I hear your wise words of caution. I actually grew up in poverty in Cairo, Egypt. It was really hard leaving my childhood friends behind when I moved to the States at age 11, and not being able to help with all the horrible things that have recently been going on in Cairo has made me even more sad. I think my husband will have a harder time adjusting since he was born and raised in Southern Orange County 🙂 However, I have never lived in a third world country as a mother, and worrying for our own children has become one of my new biggest hobbies.
It is really shocking and sad that so much of the relief money and help was waylaid by a few greedy Haitians and mismanaged NGOs/non-profits, while the poorest victims of the earthquake have not had basic services restored. This contrast of wealth will be very hard to deal with, you are totally right.
