Hard Work and Happiness

Since we arrived in Uganda, everyone has been very welcoming and friendly. There is not one person that I have met so far who has not been happy to greet me. When I walk through Gulu, I am not sure how people feel about me being here, but as soon as I smile and wave, they do the same. Anyone will help you learn the language and they enjoy talking to us and asking us what we will be doing with our time in Gulu.

One thing that has really made an impression on me is how much people crave education. We have been here almost two weeks now and have already met several people who work hard every day to be able to go to school. The one thing that stops them from being able to attend is tuition and the cost of supplies. Some can get scholarships, but these are only provided for a few students. For the people that I have met, the cost per semester is around 750,000 Ugandan shillings which is about 300 US dollars. For us in America, that is nothing. We take our easy access of education for granted. Here in Gulu however, education is the only chance people have of getting out of their current situation and providing a better life for themselves. In the United States, I am not sure if we realize how important education is and how lucky we are to have it right in front of us.

What I find remarkable is how these people continue to be positive and they do not give up even though they are struggling to attend school and have to work long hours every day to earn a small amount of money. One young man that I met at Lindsay and Jeff's wedding was excited to tell me what he was studying at the university and asked me the same. As we were saying goodnight, he told me that the only thing that him, his family, and his people care about is happiness. All that matters in life is being happy and that is what they try to focus on every day. I will remember that for a long time. I find it amazing that after 20 years of violent conflict and hardships and having to witness and go through unimaginable atrocities, people continue to move forward. That shows their strength as a people and I think we have a lot to learn from them.