making connections, etc. When the students first arrived at Amazima they were afraid to ask questions, believing if they did they would be caned or shamed. In addition to adapting to a completely new style of learning, the students bring with them the challenges of life outside of school. Several students are orphans, some are HIV positive, many have lost loved ones due to inefficient healthcare. Despite the adversity they continue to face outside of school, the children’s faces and hearts are full of kindness and compassion. We were able to attend a Thursday night gathering that the students lead. This experience still warms our hearts, because we were able to step into a moment of their lives and see how they celebrate what they do have and do not dwell in the past with all of the hurts go with it. This school is changing lives every day. Not only the lives of the students, but the families and local communities are seeing positive changes too. To say the least, we fell in love with this school, but especially with the students. They opened their hearts to us, and we did so likewise. Eating a lunch of traditional Ugandan food such as posho, g-nut sauce and greens with them daily, allowed us to become part of their community for at least a short time. By the time we left, we felt as though we were leaving a part of us there making our world seem a little smaller now. We left on Sunday, June 25 with hearts full – to nearly exploding. It was hard to walk away from these students, knowing that we would not be a daily part of their lives any more. Even though we promised to keep in touch, it would still never be the same as being right there with them. Tears welled up in our eyes, and our hearts were full, but breaking, as we drove away. The next chapter is being written as we embark on our partnership with this incredible school. We are honored to play a small role in helping to develop resources to aid in empowering these young leaders. We can only hope that our work can help these students to flourish and be strong voices in their community, nation and world. The best part is that this is just the beginning for these students and this school. We walked away from the trip with an abundance of gratitude to the people of Uganda, who were generous with their time, their limited resources and, most of all, their joy. We feel grateful that we had the privilege of experiencing life in a country where we stuck out as a minority with all eyes on us all the time, an opportunity that we value and carry with us. We feel grateful that students like Philip, Grace and Irene at Amazima are able to get a revolutionary education, setting them on a path to be future change makers in their country. We feel grateful to the teachers like Joanita who graciously answered our endless questions about the culture, history and politics of her people. We feel grateful to each other as we were part of this amazing adventure together and even took a chance and rode a boda boda. We are still writing the story, and we hope there is never an ending: instead a new chapter being written often. Thank you to Greensboro Day School and the Brooks Sabbatical for allowing us the opportunity to learn, grow and make many new friends. n Written by: Kathy Gillespie, 2016 Brooks Sabbatical Recipient, Middle School Learning Resource Specialist and Middle and Upper School Tutor Coordinator and Jenna Gilfillan, 6th grade Global Studies Teacher GDS Magazine | 33