Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 337

"Some old man suggested we climb a tree. We thought he was...

"Some old man suggested we climb a tree. We thought he was crazy, but we found two fruits up there. One was really big, and the other was small. So we ate the big one right away, just in case anyone in the village asked us to share."

(Jinja, Uganda)

"What’s the most important thing your dad has ever taught...

"What’s the most important thing your dad has ever taught you?"
"If someone hurts your feelings, don’t worry, because that person will also have a turn to get their feelings hurt. And also, you should never undermine people or make them feel unimportant. And also, if you drop out of school, he won’t deal with you anymore."

(Kampala, Uganda

"My mother and I did not have a good relationship, but we grew...

"My mother and I did not have a good relationship, but we grew much closer after my daughter was born. Because I had no idea what I was doing. When the baby was born three months early, my mom slept at the hospital with her."

(Kampala, Uganda)

"They sometimes ask me about their grandmother, and I only tell...

"They sometimes ask me about their grandmother, and I only tell them about the good times. I don’t want to worry them with all the things my mother and I had to go through when I was growing up."
"What’s your fondest memory of your mother?”
"We were so poor that every day she’d have to go out and try to find us some food. And on the days when she came home empty handed, she’d help us forget our hunger by putting on music and dancing for us."

(Jinja, Uganda)

"My brother and I got in a fight, and now he can’t get a...

"My brother and I got in a fight, and now he can’t get a job. So he’s actually convinced I put a voodoo spell on him."

(Kampala, Uganda)

"The landlord doesn’t care how much furniture you’ve...

"The landlord doesn’t care how much furniture you’ve sold this month."

(Kampala, Uganda)

"A few days before she died, my mom called us all together and...

"A few days before she died, my mom called us all together and told us that she’d had a dream. She said that she dreamed she had died, and that she met my dad in heaven. She begged my dad to let her stay with him, but he told her: ‘You have to go back. Or there will be nobody to raise our kids.’ Three days later she got a very bad ache in her stomach, and we rushed her to the hospital. She lived for about a week, but she was unconscious the entire time. It was Christmas time, so on Christmas Eve I went and sat by her bed. At one point she sat up, opened her eyes, and looked right at me. I said: ‘Mom! Mom! Mom!’ But she laid back down, closed her eyes, and never opened them again.”

(Jinja, Uganda)

"What’s your greatest struggle as a teacher?""I have to be...

"What’s your greatest struggle as a teacher?"
"I have to be strict to help them improve. But if I’m strict, they think I’m against them."

(Kampala, Uganda)

"Who’s the better player?""I am. He’s too scared to...

"Who’s the better player?"
"I am. He’s too scared to sacrifice his pieces. He hasn’t learned that sometimes you need to lose two to gain three."

(Kampala, Uganda)

"Do you remember the proudest you’ve ever felt of your...

"Do you remember the proudest you’ve ever felt of your daughter?"
"At church one Sunday, the preacher was giving a sermon about nonviolence. Afterwards we were walking home, and she saw another child getting hit by her mother. She tugged on my sleeve, and said: ‘Mom, the preacher said not to do that.’"

(Kampala, Uganda)