With almost every blog post so far, I’ve told you of how I couldn’t put into words what I’m experiencing here in Uganda. It is endlessly frustrating to be having what I consider to be the most significant experiences of my life thusfar, and not being able to find the right words to share them with the people I love most…you all, who take the time to read my blog. But, Thursday night, I finally got to witness someone else experience all the of things I’ve been trying to put into words for you. I’ve met a wonderful friend, Sheli, who is staying at the same guest house as I am while in the process of adopting her son from Uganda. Last weekend, her 14 year old daughter, Avery, arrived for her first visit to Africa.
I was lucky enough to be present for Avery’s first experience with children in the village and to witness the myriad of emotions that takes over someone experiencing this for the first time—and I got to witness it all through a camera lens. As much as I wanted to be involved in the interaction with the children, I knew this was a moment in Avery’s life that HAD to be documented and I (selfishly) wanted to be the one to do it. I also (again, selfishly) wanted to see what this experience looked like through someone else’s eyes. When I'm in the middle of it, I’m just too involved to process all that I am thinking and feeling— and when it’s over, I'm just too emotionally(and often physically) exhausted to even think about anything. That's not to say that I don’t TRY to process it all—but trying is usually as far as I'm going to get. I still don’t have the words to describe it, but that’s why it was so important for me to get it on camera. I had spent a few days with Avery at this point and I knew that she would be determined to find the words to describe all that she saw and thought and felt. I also knew that, if she was anything like me, those words would fail her. But I feel like pictures won't….they often tell stories so much better than words are able. These pictures also convey the joy and spirit of the children of the village that I’ve attempted to describe in my previous posts.
Here is Avery’s story, from my perspective...
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coincidentally, or maybe not, both mine and Avery’s first encounter
with a child in Africa just happened to be with the same child, Patience.
(she look slightly different in my picture—it was pre-haircut) |
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| These two pictures speak for themselves |
Avery’s first taste of village life. warning: there will be tears….
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the two older ones on the left drove up (yes, I said drove)
on a Boda Boda… |
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| It didn’t take long for them to fall in love with Avery... |
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| ….and for Avery to fall in love with them |
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She just sat and talked with them (and more importantly, listened to them)
for the entire night |
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| Avery teaching the children “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" |
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| Alex teaching Avery the same song— just a more rhythmic version :) |
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| she was hanging on their every word...and they, on hers |
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| The kids teaching the muzungu how to dance…she held her own, I must say |
The next pictures provide a VERY small glimpse into life in the village— and all of the heartbreak, despair, curiosity, hope, pure happiness and infectious joy that comes with it
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| I mean, I have absolutely NO words for this one |
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all of the kids, in all of these pictures—
just…my cup runneth over |
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seriously with this little man? holy cuteness
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What all of these pictures fail to show is what happened when it was time to leave the village. This part of Avery's story really isn’t mine to tell, but I will say that the tears present on the car ride home were plentiful and they did not belong to Avery alone. It is just such an overwhelming experience and, while my heart ached for her, it was also so full of joy for the change I had seen taking place in her. She said at one point a little boy, Alex, who she’d had the strongest connection with asked her, “How am I going to remember you”? To which her mother responded with, “You just make sure he knows that you will always remember him”.
I am so grateful that I got to experience this with Avery. I am so thankful that there is one more person who has experienced their wonderful spirit. That she will always remember the faces she’s seen. And that the children she encountered that night and will continue to encounter during her time here know that Avery knows that they are there, that she loves them and that she will always, always remember them.
But, most of all, I am thankful that person is Avery. Because, if there is anyone who has a heart big enough to carry all of these children in, it is her. While this is her first trip to Africa, it will certainly not be her last. And everyone she meets along her journey will be truly blessed by her grace, kindness and selfless heart.
That’s really what this entire journey is about for me. It’s about making sure that I convey to every single child that I encounter just how very special they are. That every single one of them know that I have seen them, that they know I will always love them and, perhaps most importantly, that they know they will never, EVER be forgotten. They need to know—they HAVE to know, that they I will carry them with me in my heart, wherever I go...and that I am leaving a huge part of my heart with them, as well.
all of my love and happiness,
Bliss xxxx
