Method 1: Wear a Barak Obama t-shirt and let the shouts of "Oh-Bam-a!" commence. Rwandan men smile as they exclaim that name, with heavy emphasis on the vowels. The "O," comes from their gut, a deep, resonate opening and then they linger on the ending "ah." I wave and smile in reply.
Method 2: Be a foreigner within eyesight of child beggars. They sit outside of shops or linger on busy sidewalks but when they see a foreigner they approach with intent, hand extended. First in French, then Swahili and finally to simple English, they mutter, "100 Francs for food." 100 Francs is less then 20 cents. They are not addicts, nor drunks, nor is their need as a result of foolish actions. They are children of the children of war, the poverty it creates. My best attempts to remain detached and stare forward falter when they brush my hand with theirs, a gentle caress in hopes of getting my attention. There can not be enough money and so I give each a silent blessing:
May you be well. May you be at peace.
May you be well. May you be at peace.
A selfish and inadequate benediction.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Trev!
It is so wonderful that you can share your experiences with us over this blog! And I'm happy to see that you have such a positive attitude about everything. About the children - is there street food, maybe bread stalls that sell very cheap rolls? Carrying food on me was one way that I tried to overcome the guilt of passing hordes of needy children... Just a thought.
My heart goes out to you!
Post a Comment