Love + Love = Eternal Love

I have a briefcase full of letters from the students of Gulu SS and one letter from Odong Collins Otika of Awere SS for Mary H. I have skimmed the letters to make sure that there is nothing that I would have to talk to them about, but I was struck by the African equivalent of BFF. On several letters from the girls, they use the words Love + Love = Eternal Love ( I may not have this right, I will edit when I get a chance to relook at the letters).

So although the pen pal experiment failed last year, because I could not figure out a good way to get the letters back and forth. I am trusting this year, the pony express of myself. I thought my luggage would be a lot lighter on the way back, because I am leaving behind 2 basketballs, a soccer ball, a cheap printer that betrayed me, and several t-shirts, etc. But I did not count on carrying the hopes and dreams of about a hundred Ugandan students back to the states with me.

The questions they are asking in my final days go from the usual --- are you married?, do you have children?, what is it like in your village?, do you know Fifty cent? to the deep --- How can I be better in physics?, How can I get to the University?, How can I come to America? They have just enough American culture that so many of them want more. The things we take for granted, are overwhelming to them. How do their letters convey so much to our students? Some are simple. Some are poignant. Some are snuck to me by young boys when their friends are not looking, because they contain poetry and pictures of flowers for the students of Nerinx.

I think for me the right approach is not LARGE and BIG. How can you not eat your food, when others are hungry? How can you not take school seriously when others sit four to a desk, and have never been able to afford a pencil?

The Acholi people do not talk LARGE and BIG. They talk softly and slowly when using English. In those soft words and the stillness, I can hear that I do not want to live in an world where anyone ever uses US vs. THEM in capital letters. Whether the THEM is illegal immigrants, the poor, the uneducated, the lazy. I have not been to any other places outside of the US where poverty, hunger, and education are lacking. But I have been to Gulu, and I expect that other people without have the same kindness and grace of the Acholi people. Even if they just had a third of these qualities of my friends the Acholi's --- I would be interested in meeting them.

I want to be a teacher where I understand and can teach my students the word -- WE. I want to be a teacher who can teach his students what I heard at a Springsteen concert years ago. "Nobody wins, unless everyone wins." What are you doing now, to end hunger and poverty by the year 2025? The first step is understanding that we are not sharing a finite pie. By lifting up all people , there is much more to share. And that is where we start, by finding ways to lift up all people with help at first, then support for small business, then help for infrastructure. It all moves slowly from a 1000 different shops, and 10000 people working to educate themselves better.

Last night, I printed 3 photos off of my digital camera at my new friend Francis' shop. Although, I don't think it his shop, it is probably his cousin's or aunt's. Because everything in the shop is mattresses, pillows, and blankets. Except for the one wall, where there is small specialty groceries like a liter bottle of coke. And then there is Francis with his HP photo printer plugged into a corner, printing photos for 1000/= (62 cents) each. He has a sign out front that he painted himself which makes it sound like a huge multi-purpose digital studio inside. He is a fair businessman and takes great pride in his work.

I really thought this was going to be a short entry, but then I remembered stories of good people and there are so many different ones to tell.

I will be travelling starting on Saturday, so the blog entries might be few. But I will be back in New York at 745 am on 7/31.

What do I do next summer?????

John