A month ago today, I would have been on plane somewhere over Africa sitting beside a man from Chad who had to wake me up because I was sleep-tea drinking. Nothing wakes you up quite like pouring hot tea all over your sweet Ethiopian Air blanket. Tea-drinking aside (Ugandan tea, by the way, is absolutely delicious), my time in Uganda is still drastically affecting the way I live my life here. A good thing I hope. I feel like the stereotypical thing to mention is American affluence and the way we spend our money. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking differently about my money. Seeing how far American money goes in Uganda definitely changes how you view your expenses. An example, I went to home this past weekend to head to a wedding with my parents. Friday night we to Target (a crazy life I tell you) and I had to get a few things for my apartment. A bath mat for me is pretty necessary given how clumsy I am but I also got a surprise new Crock-pot. This was so exciting to me but at the same time twinged with bitter sweet. Its hard to think of buying things – even if they are useful and sometimes need- when I know that what I spend would go towards so much in Uganda. Clothes is an even harder battle. My mom loves to go shopping with me- its bonding even if we don’t buy anything but its made me think about where I put my money. Do I really put it where my passion lies or do I throw it away on things that won’t matter in 3 months.
But I digress, the money things have weighed on my mind surely but recently I have held a different focus. That focus? The blatant negativity of our American culture. Maybe its because I'm in grad school with 40 other people and school brings stress, but I can't help but notice how quick we are to whine and complain when truly we don't have much, if anything at all, to complain about. Maybe its because we're in the middle of a 40 hour class week that they appropriately call "an intensive." Either way, the circumstances don't always justify our negative attitudes. None of this is to say that I am perfect in keeping a positive attitude- far from it. Over the past few weeks, I have noticed how quick I am to complain, to be frustrated by circumstances that truly are not that bad. This happened the other day when people in my class were talking about getting rotation placements- complaining about not yet knowing, worrying about where they would be, being negative about the entire situation. I had to stop myself from echoing their sentiments because I am so prone to worry, but it struck me how commonplace it is to make those sorts of comments. Even driving I am so quick to get frustrated and complain about the car in front of me or the person checking out my groceries.
None of this is to say that we should be all happy go-lucky, pooping rainbows sort of culture because its completely unrealistic (and pretty annoying). But rather, that we (myself at the top of the list) need to re-evaluate our priorities in life and what we complain about. Sure it might be annoying or frustrating, but is it worth spending our time on? That answer is probably not. That time would be better spent doing something about it or even thinking about how blessed we are in our culture and what we can do for others with those blessings. Should we sit there and whine or move on and do something meaningful with that time, something to further our minds and our ability to serve others? Whenever I find myself slipping into a negative mindset I have to sit back and put myself in Uganda, surrounded by a beautiful country in so much need. I think of the sheer joy and positivity I experienced from the people. Even waiting for hours to see us, they were so grateful to see any sort of doctor and spend time with us. I think of the positivity I felt when I was there, the way I was encouraged in the midst of need because there is something we can do, ways we can help. So I challenge you to stop the complaining about silly little things and take in the moment, breathe, and be thankful.
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