قسر الغربة ،،، و إبداعات الأبناء ،،،

Quote: Makkawi Makkawi An Epiphany from Lunch Money It was an ordinary Monday morning in Sudan, and as usual, I woke up late. As I rushed out of the house to my bus, I remembered I didn’t get my lunch money from my mom. I ran back home even faster, to find my mom waiting outside with the money in her hand. I snatched it and sprinted back towards the bus. I reached the bus stop right on time, got aboard the bus, and was on my way to school, and, not to my knowledge, a life changing experience. After I got off the bus, an old man in a dirty, ripped-up julbab with a shoe on one foot and a sandal on the other confronted me. The old man approached me and asked for money. At first, I thought I was getting scammed because, living in Denver practically my whole life, it was a new experience. I paused for a minute and thought to myself: should I give the lunch money that almost caused me to miss the bus or should I not? Somehow, my mind was able to overcome my grumbling stomach and forced my hand to reach into my pocket, grab the money, and hand it to him. At first I was thinking to myself, even though I know I did the right thing, was it worth being hungry for the whole day. After all, what carries a human being is not their legs but rather their stomach. While I doubted myself, I looked at the old man and saw an enormous gleam in his eyes, an unbelievable happiness, all over a small amount of money. After witnessing that, I did not doubt myself for acting correctly and I actually felt content that I was able to help one unfortunate individual. During lunchtime, instead of enjoying my time, I sat down by myself and thought about people like the old man. It is unfair that there are so many of these people wandering the streets both during the day and night with no place to go. It is unfair that these people and their kids have had to adapt to rough changes just because there is no one lending them a helping hand. Although I come from a family with many financial hardships myself, compared to the old man and others like him, I am very fortunate; something I would have never realized if not for this experience. I realized that Sudan’s corrupt government was not doing anything to help these individuals. So it is up to the next generation to fix these social issues that are not only plaguing third world countries like Sudan, but also prevalent in many first world countries. If I want to help these individuals, I have to help myself first by succeeding in school and maximizing my future. A goal without a plan is simply a wish, so in order to fulfill my plan I am committed to doing the best I can in school because as Benjamin Franklin once said, “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” By succeeding in my academics, I realize I will be one of the individuals able to give back to the world and help these people living in this cruel reality.