I should have chosen the crackers first because the bland oats were useless. I wasn't going to make the same mistake as yesterday and eat two of my three rations at once so I guzzled some water and hoped the cheerios would help me get through couple of hours. At 4:00 I was a bit edgy and my head was pounding so I ate the 5 saltine crackers which helped a little. At 7pm I had to focus in a class so I ate my banana but I felt so lethargic afterwards that I had to put my head down. Within about 10 minutes the banana worked it's magic and I gained some strength and energy from it.

Overall though other than being a tad bit lethargic and the headache I still felt pretty decent. At this point the worst thing is feeling hungry and smelling and seeing food around me. I think of all the children who go to school or walk through their city and smell the foods all around them and yet never have the chance to taste them. I think about their empty stomachs growling at the sight and scent of food around them. We ate at Pizza Hut after visiting the orphanage one night in Honduras and I made a comment about how I bet the orphans would love if we threw them a pizza party to which a Honduran resident replied, "they've probably never tasted pizza in their life."

One day I'm going to throw those orphans a pizza party but until then I'm going to tell their story and seek to understand what they feel/ go through a little more. I'm not there yet-time to get even hungrier!

As you sit down and eat tomorrow with your families thank God that you and your children don't go hungry and remember those who do.

Shannon