Lest you think that this blog is devoted to me bitching about the perils of living in a developing country/having culture shock, I wanted to take a moment to talk about the good things here.
People are really open. I started getting hugs from women who had met me or my friends once or twice on my second day of work. Mama Fina introduces me to people as her daughter, and treats me more or less as one. People are also really cheerful and always joking and smiling together. I appreciate the way everybody is considered close family or friends.
The country itself is also really beautiful. It's a lot of rolling green hills and red soil. It's amazing how much stuff just grows all around.
The past two days have been devoted to going around to schools and seeing what the problems are. We also saw someone from the town council. We were talking to some school kids yesterday--14 and 15 year olds--and we let them ask us questions after we had asked them some things. One girl asked if we lived with our real parents, and we told her that yes we did, when we weren't at school. She told us about her mother had died 3 years ago and she was left with some guardians (her father is in Kampala and isn't really involved with her). And she asked me, "Do you forgive your mother for leaving?" (Note: my mother hasn't left me or anything, that's just the way she phrased it considering her grasp on English). I said, "No, I don't think you have to."
When we asked them what made them happy, they said, "Eating daily!" When asked what made them sad, they said "Being beaten and being hungry."
Where do you start when a child hasn't eaten in three days? When they get beaten at school and home as a matter of course? When they are told to keep their problems to themselves, and not share them with anyone?
It breaks my heart.
That's so sad =[ Thinking about things like this, even in spots of America, it makes you really lose some faith in humanity. Here are people who are hundreds of pounds overweight right next to people who are on the verge of dying of starvation. All we can do is try our hardest to help the people around us, wherever we are, whenever it happens. I'm proud of you for what you're doing. Keep up the awesome.
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely post. I hope you feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteYou can only do what you can do...... and do your best at what you can do. And sometimes just listening is A LOT. xo
ReplyDeleteWe're really lucky that we were born in America to loving parents.
ReplyDelete