Maria Davenport
Dr. Moeller/Dr. Davis
My Brothers and Sisters in Africa (An interaction)
February 1, 2012
Two People - One Passion
As I find myself at the Fairfield’s Orphanage in Old Mutare, Zimbabwe, I smile at the sight of a
four legged tail wagging golden yellow dog. Having always wanted to be a veterinarian I remark
in my head all of the characteristics that are visibly notable; white teeth, healthy gums, a tad
underweight, recently delivered puppies and a small puncture wound in the rear leg. I gesture to
the dog and she walks over shyly, but when I gently stroke her itchy bag she looks at me with
trust and contentment.
A few minutes later, Honey, trots over to lick some crumbs off the floor and then a seven year
old girl walks over and licks the drool off the floor. When I question her she describes that she is
thirsty and thought the drool might quench her. We start chatting and she says that she loves their
guard dog and hopes to help Honey be healthy. She says she wants to help lots of animals when
she grows up. I smile and tell her that I want to do the same! She sits on my lap and tells me that
she loves finding bugs and enjoys reading a book about elephants she has in her house. To be
perfectly honest, I don’t really know what to think because I do not know if there are very many
veterinarians in Zimbabwe or if there are any female ones at that. I wouldn’t imagine there are
any laws against this but I am not certain. I do not even know if there is a veterinary school in the
area and if there is, if it is terribly expensive.
When I tell her I want to be a veterinarian she asks me what that is and I describe that it is
someone who takes care of animals, just like a medical doctor takes care of people. She seems to
understand completely and wants to know more. We are interrupted by a wagging tail and realize
Honey wants some more attention! I lean over and scratch her behind the ears; I can’t say I have
ever relished in an ear rub but nearly every dog I come across loves it. Then the girl crawls onto
the floor and pulls my hair and says “I have a secret…do you want to know Honey’s secret tickle
spot?!” I giggle and say “Of course!” She points to a location on Honey’s belly and starts to
scratch it; Honey starts smiling and races her leg back and forth and aid in the scratching. The
girl repeats “This is her tickle spot, I found it, I found it!” Honey started kissing the young child
and she said “This is why I want to be a medicarian!” I thought to myself, well I can see why
even though she’s got the word a bit confused”. The look in her eyes reminded me of when I was
her age.
Many people dismiss children when they say they want to be a veterinarian because the chances
of getting there are so low, but I know what it’s like and I can only have faith that she will
succeed in her dreams. In the middle of our conversation I ask her for her name and she told me
but even after she repeated it twice I couldn’t understand it, so I really do not know. I don’t think
she knew my name either; but that doesn’t matter, we both have a common interest and goal. For
that minute in time we both felt so inspired by each other and nothing else seemed to matter. The
two of us seem to be complete opposites; she lives in Zimbabwe in an orphanage. Her shirt was
torn and stained, my fresh Wofford T-shirt just reminded me of how spoiled I felt. She has no
hair because of school rules to keep it trimmed; I have long brown hair that she loved to play
with. My tennis shoes are new and clean and she doesn’t even have any shoes on. I am coming
home to America in two weeks and plan on going back to my expensive university where I
intend to eat diverse foods and see my family. She has no university. She has only enough food
to get by. And her family is simply anyone that is at The Fairfield Orphanage. Despite all these
differences I cannot help but fall in love with her smiling spirit. Our common love for animals
helped us bond in a situation where we might have had nothing to talk about otherwise.
We continue chatting about dogs and all of the sudden a boy kicks a round, dirty soccer ball
directly at Honey. Honey was startled but thought it was a game so she lifted her two front feet
and barked with excitement trying to get the ball back. At first this looked like a fun innocent
soccer game amongst species, later I realize that the game is really one to annoy the dog so she
will leave. My new friend tells me that some of the children are afraid of Honey and try to pester
her; I cannot help but feel upset. As a white, adult stranger, I don’t feel like it is in my right to
stop the boys, but when an animal is in danger I can’t help myself. Fortunately for me, my new
friend went and yelled at the boys and told them to stop. I was so thrilled she was able to
effectively handle the situation on her own.
I sincerely hope that this young girl is able to follow her passions and explore the world she so
desperately wants to learn about. I hope she is blessed with love, happiness, and health. I hope
maybe we can meet again someday, although considering we don’t know each other’s names, it
seems impossible. The biggest obstacle for me to gain entrance into veterinary school is just
three letters: Grade Point Average. Everything for her is an obstacle but she says she is willing to
face it and I hope she does. Despite living in what seems like two different worlds we bonded
over a simple surprising interest and passion, and I am forever grateful for the lessons this child
taught me.