...I write. I guess. I don't have much experience with insomnia. Here's to new hobbies!
I’ve learnt a lot in Uganda. I’m certain that I gained more knowledge and insight than that I’ve inculcated. I believe that this knowledge came through a mix of things I experienced, things I heard, things I read and, strangely enough, things I obtained from movies and TV shows. Perhaps the actual watching of movies (or full TV series) starts as just a past time, especially when I’m feeling America-sick, but some bits and pieces can tie in to my other experiences and learnings here so well. Below are some quotes that have really had an impact on me:
“Look, I didn’t invent the world, so don’t hate me, but, no one likes an angry woman.” -Friday Night Lights
Not only do people not like angry women, they especially don’t like listening to angry women. Want to be heard? Don’t raise your voice or point your finger. Do take a deep breath and evaluate the best way to respond. Uganda gives me plenty to get angry about, but I remind myself that wearing my frustration on the outside won’t make anything easier. This quote goes hand-in-hand with my new mantra, obviously taken from the famous British propaganda poster in 1939, Keep calm and carry on. A life philosophy couldn’t have been better put.
“This is America--pick a job, then become the person that does it.” --Mad Men
This quote reminds me our limitless opportunities in America. We don’t have to decide in high school which courses to take in order to qualify for a program at the University. We can reinvent ourselves several times over our lifetime. This isn’t so true in Uganda--it seems you have to decide by the time you’re sixteen if you’re a lover of science or literature, then you have to find a career path that aligns. I realize that I was born into a land of opportunity, and I am now determined to take advantage of that fact.
“This is your life, and it’s ending one minute at a time.” --Fight Club
Life is short, and how short we never know exactly, until it’s over. Be proud of what you do and who you are, and enjoy yourself along the way.
“The brave do not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.” --mentioned in The Princess Diaries
Something that’s fantastic about many Ugandans is that they live like there’s no tomorrow. They especially party like it’s their last one. While this could be perceived as also limiting, especially in the financial sense, it does accomplish something; just as anywhere in the world, death or tragedy could be just around the corner, but if you’re trying to anticipate it, you will not have made any good memories.
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” --Annie
Peace Corps can be a crap shoot. Maybe you get a great site with an inspiring community and develop an awesome support network. Or maybe you face corruption and obstacles everyday, accompanied by a community full of skeptical, close-minded individuals. Luckily, I got the former, and just thinking about saying goodbye makes me tear up. Saying goodbye to America was easy, cause I knew I was going back. Saying goodbye to Uganda is tough because it may be forever.
“All right. Now, all you gotta remember is that everything will be okay.” --127 Hours
“Okay” is a relative term. Even if things aren’t ideal, they’re at least okay. In the end of this movie, the main character has one less limb. But things were still okay. “...everything will be okay.” I tell myself this daily.
It's three thirty AM and I can't sleep. Everything will be okay...keep calm and carry on...
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