Most of us strive to create positive change but rarely do we see our impact – why we do what we do – take shape in concrete ways. It is the reason I’ve decided to do this year in Rwanda and it is really the foundation for meaning in my life.
I was lucky enough to experience one of those magical moments this past weekend.
Unwilling to let go of our relaxing and food-filled vacation to Uganda and Kenya, M-C (another fellow) and I decided we wanted to go to Mille Colline in Kigali for Easter. Mille Colline is a high-end hotel (it is the controversial hotel that the movie ‘Hotel Rwanda’ is based on) with a pool and an amazing lunch buffet that had a special Easter brunch for the day.
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, as Cousins, each of our families has an intern who serves as a Big Brother or Sister. Interns are first-year graduates and this job opportunity is a transition from school to working or university. M-C suggested that we invite one of the interns, Mabubu, to come with us for the day.
Mabubu is an amazingly hard worker with the biggest heart. He is always striving to succeed and we always have a great time hanging out together. Over the first term we grew close with him and learned a bit more about his story. We knew that his mother lives very far and has not had a large presence in his life. He lives in Kigali with a former student so we wanted to make sure he had something to do on Easter.
Before arriving to the hotel, we suggested to Mabubu that he bring a swimsuit in case he wanted to go swimming. We had expected that he might not know how to swim but would want to give it a try. Upon his arrival, one of us asked, “have you swam before” to which he replied “I’ve never even seen a pool”. As one of those people who are quick to pick up on things, he began swimming on his own in a matter of minutes.
A bit later we decided it was time to eat. The Mille Colline buffet is a VERY exciting treat for us as Fellows, so we expected Mabubu would be pleasantly surprised. Very quietly and with a bit of hesitation, he entered the lunch area. Looking around, it became clear that he had never seen anything like it – for maybe 90 seconds he just took in the whole scene. He went around and looked over all the food - hummus, deviled eggs, lasagna, etc.
Having filled his plate a mile high, we asked him what his favorite food from the day was. He couldn’t come up with an answer - he just replied, “most of these are foods I could never even have imagined and they are all so delicious.” He then thanked us, expressing how lucky he felt to have such a great Easter. It’s funny because both M-C and I felt the day was SO much better having Mabubu there. While he was thanking us, I internally was also thanking him for making my day so special.
Later that evening, we received the most incredible message from Mabubu. It is hard to describe in words how a message like this can make a person feel. He let us know that it was the best Easter he ever had and that we are his family. But the best part of the note was when he said “I don’t know if it is one of your dreams, but please know that you have highly contributed to the wellbeing of one person today.” What a blessing that one line was for me – I’ll forever be grateful for that.
In some ways it’s ironic. We relentlessly work to develop programs, cultivate partnerships and build sustainable initiatives. Yet, in this case, just showing a little bit of love and spending the smallest amount of money was one of the best days in this incredible 20-year-olds life.
Disclaimer: I have asked permission to use all names and information described in this post.
