Charity begins at home

Someone came to my door tonight requesting a donation for the Haiti earthquake fund. She asked very politely and explained that the Education Committee here had organized the collection, and the amount of cash in her bucket showed that people had already been giving very generously.

Equally politely, I explained that I would not be making a donation.

Now, don't get me wrong, I think that what has happened in Haiti is truly awful; I feel nothing but sorrow for all those affected, and as I have mentioned before, two of my colleagues here have friends and family there. No, the reason I didn't give is that, in my opinion, a charitable donation should be a personal choice made on one's own terms and should not be something that is solicited on a doorstep.

Does this make me a bad person? I don't think so. An old teacher of mine once put forward the argument that charitable giving could be seen as counter-productive as it took the burden of responsibility off the government's shoulders and put it on those of the public instead, and whilst I would not necessarily subscribe to this point of view, when I make a donation it will always be out of choice, not out of guilt. There are collection boxes in school and at both the stores here, so I know exactly where to go. Maybe I have been already.

I am not trying to demean anyone's efforts here or to criticise anyone who has already made a donation, solicited or otherwise, as the people of Haiti need all the help they can get. It's just something I feel strongly about. Please understand that.

The weekend looms

My suitcase finally arrived today, and whilst it's pleasing to be repatriated with both the case and its contents, an event of the magnitude of the Haitian earthquake certainly puts the inconvenience of a piece of lost luggage firmly in perspective. We have two teachers at the school here with either friends or family in Haiti, and it has been heartening to witness the support they have been offered by the community over the past couple of days. The scenes of devastation that have been coming out of Haiti seem to have had a special resonance amongst the local population, and my students have certainly been very keen to learn about the whats, wheres, whys and hows associated with the whole disaster.

Moving back into the bubble that surrounds my own little piece of the world, I'm very much looking forward to the weekend, for although I will have only taught for three days this week come the end of Friday, it always takes some time to readjust to the rhythm of life here following an extended break in the south. We have a staff meal to look forward to tomorrow night which will mean I will get at least one decent meal this week, and I intend to spend the rest of the weekend hedonistically catching up with the backlog of episodes of House and CSI New York that I have been meaning to watch for ages, and possibly giving the house a bit of a clean for the first time since I've been back.

Or possibly not.