For some reason, whenever I think about going home,
I imagine myself in my green bathroom at home.
I’m not sure why exactly. Maybe
it’s the room that is the most different than anything else I am used to living
with? Green tiling, running hot water, huge
mirror, indoor toilet with a seat! And
I try to imagine what it’ll feel like being there again, that being my norm
again, and it’s hard to imagine. I can’t
believe how normal the things around me have become here!
But the goodbyes continue.
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Yes, Judite is using Vanda's foot to hold her string. |
Then on Thursday, I had my REDES despedida. The plan was also to watch a movie in Portuguese
with them, but the power had been out since the morning before, so that made
that plan a little more difficult.
Instead, Adrienne offered a huge bag of colored string to use and we
spent a few hours making friendship bracelets.
Again, I provided the expected cookies and juice refreshments, and the
girls certainly loved making the bracelets!
Thanks to the generosity of Carla Buchanan and her company Business Brandings, I ended the
despedida by presenting each of the girls with a REDES Murrupula pink polo
t-shirt, complete with rhinestones on the collar. They loved them!
Thank you to my Mom and Carla for designing
and making these shirts for them!
Honestly, I’m not sure what will become of these
groups next year, if they will continue on or perhaps die out. Lidia, my REDES counterpart, is amazing and
very passionate about the group, but really it depends on the girls and if they
are interested in continuing. They
definitely all agreed that they want to do more dances next year for the
community. Honestly, the group was not
what I had dreamed it would be, but it still has the potential to get there,
especially with Lidia as its leader. I definitely had great memories with those girls and watched them grow a little
bit throughout the year. And it’s opened
doors to AJUDEMU and REDES, becoming more recognized by the community and even
the local government which is a great opportunity as well!
So, as time gets closer and the weeks continue to
wind down, I keep finding myself imagining being in that green bathroom at home
again. Trying to recognize my reflection
in that mirror and reflecting back on who I have become during this incredible
experience and where it will take me in the future.
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