VIS-A-VISA

_______________________________________________________________

SPONSOR THIS DISADVANTAGED YOUTH TODAY

_______________________________________________________________

An exposé/dignified plea from world humanitarian guest blogger Dan Ahern

This is little Dídima. She's still waiting for a sponsor. Like many other Spaniards, she needs love and support to have access to the great American things that will help her grow up to be a healthy, productive, adult creative. For the price of just 27 Venti Hazelnut Half-Soy Macchiatos per day, you could sponsor little Dídima and give her the chance she needs.

"But wait," you say, "I want to help, but I heard Spain is like, a beautiful paradise. My step dad said he would send me on vacation there if I promised to never tell mom about the slumber party incident."

Well, right you are. It is beautiful. But it's not America. For instance, did you know that like nobody in Spain has a DVR? I know, crazy. But it's true. I went on an eye-opening tour of little Dídima's homeland so I could show you the deplorable conditions she'd be exposed to if she went back. Here are my three most astonishing findings.

1.) Nutrition

People generally regard Spain as having excellent food. But what those people don't know is that when they go to a restaurant, there are no doggie bags. Imagine going to Olive Garden and not ordering extra breadsticks when you're not even hungry so you can gorge yourself again later. That's what life in Spain is like all the time. And speaking of Olive Garden, they don't have those, so cross that one off the list right now, sir. Here's what they do have:

That's right. They think McDonald's is a health food restaurant or something. Astounding. But look at this:

Yep. Their Starbucks still has the old logo. The one they stopped using in January. I was too appalled to go in there, but I would bet they don't even have Passion Fruit Tea yet.

And what do you suppose little Dídima does when she wants a snack? Do you think she can just grab a bag of Cheetos, like you or I?

No. She's forced to eat this. My Spanish is a bit rusty, but I think it says "Pellets of F***ng Ebola". I showed some street children this bag and this is what happened:

Yep, they ran away. As you can observe, Spanish children are forced to wear numbers so it's easier to track which ones have already been sponsored by humanitarian organizations. You'll also notice they're famished: each one must way 40 pounds less than a comparable American child!

2.) Infrastructure

I don't want to get too technical, but little Dídima's Spain is plagued by basic infrastructure issues. Can you imagine if, in America, you were somehow forced to ride public transit? (I know, the thought is hard to bear, but try to be strong.) When you step on the bus here, you have the ability to put at least 20 seats between you and the sleeping homeless person. That's not possible in a country where there are buses like this:

Not to mention, much of the country is connected by trains. You Americans probably have never experienced a train since we enjoy such an unshakeable auto industry, but a train is like a roller coaster, except flat and not amusing. And look at this:

This apartment building doesn't even have elevators! Look at all those stairs. And check out this:

What would you do if your water sources were all outdoors? There's so much we Americans can take for granted. My tour of this country and its conditions was starting to depress me when I was promised I would see a new, modern edifice. It's exciting to think even a place like Spain can progress and build new structures--but then I saw the thing:

It's falling over already. I was crestfallen. But the infrastructure issues aren't the toughest thing little Dídima faces day in, day out, being a Spaniard...

3. Racism

As you can tell, little Dídima is blond.

Which is fantastic, if you're in America. But in this part of the world, many obvious signs of racism left me simply mortified. My heart goes out to little Dídima (and the other non-dark-haired Spaniards) and other minorities who must endure prejudice constantly.

I warn you, the images you are about to see may be shocking to an American. After all, we haven't had any race issues in our history. But we must be brave and not avert our eyes. We must understand that not everywhere treats its minorities with the respect that, say, Arizona does. These are some real places and things in Spain:

The Italian sector. Notice the Civil Guard enforces the area, too.

The offensive ad on the right is filled with only black people,

and the ad on the right features only whites. This is the law.

The gateway to the alternative-lifestyle sector.

To the right, a center for societal outcasts.

To the left, the Jewish sector.

I'm sorry you had to see all that. But you had to witness it to understand.

If my tour of Spain taught me anything, it's that this tough country, little Dídima's country, is definitely not America. Hopefully these revelations have spurred you to think deeply about the quality of life you enjoy. And that little Dídima too could enjoy if you sponsor her today.

Thank you.