Saturday, July 28, 2012

A Ray of Sunshine in the Midst of Sorrow

As I've said before, medical days are my favorite days. 


The experiences on those days can be hard. It's frustrating to see the sorrow and suffering  of those who have leprosy. I want to be able to change the way society views the disease. I want to be able to give them all the love in the world and let them know they are important. 


It's easy to get depressed while experiencing such tragedy. 


When the mood is heavy I am grateful to have someone who always brightens the day. 


Anan is our bus driver on medical days. He has become a close friend of mine. 



He has a talent of making everyone around him feel special. 

It could be his smile, maybe his steady laugh or just the way he says all of our names in his thick accent. 

Or it could be the fact that his favorite song is 'Who Let the Dogs Out'.  



In case you are unfamiliar - Who Let the Dogs Out Music Video

He is really good at making animal sounds. While we are driving he sometimes surprises us trying to make us think either a duck or cow is in the bus with us. 



He makes sure everyone is accounted for and he always looks out for us. 

In Poducherry he was our guardian angel. My roommates and I were looking for the Bizarre but we kept getting lost. Every time we needed help, out of nowhere Anan would appear. It was so nice to hear him yell "Hi Sarah" from across the street and come over to help us find our way. 



Even when we tell him to drive like a race car driver, he is a safe driver. That's saying something for the way people drive here- on the wrong side of the road, swerving in and out and honking at everything. 



Anan has picked up a few English sayings like 'bless you' when someone sneezes and 'sharing is caring'. He buys a bag of cookies everyday and while driving us back to Rising Star he will pull them out, say 'sharing is caring' and pass them around the van. 

He is happy making all of us happy. 



It also seems like he knows everyone. When we are discouraged or unsure of what to do he always tells us, "Don't worry, I know a guy." He does. He knows many 'guys'. There is something about him that just attracts people. 

I absolutely love being around him. I can't help but smile. He has such a positive outlook on life in a place where there is little. It's the simple things that make life whole.




I know I will always remember this new friend of mine, but I hope I never forget the way he made me feel. He sees something special in everyone because there is something special in him. 

If I can only take one thing back from this experience, I want to remember to treat everyone around me the way Anan treats people.

A good friend is a treasure. Being a good friend is a talent. 










1 comment:

  1. Awesome. I love people like that. Believe it or not Sarah, you are one of them as well.

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