SIMON!

Let me tell you about Simon... He is my new best friend. I had noticed this kid around before... how could I not? Look at that as the Ugandans would call it "smart jacket". He is always wearing it! He looks like a little man and is so funny. He reminds me of Dante a little bit with his facial expressions and when he is pretending to flirt with the girls and what not. He is 9 years old and the coolest kid. I learned a little bit about his background and it is heartbreaking. 

Simon comes from a very abusive home, his father used to beat him and his siblings very badly. CFAI found them and came to their aid. He is one of the children that CFAI (they are our partner in building the clinic in Bunabuyoka) has kind of taken in as their own. He lives at the bottom of the mountain now with his siblings and mother and his father is not around. Everyday Simon walks 3 miles up what you all know I like to call the hell hill just to go to school. He is a very dedicated student. His teacher, Jared (aka attractive teacher), told me he is one of the best in the class. He came up to me one night and pulled on my arm after we had been working all day and shyly whispered that he was hungry. It was heartbreaking. I literally had no food because we eat what the village feeds us. A little while later the men were eating posho and I tried to get Simon to go get some but he told me they said no. So I walked him over hand in hand and used my mzungu skills to get him a plate. I wish everything was that easy! 

When I asked Simon what he wanted to be when he grew up he said a pilot! He wants to be able to fly to America someday. Children here often don't have very lofty goals for themselves. They don't dream of what they want to become because- in all reality it probably won't happen. School fees are out of control. It is more expensive to go to university here than BYU tuition is. These people just don't have the money. Even high school in about $200 a term! The government doesn't sponsor schools so the kids have to basically pay the teachers. I am so happy that Simon has a dream! I really hope he does it!

I wish I had one of those little kids airplane wings that I could pin on his little man jacket and I can just envision his Lifetime movie now... He keeps the future pilot pin his whole life as inspiration to become a real life pilot and then one day when his dreams come true he flies to America as promised and comes to visit me! Ha if only it were so easy!!

I have also decided that he is going to marry Hailey (my niece). I even showed him a picture of her and he obviously didn't understand what I was saying but just kind of laughed... I think they would be perfect! 

Oh yeh best part is... he remembers my name! Ugandans as a whole STRUGGLE with my name. They just can't say it! Well Simon calls me lex! and he came up with it all on his own! Ok it is more like "lak" but we are working on it :) . It is the cutest thing ever! When we are carrying sand up a mountain or passing bricks to build the clinic he is always eager to stand right next to me. These kids are SO strong! Where we struggle lifting the sand and carrying it to the next person in our line to the top of the mountain they practically run it! We literally couldn't build the clinic without their help! They are our best helpers! and are eager for the results!

Moral of the story- I love this kid. I'm grateful for the opportunity to meet such a strong little boy who still has a dream even after such a rough life at just age 9. If he can do it, I can do it.