The passing word that stays
Recalling conversations is something almost all of us do, analyzing what was meant, if it needs to be had again and whether it has affected us or not. Very often these conversations are negative ones and so here I will record the funny ones, the beautiful ones, the ones that regained my faith in life and humanity, as a reminder that the good conversations will always outweigh the bad.
Place: Ibanda, Uganda
Time: 2012
Backstory: The students of Nyakatukura Memorial School arrived back from a football match with another local school, this match had been talked about all week, the players had been nervous and the other students excited. As they arrived back they were manic. Cheering, clapping – the most joyous I had ever seen such a huge group of people. I run up to the closest celebrating student to get the low – down on how it all went.
Me: How was it? Did you win?
Student: AH SISTER! IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. I wish you had come, we danced all day Sister, we danced all day.
Me: I know, I wish I could have come. So, we won yeah?
Student: Oh. (Looks around, confused) I don’t know. Wait.
(Turns to other student and asks whether we won)
Student Two: Eh, I don’t know Brother, I think we lost. (Dances away to help carry captain on shoulders around the school grounds)
Student: Yes, I think we lost, yes, yes we lost by ten points or more. I wish you could have been there Sister, it was beautiful, so beautiful.
Place: Old Town, Venice
Time: 1am , Summer of 2014
Backstory: We had walked for hours through Venice, simply because it was beautiful, we had met two Americans the night before in our B&B and they had come with us on our night walk. The laughter had been constant and full .
American: Laughter is the only currency left that is of any worth in this world of corruption
Place: Ibanda, Uganda
Time: 2012
Backstory: Redmond was giving me a tour of the surrounding area explaining how their town and lives run. We walked past an alley where three chickens were pecking, the chickens were painted pink.
Redmond: So, you see, the chickens are pink so that then when someone looses their chicken they can say to the other people : ‘have you seen my pink chicken’ and then the other can say ‘no no, no pink chicken here, only blue chicken’
Me: I see, so it’s a way of identifying who owns which chicken
Redmond: That’s it my dear
Me: But surely in the end, everyone will paint their chickens and then the chickens will all be painted pink and blue and other colours and then everyone will just start mixing them all up again…
Redmond: My dear, you see, this is why you in the West are so rich – they think of these things