In daylights, in sunsets
In midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife
In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life?
RENT
Seasons of Love
Good question! I have been serving as a volunteer in Peace Corps Uganda for one year and as I'm feeling a bit reflective right now, I decided to look back at all the photos I've taken since I arrived on November 12, 2014. Oh my, there's a lot! But if I had to choose one single photo to represent my year, this would be the one.
Here's the story.
It was a stifling hot day in July. A soccer match between the teams from my
school, Kibingo, and another village school called Mamita, was taking
place on the pitch across from the college where I live. To be honest, I'm not much of a sports enthusiast, it was hot, I was tired and I didn't really want to go. But I'm glad I did.
When I got there all the students in my school were excitedly cheering, chanting, singing and even drumming for our team. While the other teachers found a shady spot to sit and watch, I wanted to be down on the field, in the mix of it all with the kids behind our goal. I walked into the crowd and that's when it happened. A group of giggling girls, grinning ear to ear, came running over to show me their simple elastic finger rings as if they were wearing dazzling diamonds. I oohed and ahhed, admiring their beautiful rings. I said, "Let's call them friendship rings." Next thing you know, I was given a dazzling friendship ring. I proudly slipped it on, we arranged our hands in a circle and...
So how do I measure a year in my Peace Corps life?
In smiles, in sharing
In friendships, in acts of kindness
In acceptance and in peace
In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
Measure, measure in moments held dear.
We won the game too!
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