Lydia meets USC's Cocky

Last night (Tuesday), Lydia and I went to the University of South Carolina Men’s Basketball game. They were playing Longwood, and even now, I am not sure where Longwood is from. There were very few people at the game, and it was not a close game (USC won), but we had a great time. It was very relaxing. Lydia said she had seen basketball before in movies, but she was more familiar with Ugandan girls playing netball. I think the two are similar, but I am not sure of the details of netball, so I hope to learn more about it when I return to Uganda this summer. I think one of Lydia’s favorite parts of the game last night was watching Cocky, the USC mascot, dance to the music during timeouts. I wanted Lydia to get a picture with Cocky, so during halftime, we walked down towards the court. As we got closer, I asked two men where Cocky was, and they replied that he was “eating chicken food.” I told them that Lydia was visiting from Uganda and I wanted to get a picture of them together, so they replied that he would be back out after halftime. We sat and waited, and soon after the 2nd half began, Cocky returned. He immediately walked over to us and made the motion for us to take the picture. I was able to get a great picture, and Cocky gave Lydia a big hug. It was a great moment, and I say this being a Clemson Tigers fan.

Today Lydia spoke at Ridge View’s Student Council meeting. Student Council will begin the planning and implementation of our spring service project for Invisible Children, so I wanted them to hear from Lydia. She was inspirational, and I think made a huge impact on the students. Several of them spoke to me after and mentioned how much they really enjoyed hearing what she had to say. One of the statements that she made: “Never say I’ve done enough.” I love this statement as it fits right into what I think is becoming my life philosophy. I also think the students really needed to hear that. She also encouraged them to continue to work hard for Invisible Children as it was improving the lives of so many people.

One of the students asked how Ugandan students compared to American students. Lydia replied that the students were more similar that she had expected. The big similarity was that both US and Ugandan students need to be motivated on a regular basis. In terms of differences, she mentioned that US students do not have to wear uniforms, Ridge View students express their opinions freely, are encouraged to research and discover their own answers and conclusions as well as having greater access to materials and technology.