Today when I woke up this morning,
I was instantly excited about my upcoming day. I was reconnecting with my
favorite little buddy, Abdul. We went to Wakiso Primary School where we were
greeted with dozens of children singing “you are welcome.” While I was smiling
and greeting the children, I was secretly scanning the crowd looking for my
Abdul. When I eventually found him, I had to fight the urge to tackle him with
celebration. He had gotten so tall in just a year! My little buddy was starting
to transform into a teenager and would soon (and easily) surpass me in height.
He instantly had 100 questions about me. He has always been an inquisitive boy
with an interest in how things work and what the average American life
consisted of. This is partly why I fell in love with him in the first place. He
is so intelligent and wishes not to be of average intelligence but to be the
first in his class. To have as much dedication and motivation as he has at such
a young age, truly astounds me.
He
took my hand and showed me his world and his prized possessions. He showed me
his dormitory room which was honestly better than I expected. He had his own
bed and blankets with a case that had a lock on it. It did concern me, however,
when I looked closer and saw that his case was broken and could easily be
accessed by anyone. I understand wanting to have your prized possessions in a
safe place. This should apply to him no matter what those possessions consist
of. In the middle of our conversation, Abdul asked me if I played any games in
college. I told him no and that I mostly focus on my studies but I do love to
run. When I talked about running Abdul had a dark look come over his face and
then told me something that I was genuinely not expecting – he had a heart
problem. To learn this fact was a crushing blow to me as I know that the
healthcare system here is not reliable and this especially applies to an
orphaned boy. I asked him to further explain and all he could properly explain
was that there was a hole between the chambers of his heart and that when he
ran or walked for too long, he felt “needles stab his heart.” The nursing major
in me immediately tried to calculate how much the surgery would cost for him to
fix his heart. I came full circle when I realized how the universe is truly
wonderful at putting those people in your life that need you the most. Was it
coincidence that this Ugandan boy that had a piece of my heart has turned out
to have a heart condition that prevented him from doing activities that I
loved? No, I don’t believe in coincidences.
We
eventually had to leave the school in order to make it to Gulu before it was
too late. As we were taking that journey up north, I looked at my surroundings
and the people who called this place home. How many others are out there with
problems that can’t be fixed because of circumstances or where they live? How
many Abduls sit while looking upon the other children who run and play? We
always have an option to help no matter how little it may appear to others. I
have so much faith in Abdul’s ability to turn into a great, intelligent man. I
hope that he has that dream as well. After all, the hope has to start
somewhere.
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