Hope

Hope. Its something most people need to keep going on. The light at the end of the tunnel, if you will. i know that if it weren't for hope, I couldn't go on. I for one need to have hope that things will get better when they're not good. But for some people, I don't know how they can go on. Sometimes I don't see why some people can get hope.

On Friday, I woke up at the bright and early time of 5. I had to be at the train station (or as us Aussies ever-so-classily call it, the traino) by 6. I know it sounds weird, but I was excited for it. We were going to the city so we could raise money for Malawi. They don't have any clean water, so we were to stand in popular places in the city and shake cans, screaming our heart out, to get the money to build a well over there. It cost $500 to build a well, and 1500 people can survive off of it. It's literally $1 to save the lives of 3 people, and that it an amazing amount.

I'd been looking forward to the day for weeks, because I did it last year, and it was one of the greatest things I'd done. I woke up to rain, it was pouring. But I still grabbed my umbrella and left the house. As we were driving, I started to feel my fingers go numb from the cold- as you couldn't see anything. The streets were in complete darkness. It was a weird feeling. I hardly ever drive at night time, and when I do, its usually because I'm going to the airport.

We arrived at the city around 7am, and were greeted by a large, busy crowd. The reason we had left so early was to catch the incredible flow of people going to work. So there we stood, around 20 girls in the pouring rain, screaming for money to build wells.

You'd think that we'd be greeted nicely, with people happy to give money, and gaining some sort of hope from us. But no, that didn't happen. I was happy with the people who did give money, but to most of them it looked like a chore. In fact, we were told to be "quiet" by numerous people, who were on the phones walking past. We weren't even yelling directly at them, but at the swarms of people passing us. We had people telling us that the people of Malawi should just 'get off their asses and do it themselves". The most horrible of comments I received came from a young group of men. The were smoking and, to be quite honest, looks quite drunk. as they walked past me, one of the drunken men turn to the group and remarked "if I had any change, I'd buy her for the night."

I'm not meaning to sound depressed, because there were alot of people in the couple of hours that we were there who gladly donated. I had a man from the water corp who talked to me nicely for a couple of minutes, then gave $20 in. But, over all, I was appalled by the lack of kindness in my home town. I was thinking that this event, like it did last would, would give me hope. But instead it took my hope away.

We got back to school for 3rd Period, and were ushered into our auditorium. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I sat down with my Best Friend, ready for what was coming.

We were greeted with pounding African music, and straight away a group of young African children, none of whom were older than about 12, running on stage. they started dancing and singing. Their smiling and joyful faces illuminated. not a single person in the room was left without a smile themselves.

After the song was finished, one of them started speaking in broken up English. It was obvious that this was not her first language, but she was trying and succeeding at speaking it.

I will never forget her story. She revealed to us all, that herself- along with all the other children one the stage- were orphans to AIDS. Her parents had died when she was a baby, and she had been an orphan ever since. But now, the group of child are happy to travel the world, singing about god, because with the chorus they were given a "family'.

Tears were running down my face, my makeup was complete smudged, but I didn't care. though I myself am a strong non-believer, what she was saying reminded me of what was pure and good in the world. This little girl gave me hope.

I didn't get a chance to talk to her, or to talk her for what she had done to help me. But now I know that humans aren't always bad. Some days that weather put people in a bad mood, sometimes it personal problems- but this girl reminded me that theres some people with much bigger problems that i will ever have to face.

If she could stand in front of a group of teenagers and tell her story, still happy for the life that she has been blessed with, then there is no reason i can't be happen with what I have. My life is wonderful, and I love it- even if it took a chorus full of orphans to teach me that.