Onziga Hillary

October 7, 2009 

Due to some other things happening in life I was pretty absent-minded this morning at work. I think I only recorded and maybe took a couple of films, but was very preoccupied in my thought process. I was able to talk more with HIllary, though, which was really cool. I shared with him how my dream job would be to travel the world and interview healthcare workers in different areas, economic situations and cultures, and then write about their hardships or accomplishments. After telling him that I asked if I could start with him? Could I interview him now? He said yes, and we began.

His name is Onziga Hillary and is part of a family of 25 children, though seven have deceased. His father was a polygamist which afforded him to have many siblings. His surname means from ‘ugliness’ comes beauty. He is 40 years old and postures himself in a dignified way, as he fixes his gaze on the future or on a far away place. Though he is a very good radiographer and is going for his Masters now, there is something of a dreamer held up in him as well. He loves research and would love to learn more about quality management, especially in developing countries. Hillary hails from the West Nile region of Uganda, specifically in Arua, which means “to be in jail.” His region of origin implanted in him a very strong love for eating fish. He feasts on it at least five times a week and it is as natural as breathing for him. He has a mind chalked full of not only medical knowledge (which will serve him well in the classes he has to take for his master’s) but also with history of Uganda. He is a learned man, with a great sense of humor, an aptitude for striking up conversations and a deep compassion for people. I really have enjoyed getting to know him and hope that those dreams become realizations for him.