$1.50 challenge final thoughts

MY WEAKNESS, MY KRYPTONITE. 

Last, video/ random blurb/ congrats everybody!

45 MIN TO GOOOOO! So proud of everyone completing the challenge, you guys are awesome :)

-Lamia

There is only one hour left for the challenge. I think I will make it. I really surprised I can make it even with feeling of hunger and pain. I eat almost same thing everyday-one banana in the morning, one Ramen noodles for lunch and 2 Ramen noodles for dinner and some beans and corns. I felt hungry 99% the time when I am awake. I drank tons of water the past few days. My mouth tastes weird because I eat too many Ramen noodles. I just finished the 11th Ramen noodles of the week! I cannot believe that how people could survive on living off $1.50 a day. This challenge really inspired me enlightened me how hard it is to live off $1.50  a day. I think we all should try our best to help those people who live in extreme poverty. Thanks to the all people who participate this challenge. This challenge will definitely be a memorable time in my life.

Sincerely,

Yuan

So I have cheated a bit (I have had at least 1 coffee each day). Nevertheless, this 1.50 thing is absolutely kicking my butt! I normally eat 3 large and 2-3 small meals a day. I have cut that back to 1 large and 1 small. You do the math. That being said, after the first day, there is no going back because you want to finish it. I am definitely excited to get back to my normal diet, and this thing was about as aggravating and humbling as possible…so mission accomplished from y’all! -John Lipkin

On Wednesday, Erica and I met with Jean Clough from Cliff Stearns’ office in Gainesville. We had the opportunity to describe our hunger challenge to her, as well as the implications of extreme poverty worldwide. At the end of the meeting, we delivered 165 letters for Cliff Stearns asking him to not support cuts to the foreign assistance budget in the upcoming vote. The meeting went very well, and hopefully we can count on Cliff Stearns to support us in the fight against extreme poverty! -Liz

There are two hours left in the challenge, so I think I can safely say I’ll make it! I’m so looking forward to food with some flavor, substance, and nutrition. So here’s a diary of all of my meals the past five days:

Sunday

I had a few oyster crackers, but other than that I didn’t eat anything. (The challenge started at 6PM)

Monday

Breakfast: Nothing

Lunch: Ramen (chicken) and a banana

Dinner: Baked beans and some chocolate

Tuesday

Breakfast: Half a banana

Lunch: Ramen (chicken) and the rest of the banana

Dinner: Ramen (chicken) and some chocolate

Wednesday

Lunch: Ramen (beef!)

Dinner: Baked beans, a banana, and the rest of the chocolate (This was my feast night)

Thursday

Lunch: Ramen (chicken)

Then between meals on every day I had oyster crackers. As you can see, I wouldn’t be sad if I never saw chicken ramen again. If I ever do this again, I need to be more strategic with the nutritional value and flavor/diversity of my food. Overall, this was a good experience. I learned a lot, and I will keep the memories from this challenge present to continue to inspire me to fight against extreme poverty worldwide! -Liz

I started off strong with the challenge this week, beginning my days with a banana, munching on a granola bar and oyster crackers throughout the day, and ending with soup at night. I must say that with a quiz, a speech, and an exam for the week, it was difficult to focus on my studies. It’s pretty pathetic that all I could think about was my stomach and how I couldn’t focus on my work. I realized that there are so many people in developing countries that live off of $1.50 a day, yet still need to carry on with their duties, from daily tasks to hard labor. Although I DID give in and cheated on Wednesday, I learned a great deal from this experience. This week opened my eyes to the way impoverished people must feel every day, and reminded me of how thankful we need to be. I’m proud of all the ONE members who stuck to the challenge and I’m looking forward to celebrating tonight!

-Natanya