Consuming Pearls

I found a consistency in the humor of how it always played out. What changed were the different smiles and soul connections along the way, but their eyes—

their eyes were always gleaming.

At a certain point, I became known as the being with the magic metallic mirror—the one with the ability to capture their gleaming, consuming pearls forever in time. They are stoic, serious, unwavering. Left unseen are the moments before and after, the process. I crouched, contorting my body to evoke a position where the greatest number of ecstatically curious pearls could gaze into the polished glass. The turning of the screen. The eruption of joy—laughter, cheers.

They were finally made seen.

——

We invite you to explore our experiences documented here while building lasting relationships and experiences with small, remote schools (Kyibumba Nursery School, Katarara Primary School, Mgahinga Primary School) in the Kisoro district of Uganda during the summer of 2016.