At the Montezuma Conference, they had these amazing students, from all over the world, who were running the hotel and dorms at the workshop. Abuu from (can’t remember where in Africa) was amazing, and when I said something about his being very intelligent to get accepted to the United World College high school, he informed that he was “not so smart. There are lots of reason kids get in here. For me, everyone in my country takes a test, and you only have to score in the top 100 to get to apply to UWC. I am not so smart.” :-) Really Abuu? You are amazing!
But FATIMA won my heart.
This does not really have to do with my adoption journey, but I have had a discouraging week of telemarketers calling my adoption phoneline, and a very angry man who wanted to make sure I knew what a horrible person I am. Sooooooo… I need to refocus on the positive and amazing lesson Fatima taught me. If you need a pick me up, read on.
Fatima is a young lady from Afghanistan who is studying high school in America. It is difficult to communicate with her family because they are in one of the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan. She mentioned that last year it was difficult to focus on schooolwork because she was always crying, wondering if her family was still alive. Okay… that alone puts dealing with a grumpy guy in perspective. My life rocks!
Anyway, Fatima wants to get her education and then return to Afghanistan so she can help improve her country. She said, “I must go back because I cannot expect anyone to care about my country. I can’t ask anyone to do anything if I am not willing to do it for my own country.” My friend Maureen mentioned that her son Ben, a Marine officer, just returned from Afghanistan, and Fatima acknowledged that they depend on the soldiers to keep things from getting worse and to keep the negative forces from regaining control, but that they really could not do anything to make things better. Improvement, she said, had to happen from the Afghan people themselves. This very brave young woman said, “I could be killed when I go back, but I have to try to make it better. Who else will do it if I don’t?” Wow! I wish I could say I were as selfless as she!
Then, Fatima really spoke to my students when she said, “Kids can do so much. They just have to believe they can make a difference. You have to have confidence that you can do something.” She speaks from experience. The International Baccalaureate students must complete 50 hours each of community service, action, and creativity as part of their schooling programme (150 hours each year!). Fatima did this even before she was required for IB. At only 17 years old, she organized a medical evacuation for 40 critically injured or medically fragile Afghan children. I won’t get all the details exact, but basically, this young girl found funding and helped organize transportation and medical aid so that 40 children, who would have otherwise died, could come to the United States for medical treatment that was unavailable to them in their country.
We are very blessed to have great medical facilities, and there were many doctors and private citizens who helped to save 40 lives. What they have in common is Fatima, a young girl herself, who is willing to risk her life to improve and extend the lives of total strangers. Whatever your political beliefs (and aren’t we so blessed to be able to all have such varied and individual opinions?) you must feel better knowing that there are Fatima’s out there, ready to lead our world into the future. She lives in the midst of one of the most hopeless situations imaginable, yet she continues to hope and continues to do what she can to make the world a better place.
So… my connecting thought… No matter how hopeless or discouraging a situation may be for you right now, take a lesson from Fatima: go forward confidently, doing whatever you can to make things better. THERE IS HOPE!
(And as @Pauley Perrette from #NCIS says, “don’t let the turkeys get you down!”)
