While Thursday was filled with plenty of meaningful experiences, my favorite part of the day was our return to Holy Cross Lakeview Secondary School to play sports with the students. We started our field day throwing around an American football, teaching the students the technique of how to hold and throw the football. After doing that for a short while, we transitioned to Ugandan football, or as we Americans know it, soccer. To say the least, the members of Lakeview are incredibly good at football and I was admittedly a bit intimidated. We joined the faculty team and played some of the students.
While football was clearly not my game, I had such an incredible time playing with my Ugandan friends. They were incredibly welcoming and encouraging despite my lack of ability. I felt like in a lot of ways this game was representative of our experience here. While in many ways I am a stranger here and a stranger to the game of football, I could not have felt more at home playing alongside these guys. For our entire stay I have felt welcomed and celebrated. And when I scored the winning goal of our football match, I was certainly made to feel celebrated. In just a single 90 minute match, I had an experience that I will forever remember as a symbol of what these people have come to mean to me. For that, I will be forever grateful.
Anthony Giuliano