Happiness -by Yvonne Kreft

When applying for a scholarship one of the questions I had to answer was “What is your definition of happiness?” Considering this was a scholarship offered by a bank they were most likely expecting an answer saying something to the extent of ‘having all the money in the world,’ or ‘not having to stress over unpaid bills,’ or, ‘having money to travel all over the world.’ But the first thing that came to my mind when I read that question was the happiness I saw and experienced while I was volunteering at the Sunrise of Life residential centre. I remember seeing those bright white smiles, hearing those happy little giggles, and feeling those thankful hugs. All of these children I would have defined as happy in those moments and ironically they did not have any money to their name. They were happy to be alive, happy to receive second hand donations, happy to have the privilege of going to school and having a place to live. These children did not need money to be happy, all they needed was encouragement, love and hope. 

Some of these happy moments that particularly stand out to me are:
When I arrived at the centre and we were going through the two hockey bags of donations I was privileged to bring. Mama Vumi was busy sorting the clothes according to size and the children were eagerly waiting for their turn to be called into the office. As soon as it was their turn they would race in with a smile full of excitement. They would look at the clothes mama held up, quickly try it on, claim that it was the best thing ever and that it fit perfect (even if it didn’t) and then race out of the office to show the other children. 
Another time that I remember feeling and seeing what I would define as happiness was when we were having our goodbye celebration. Another volunteer and I had bought sodas and ice-cream and we were determined to teach the children how to make a float. They thought it was the weirdest thing ever but they still tried it and the majority of them liked it. It was a night to remember, the energy and excitement (maybe from the sugar) was at an all-time high. The kids demonstrated their breakdancing skills, and then tried to teach me some moves (which was pretty unsuccessful because apparently I don’t do the windmill shoulder spin very well at all).
Doing street outreach was another time that I was able to experience and witness happiness and thankfulness. We bought 15 loaves of bread and we distributed them to many of the street children in Arusha. Many of them were so hungry they ate a whole loaf in a matter of minutes. Some of them chose to eat a few slices and save the rest for later, but most of them ate it on the spot because they were worried other youth would try to steal it from them. Seeing these youth and their appreciation for what we were doing was humbling. Why are we not happy when we have so much, we have everything we need to survive, but yet we still grumble about not having enough. When will we be satisfied with what we have? When will we realize how good we have it? I think for me I had to experience it first hand to truly understand how privileged I am, and how happy and thankful I should be. This only shows how true the saying of this unknown author is “The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.”
I could go on and on about the many moments of happiness I experienced while at the centre but I think I have proved my side of the argument. Obviously my answer to the question “What is your definition of happiness” was not what the bank was looking for, because I never did receive the scholarship. But I believe I was able to experience something that money cannot buy and for that I will be forever grateful. 

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