Sandra is my sweet, kind, innocent roommate here in Uganda. From the moment I arrived in our village, Sandra has been teaching me everything I need to know about Ugandan culture. Like I said in my previous post, without Sandra, I would be totally lost.
Sandra grew up in complete poverty. When she was very young, her father took her from her mother and left her with her grandmother in a village while he took off to live in South Africa. While living with her grandmother in a village, she suffered greatly and even has the scars to prove it. She was expected to cook, clean, and fetch water, like many other village kids. If she burned the food or took too long carrying the 40lb jerrycan of water, she would receive a severe beating. After 10 years of living in the village under the "care" of her grandmother, her mom received word that her daughter still lived here in Uganda and not with her father in South Africa. Her mom literally had to lie and steal Sandra away from her grandmother.
From then on, her mother worked day and night to provide a stable life for Sandra. She was lucky enough to attend University in Kampala, but her mother could not find enough money to help her finish.
Every night, the two of us stay up late, talking about the differences between our worlds. She so longs to understand mine, and I hers. Sandra has taught me so much without even realizing it. She takes joy in the simplest things, like eating pizza, looking into a full length mirror. Although she has been a motherly figure for me here in Uganda, she has been an inspiration. She is always full of life and is ever curious. Without even trying, Sandra has really taught me to appreciate what I have. The first day here, we took a short walk to Lake Victoria from our house. On the way, we passed by tons of kids, many of whom I took pictures of. When we got home, we were looking through our photos. I pointed to one kid and laughed because this adorable little boy was wearing a shirt with a hole so big his whole stomach was hanging out! Sandra said in return "So many kids wear dirty, ripped shirts like that.. wouldn't it be nice if someone could give them a new shirt?" The next day, we marched down together and gave that little boy one of my tshirts.
Sandra grew up in complete poverty. When she was very young, her father took her from her mother and left her with her grandmother in a village while he took off to live in South Africa. While living with her grandmother in a village, she suffered greatly and even has the scars to prove it. She was expected to cook, clean, and fetch water, like many other village kids. If she burned the food or took too long carrying the 40lb jerrycan of water, she would receive a severe beating. After 10 years of living in the village under the "care" of her grandmother, her mom received word that her daughter still lived here in Uganda and not with her father in South Africa. Her mom literally had to lie and steal Sandra away from her grandmother.
From then on, her mother worked day and night to provide a stable life for Sandra. She was lucky enough to attend University in Kampala, but her mother could not find enough money to help her finish.
Every night, the two of us stay up late, talking about the differences between our worlds. She so longs to understand mine, and I hers. Sandra has taught me so much without even realizing it. She takes joy in the simplest things, like eating pizza, looking into a full length mirror. Although she has been a motherly figure for me here in Uganda, she has been an inspiration. She is always full of life and is ever curious. Without even trying, Sandra has really taught me to appreciate what I have. The first day here, we took a short walk to Lake Victoria from our house. On the way, we passed by tons of kids, many of whom I took pictures of. When we got home, we were looking through our photos. I pointed to one kid and laughed because this adorable little boy was wearing a shirt with a hole so big his whole stomach was hanging out! Sandra said in return "So many kids wear dirty, ripped shirts like that.. wouldn't it be nice if someone could give them a new shirt?" The next day, we marched down together and gave that little boy one of my tshirts.
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