Watched a show entitled above, about how food is produced that we can get to buy it at such low prices in the supermarket. So the show sends a couple of UK youths to South East Asia to see how these food are produced. First episode was to send them to Indonesia to see how tuna is processed. The girls are sent to the tuna processing factory where the fish gets gutted, descaled deboned, cooked and packaged. And it's very tough working there. Their work day do not end until all the tuna caught for the day has gone through the whole process until it's packed. And they only get 1 break the whole day. And when they're working, they basically do the jobs of machines.
So the guys of the group were sent with the fisherman to see how the tuna is caught. They board the tiny ship which will go 100 miles out into the open sea. That trip takes about 12 hours. They sleep in really cramped spaces, about the size of a casket for each of the person. Then when they get there, they fish. When they have found some tuna, it take less than half an hour to fish out 7 tonnes of tuna using quite traditional methods using lines and hooks and bait. 7 tonnes! Impressive. Then after that they make for shore again and that is another 12 hour trip!! So in total that took them about 36 hours. And when they got back to shore to drop of the UK guys, the boat actually head out again for another round which would again take 36 hours! That is just so crazy, very tough.
Back to the UK girls at the factory. End of the day, and they get paid. They get the equivalent of 3 pounds each, for the entire day! So they go to the shops and buy some bread and jam, and some chocolate and sweet things. Because pretty much that is all they can afford. And bring it back to the worker's hostel and share it with the line manager which took them in for their stay there. And they also gave the line manager the extra money that they had made. And I found that moment quite touching, that those UK girls would actually do that. And when the manager got the money, she actually wept, because that money is very hard to come by even for her as the line manager at the factory. She actually lives at the hostel away from her kids who are at the other town with her mother in law. And she could only afford to visit her children once a week because the the travel fare was expensive for what she was making. Furthermore, her husband was working on another island in the mines and hardly ever see the family. So they are so poor they could not even live as a proper family. That was just way too harsh.
I watched this series just now after coming home from work. I worked from 8.30 to about 6pm and I already felt really tired. But after watching that show, I just have to count my blessings and be happy that I have a job that pays quite well! Stop complaining about how much work I have, just be happy that I DO have work and I am paid well for it.
Also, I've resolved to loan more and more often on Kiva. It's a really good cause that loans money to people in poor countries and help improve their standard of living. I mean I keep thinking that I want that nice shirt, or that cool guitar, or a nice car. But I do have these things already, maybe not as nice or shiny, but it's functional. Also, I don't have to buy so much junk food or anything, I can still make it. Eating out every day is not really necessary. I've decided that I have enough, and I don't need much more. And there are plenty of people who do not have what I have, my standard of living. So anything I can spare I would absolutely loan out at Kiva.
I applaud the makers of this show to bring some awareness to how things are. It surely made me more aware and less ignorant, and I'm sure plenty of other people also.
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