8.23.2007

Faith Alive Family

Tonight the four volunteers went out to dinner with Dr. Chris and his family, Biana, the amazing clinic administrator, and a few heads of departments from Faith Alive. During dinner, Biana asked me what has been surprising to me about my time here. I think that the biggest thing has been the friendships I have formed in such a short time. I really am surprised at how close I feel to some of the people here, and even more surprised at how sad I feel about leaving on Monday morning. It's been a while since I have felt this emotional about the end of a trip, and it's very bittersweet. I don't usually get sentimental about this kind of thing, and normally feel confident that I will return to a place and see people again- I don't really believe in goodbyes.

But this is different, for so many reasons. Life as usual will be that much harder to return to, having seen and been a small part of the community and the work here; already I can't wait to return. I have been surprised at how much I have loved Jos, and how many times throughout this trip I realized that there was absolutely no place else in the world I would rather be than where I was right at that moment. People I have met here have become precious to me, and the sadness I feel is because I regret not having had more time to know them, and the worry that they may not still be here when I come back next.

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