Memoirous

Update to My Update: What Would Happen A few weeks back I told the story of Ted who traveled to Africa—a trip arranged by a Sudanese Lost Boy that Ted helped out by sending money to when Lual Pach Pach was in a refugee camp. Some would have thought that that would be the end of the story. But a relationship developed and finally Lual was in a position to properly repay Ted for all his help. America has a tradition of honoring people say with a trophy or Golden Globe or a plaque or silver punch bowl—but in Africa honoring a person, especially one you owe your life to, is an elaborate affair. The pic I posted earlier (and now again) only shows a fraction of what happened the day Ted arrived. He was greeted at the airport and draped with a heavy beaded Sudanese cape. He was also given 2 sticks, one with feathers (also part of their tradition) and then photographed with Lual’s immediate family. Lual had rented a shuttle bus to get them all across town where the rest of...

In a blog post titled What Would Happen I told the story of a man in my building who took a huge risk: He reached out to a refuge. Now this refugee could have sucked the life out of my friend. I mean, how many times do you get spam emails asking for money to be sent to the bank account of a Nigerian prince. It happens so often we have jokes about Nigerian princes. How many times have our friend's accounts been hacked and we receive a desperate email saying they were robbed in Paris and need just enough money to get home and please send to  . . . We're all jaded enough that our immediate response is disbelief. Why in the world would we be so foolish to actually help someone. Overseas. In a refugee camp. Poor. Basically unable to ever pay us back. That's why when my friend Ted decided to write the young man back and begin a dialogue with him that the world seemed to stop on its hinges. The young man was a refugee from the wars in Sudan. A lost boy stuck in a camp in Ke...