Goodbye, Africa

It’s the kind of evening where you put on your pajamas at a ridiculously early hour, eat as many chapatis as you can, and drink cold Sprite while watching the sunlight slowly leave the living room. It’s a perfect summer night, the kind of night that leaves you feeling nostalgic for all other wonderful summer nights and leaves you feelings a happy kind of sad. It’s so perfect that it almost feels like Africa’s saying a beautiful goodbye.

It’s my last evening here at Royal Kids School. Tomorrow will be a day of doing laundry and packing my things and moving to Mama Grace’s (the director of the school) house for my remaining time. There, I will enjoy the running water and I will rest up for the days of traveling that await me in the near future. So that’s what’s going on in my life right now. That, and saying my goodbyes. Have you ever had to say goodbye to a whole community of people you most likely won’t see again? If you haven’t, you are so unbelievably lucky.

How can I smile and say goodbye to children who will grow up and live in poverty, possibly for the rest of their lives? How can a hug and a few words be sufficient for a goodbye to the people who have been so wonderful to me during my stay here? It doesn’t seem like it’s enough, and maybe it’s not, but it’s all I can do. Today I said goodbye to my favorite little boy named Denzel. He and a few other children had to wait for a while before their parents came to pick them up, and I hung out with them for a little while, dreading saying goodbye to my little friend. Eventually his dad came and he had to go, but before he left he looked back and told me, in his sweet little voice, not to forget him. Let’s just say I had to smile and leave right away so nobody would see my tears.

Goodbyes and endings are as heartbreaking as hellos and beginnings are heartwarming. While leaving Royal Kids School is sad for me, it also means that I’m starting something new in Ireland-and I’m four months closer to coming home! So tonight is a sad night of goodbyes, and this weekend holds many more goodbyes in store, but come Monday a new adventure begins and I think “I’m quite ready for another adventure.”

If you didn’t catch that ode to Bilbo, I’m not sure why we’re even friends.

Love, Christie