There's never a right time to say goodbye

November 5, 2009

I have 8 days left in Malawi before I leave the country. 8. I never thought that I would be so sad to be leaving- especially with the homesickness and loneliness that I felt in the beginning. But now, I feel like I have a community. I have Jamira and Maxwell and Tasha and Vanessa in Mangochi who have become my family here in Malawi. They are so supportive and I attribute a lack of tourist- type travel to the love that I feel when I visit with them. I have the friendly faces on my way to work in the morning- the people who greet me every day although we do not even know eachother’s names. I have the cleaning ladies at Kabula lodge. These women work so so hard every day to keep the place clean and moving and get too little respect from tenants. I know each of them and often cook a little extra just so that I can share. I have the cleaning ladies at work who speak no English and communicate with me solely in my extremely limited Chichewa. Our smiles go a long way. I have the Chichiri Cultural Troupe, a group that I sometimes dance with. My attendance has been sparse but they always go out of their way to make me feel welcome. I have the guards at work- friendly men who greet me daily and try to help me improve my language skills. I have the guards in Mangochi, who I have not seen in some time but who always light up when I come into town.

And then there are my azungu friends as well. There is Jodi, who I traveled with in Tanzania and Craig, the Australian medical student that I live with at Kabula. Many other friends have already left but I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each of them. Kay and Vince are an older American couple who have taken me in and helped me get to know the town. They have also introduced me to others and really helped me to adjust. At the end of the day, I know that it is a huge success to feel so connected and so happy in Malawi. But at the same time, it makes leaving that much harder and sadder. Saying goodbye is not my forte- especially now that I know how hard it often is to return to a place that you love. I LOVED Ghana and still do but have only visited once since leaving. The costs of travel and the need to expand and see other places are huge barriers. In the next 8 days, I plan to visit Jamira and the family and also Jodi and our friend Nevermind in Mangochi. After that, I will come back to Blantyre and go to work and dance as much as I can with Chichiri Dance Troupe. On Friday, I leave for Uganda and have about 10 days there. But just as anxious as I am about leaving Malawi, I am that same amount of happy and excited to be coming home for Thanksgiving. I can’t wait to see my family and friends and it is a perfect time to come because I can do just that ☺