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October 5-16, 2015: Going back home.

The past few weeks could not have been better for Erik. Playing on PADZ streetball team had its advantages. He got paid for every event he did, he played in stadiums, gyms, and outdoor courts that were packed with people, and most importantly, he got to play basketball, which seemed a lot better than what some other players were doing. Through the games, PADZ was also taking a liking to the attention the Erik was bringing. They even said that if he had an interesting rookie season then they will consider him being a PADZ athlete. Everything was going great, until Erik received a letter from Kampala, Uganda. It was a request from the AfroBasket association to hold a charity event with Erik. Erik was honored to go, but he was still on the PADZ team and they were getting ready for a tournament. Erik was very confused and had to make a choice fast. In the end, Erik decided to travel to Uganda and organize the charity event. And as Erik prepared for his trip, he kept wondering if truly made the right choice.

After a long two days of travel, Erik and Shandra finally made it to Kampala, Uganda. The trip had exhausted them both, but seeing the trees and fields of grass was a very comforting site.

"You were born here, and ya left?" Said Shandra. "....why?"

Erik took in a deep breath and said. "It's a beautiful place, but once you live here, you find out how dangerous some parts can be....that's what my father told me."

After a few hours of driving, the two finally reached Kampala, Uganda's capital city. Stepping out of the car, the first thing Erik could see were a few tall buildings and furs of all kinds walking through not so populated sidewalks.

"It almost feel like New York...but....not really." Said Shandra as she surveyed the area.

"Alright." Said Erik getting back to business. "Which building is the meeting at?"

Shandra glanced at her phone for a moment then pointed to a black colored, 12 story building to her right.

"Dat should be de place." She answered. The two then walked over.

As they approached the building, Erik could see something in the corner of his eye that immediately caught his attention. It was a small lion cub wearing a PADZ shirt and ripped pants picking up bottles in the street. Erik then stopped his walking pace and headed straight for the cub. As he approached, the small cub seemed worried.

"Hello?" Erik said.

The lion didn't answer and just stared at Erik. Erik then tried speaking in Swahili.

"Hello there young cub. What are you doing all alone in the streets?" He said in Swahili.

The cub then seemed more relaxed.

"My mother wants me to collect these bottles so we can use them to get more water." He said.

Erik thought for a moment and then said. "You are a street child, correct?"

The young lion slowly nodded his head yes. Erik then reached in his pocket and then gave the young cub a 20 dollar bill. The cub's eyes were widened as he was shocked to see the American money being handed to him.

"Here. Go get your mother some clean water, okay?"

The lion then took the money and nodded his head yes with a smile. He then turned around and ran inside a store. Erik took a moment to realize the PADZ shirt he was wearing.

"Aw. I'm glad I got that." Said Shandra standing behind Erik. Erik then looked and saw Shandra with her phone out. She was taking pictures of the whole thing.

"What are you doing?" Said Erik.

"Creating your image mista Kijani." Said Shandra. "De people here need ta know dat you care for dem and dis picture will help."

Erik chuckled a little bit and said. "Come on. Let's go."

Once the two stepped inside, they were led all the way to the top floor and into an office building. They were constantly offered drinks and refreshments, but Erik ignored them all. Shandra had a bottle of water and some bread. When they entered the office, the two were immediately greeted by a brown grizzly bear in a dark suit. His warm smile and the strange pattern on his glasses made Erik feel more comfortable. He then reached out his paw for a handshake.

"Ah, a pleasure to meet you Erik Kijani." He said with his deep voice.

Erik shook his paw and smiled a bit.

"My name is Gonza Akia. I am the president of the Ugandan basketball team. Please sit."

Erik and Shandra sat down in front of his desk and Gonza gradually joined them.

"I must say that it is truly an honor to have you here in our...well, this is also your home country as well." He said while sitting down. "And congratulations on the FBA draft."

"Yep. Been workin' on it for all his life." Said Shandra. "Still dis strike be causin a ruckus and all sorts a mess."

"Yes, well, that was another reason why we thought it would be a good time to call you down here. I hope we didn't cause you any trouble?" Said Gonza.

Erik paused for a moment but then just said: "No, it's fine. I'm glad I could be here."

"Well, that is good to hear. Alright then, straight to business. I'm sure you have heard of this World Jam tournament right?"

Erik nodded his head yes.

"Well, we were going to enter players for the tournament....but we had zero volunteers. They said we don't pay them enough to enter a world tournament. We also had barely any fan support...I guess I can not blame them...I will be honest with you Erik, we are a struggling team and a struggling league. We've never even won and AfroBasket championship."

"I'm sorry to hear that sir....but, how can I help?" Asked Erik.

"We want you to help support the team and the League as we run this charity for less fortunate students. A great sum of the money will go to the district. I don't know if you know this, but I am positive that every TV in Uganda was on during the FBA draft. The people here...they see you as a beacon of hope. If a proud Ugandan player can make the FBA, then we must live in a proud country my friend."

Gonza had a big smile on his face as he told Erik this story. Erik was just in awe. He had no idea what his accomplishments meant for his country, but nevertheless, he was proud to have that kind of support.

After their talk, Erik and Gonza were able to schedule three back to back events. On Tuesday, Erik spent the whole day visiting the nearby schools and met all the teachers and young students. It was a great turnout and all the children wanted pictures and autographs and questions answered and all Erik could do was laugh and smile with his new popularity. He felt like a real superstar. On Wednesday, Erik has able to borrow a school gym and have some kids play basketball, soccer, and other sports. It soon grew to the point where anyone who could donate a little sum of cash could come over and play with Erik. There was also a little one-on-one tournament to see if anyone could beat Erik, but alas, it was a young wolf cub that was only one to beat Erik. On Thursday, the last day, Erik teamed up with the Ugandan basketball team to have a charity game. It was sold out immediately and Erik truly put on a show with 20 points and 10 assist.

As Friday came along, Erik was already packing and getting ready to go, but Gonza wanted to talk with Erik one last time. As Erik went to his office, Gonza had told him that the charity had reached a total of over 500,000 US dollars. At first, Erik was pleased, but then, Gonza gave Erik an envelope. Erik opened it and was surprised to see 200,000 dollars in it. Gonza explained that it was meant as a gift for his services. Erik then asked where the rest of the money was going. Gonza calmly explained that the school district will only receive 5,000 dollars and that the rest will go towards the Ugandan basketball team. Erik was furious and said he wouldn't accept the money and demanded Gonza to give 100% of the money to the schools, but instead Gonza refused and even threatened Erik that he could destroy his clean reputation with the country by blaming the uneven split on him. Erik wasn't afraid at first, but he then realized that he wasn't on the same playing field as Gonza, who had a team of lawyers and a whole news crew at his disposal. In the end, Erik took the money and left his office. Angry and confused, Erik decided to do the only thing he felt was right to do. On that same night, he drove by the house of the president of the district and secretly gave him the 200,000 dollars. It was risky, but Erik knew that all the money did belong to the schools. He just hoped that Gonza would never find out.