My Last Week in Murrupula

I will never cease to be amazed by the creativity of the children here.  Whenever they come over they excitedly race over to my trash pit, exploring to see what kinds of treasures I might have thrown away.  I never expected them to be so excited about finding old sheets of paper!  Instantly, the group of six young boys fished out the paper and began folding paper airplanes, putting pebbles in the paper as a pilot, always blowing on the plane before giving it a good toss high in to the air and then excitedly clapping their hands as it dive bombed to the ground.  I can now say I am a paper airplane making expert! 

These kids are really incredible, using wire to make funny glasses, stuffing plastic bags together to make a ball, using condoms to make balloons, soda cans to make cars.  It’s both humbling and breaks my heart a little, thinking about all those toys I still have lying unused back at home. 

I can officially say that I am passing my last week here in Murrupula.  This whole COS process has been very dragged out, probably the longest goodbye-process I have ever experienced.  I am one of the last groups of Moz 17ers to go, a lot of people have already returned home!  And frankly, I’m ready for it to just end already, just rip off the band-aid and be done with it.  Sometimes these days are dragging on with nothing really to do, too hot to go outside or walk around but too hot to sit inside.  I find myself going through quite a range of emotions - happy, sad, nostalgic, excited, frustrated, and everything in between.  I’ve been thinking back on the work that I’ve done here and those projects I never got a chance to do.  Looking at family photos back at home, longing to be a part of those again.  Feeling like I “should” go do something in my last days here, play an extra hour with the kids when they come by.  I’ve had kids over to the house every day, even during times when I didn’t really want to play, but it’s hard to not think about how it’s really the last moments I’ll have with them. 

Check out these shoes!

We officially have a new replacement, Michaela.  I don’t really know much about her, but I’m really excited for her to have, hopefully, as amazing of an experience as I did during my two years here.