A Bigger Friendship

What's New

Caitlin and Martin kept sending each other letters. Caitlin Sent pictures, t-shirts and gifts in her writings. The two became best friends. Martin was always trying to write back on his letters tough his economic situation was always getting worse. With all the presents, Martin could only asure that he would always write back. Martin had to drop out of school because of the fees. Caitlin helped with her babysitting money, her family also sent money for the rest of Martin's brothers. Since Zimbabwe was a very poor country, it was very difficult to send money because people would steal it

What I thought when I saw how generous they where with each other

Hidden Messages in the Book

"In hindsight, I'm almost ashamed of how ridiculous my teen dramas were. I had no idea what Martin was going through because he never let on. Instead, he responded to my silly stories and never said much about his own life" (Welch 89). 

Sometimes, we make our daily problems that are not so big seem giant, while other people suffer from bigger issues. Martin didn't have school, while Caitlin had everything.

"It was Z$550 per student, roughly twenty American dollars, a fortune for many. Still,most of those kids didn't care about school-for me, it painful to leave.

      As I gathered my things, my mind was racing: I had to get back to school as quickly as possible" (Welch 91). 

Martin was a very dedicated and determined kid, I am sure that he will become a great student with Caitlin's help

What I Learned

Martin is very lucky to have Caitlin's support, especially in a crisis. I think that maybe, next Martin's father will get a better job and that his family's economic situation will improve. This is what I infer because of the information in the back of the book.