An Afternoon with Gedeo

A few weeks ago, I was talking with someone that works in the village about completing projects. He was saying to me that the kids are only here for 4 years and we want to make those the best years with as many opportunities as possible. I like this mentality…it has helped to build an amazing village with many opportunities for all the kids. The administration is also open to new ideas and likes when different people bring ways to improve the village. This idea has also been a challenge for me when it comes to balancing my life here. There’s so many projects that I want to accomplish while I’m here and I’m enjoying the learning process that I’m going through to gain all this new knowledge.

The problem is that I think that sometimes I’m not feeling well but I continue to work and then realize later that my head has been hurting all day. I know now that I need some rest. I was in Kigali this past weekend and planning to leave early Monday morning and when I woke up, I really didn’t feel well. I decided to stay in Kigali to rest at a friend’s house. It was nice to decide to take the time to just rest. It’s not easy for me, I enjoy to stay busy…I think I take after my father on this one. It’s a good thing I wasn’t in the village because I would surely make my way to the farm like I had been doing for the past 2 weeks while I was sick.

While I was in bed at my friend’s house, we got a visit from Gedeo…a 3 year old little boy that I swear is a 30 year old in the body of this young boy. I have gotten to know Gedeo very well. He usually pays a visit to my friend while I’m there. You never know when we’ll show up. He’ll come at anytime during the day. Gedeo lives differently than most kids that I know his age. He is completely free. We just does what we wants. You see him roaming the streets. My friend even saw him standing outside a neighbor’s party with a big chicken leg in his mouth one day. From what my friend has gathered from talking to him (and once you get him talking, he just doesn’t stop) he comes from a very poor family. His mother has told him that his father is in jail. While most kids his age in the US would be taking a nap, he is roaming the streets looking for food or something to use as a toy. Whenever I see him, I always insist that we give him a bath. My friend usually gives him something to eat. He told us that the only time that he ever gets milk is when he comes over…I think it’s one of the reasons he loves to come and the fact that he is taken care of.

There are many kids here with the same story as Gedeo…it’s very sad to see firsthand. What makes us want to help him when there are many kids in his situation? This is very easy, he’s a special kid. Whenever he’s over he’ll sit and talk to you for hours…about anything. When I say anything, I mean anything. My friend had a conversation with him about the upcoming elections and thoughts about Rwanda. Each day he comes with his aspirations for the future and his current thoughts. When he came to visit yesterday, he told us that he got a job being a security guard for the neighbor’s car. He promised to buy my friend a Primus (my friend’s favorite beer…my friend had no idea how he knew he liked Primus) with his first paycheck. We also get crazy stories from him that can go on for hours. I always tell my friend that he’s changing this boy’s life. He has become his friend, has taught him to say thank you, and washes him up.

Meeting kids like Gedeo really puts life into perspective and helps me to appreciate how I was raised.