The Last Day

Saturday I left what has been my home for the last two years.  It really is an unreal feeling and I’m not totally sure how to deal with the emotions. It was a long and slow last couple of weeks, passing each day pretty much the same as the one before it, all towards the inevitable end. 

Our last day in Murrupula could not have been more perfect.  We passed the early morning finishing packing, cleaning the house, and tiding things up.  Then my favorite group of kids came by for our last play date.  We blew up balloons and hung them from our patio (much to their excitement), we gave them toys and gifts like toy cars, bouncy balls, and hair clips, we danced, made paper airplanes and bracelets, colored the last pages of the coloring books, and made a cake.  It was the perfect play day.  The kids were amazingly well behaved and extremely grateful for the small gifts we gave them, even saying thank you, which can be a rare sentiment at times.

Later in the afternoon, Adrienne and I walked around, distributing the remainder of our toys to other children in the neighborhood.  As expected, upon returning back to our house, several groups of children came over asking for more toys, somewhat putting a damper on the whole experience, but, you learn to brush that kind of stuff off after two years.

We spent our last evening with our closest friends and colleagues, Professor Shek, Iassito, Rilton, and Herminio.  It was the perfect meal, filled with taking pictures, reminiscing, and chatting with great friends.  The most touching moment was when Shek prompted a discussion in which each person mentioned something we had given or taught them during our time here.  Shek said he had learned to be punctual and the value of volunteerism.  Rilton said he had learned to be patient with children and now greatly enjoyed spending time and working with kids.  Iassito mentioned how, just through listening to his ideas, we had given a value to his organization and to his dreams, not just arriving and dumping American ideals on them, but really listening to their own ideas and working together.  It was really a touching moment that I will always remember.  I am leaving knowing how greatly this experience has affected and changed me for the rest of my life, but you always wonder how or if you affected the people around you.  And to have this great group of friends, an amazing group of individuals that I have come to greatly respect, say such kind and sincere words was a really special moment.

On Saturday morning, after a last night sleeping without electricity (of course), I awoke early, opening my door to a bright orange and pink sunrise, hearing the neighbors just starting to get up and begin sweeping their yards, taking a second to take in all the sounds around me for one last time.  I walked over to where all my children friends live and the emotions that I had been suppressing over the last few weeks suddenly hit me.  I gave a big hug to one of my favorite girls, Merina, telling her to find the others and come to our house to see us off, fighting to hold back the tears.  For about an hour, we sat with a group of 15 kids, making some last paper airplanes, as we waited for the very generous school secretary who had offered to give us a ride to Nampula.  Finally, the car arrived, we loaded our bags, gave one more last hug and got in the car, waving goodbye to the children as they ran alongside the car.  Fighting to hold back the tears again, it was really strange to drive away from my town for one last time, not truly believing it, or maybe just not wanting to believe it, that the last day had finally come after such a slow few weeks.

I still remember my last night back at home in September 2011, stressfully packing my two bags, trying to stay in the weight limits, trying to figure out what I would need over the next two years, having no idea what to expect.  I remember spending time in Philadelphia, first meeting the other volunteers, people who now have become my close friends who I hope to always stay in contact with.  We spent ten weeks in Namaacha, struggling to learn Portuguese, how to take bucket baths, cook, do laundry.  I remember arriving in Murrupula for the first time, first opening the doors to my new home, greeted by only a wooden table, a wooden shelf, and a few wooden chairs.

As I shut my door for the last time, I imagined what it will be like for the new volunteer to arrive there on her first day - opening her new door to be greeted by bright blue walls and a painted giraffe and elephant.  What a difference!

Right now it feels a little like I’ve been thrown down into the middle of a sprint, these next few weeks packed with turning in final paperwork, medical tests, and saying some last goodbyes.  Then I’m meeting my mom in South Africa before out Botswana safari adventure.  Then I’ll be back home in California to celebrate my first American Christmas in two years!  I think once I’m back, I’ll have more of an opportunity to reflect back on this experience, see how it’s affected me and will affect my future. 

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.  

The Last Trip

Sunday marked just 20 days left for me in Mozambique and I still can’t quite wrap my head around it.  Already, some volunteers from my group have officially completed their service.  Some of them have even already arrived back home in the states!

As for me, I just returned home from my last travel adventure with some of my closest friends.  Last week, we visited Tony’s site in Imala, probably one of the most rural, or most “mato”, sites of any of the volunteers in our group - just recently got cell phone service but no electricity.  Of course it was a typical travel adventure on the ride in when the driver decided to turn off his engine in the middle of the biggest hill.  Everyone hopped out of the truck, the women beginning their decent up the hill as the men all gathered together to push the truck up the hill (though it would have been much easier to let it roll to the bottom which was much closer).  Finally, they got it to the top of the hill, gave it a running start and the engine was up and running again. Ugh, travelling… But we eventually made it there!

Imala sunset

Due to some of the political conflicts in country right now (I’m safe and Peace Corps keeps us very updated on everything), we thought it safer to not travel too much and celebrated Halloween back in Murrupula 

Our outdoor "nest" to escape the indoor heat

before heading to Ilha de Moçambique for our last week all together.  It was a “tough” week filled with eating delicious food like freshly caught seafood, gnocchi, pizza, and club sandwiches, swimming in the beautiful blue water, playing cards, and creating some great memories with friends.  We spent our last night watching the always incredible African sunset, all of us thinking how lucky we were to be able to experience such a sight together, reflecting on our past two years, not believing it is actually coming to an end, and wondering what’s in store for our futures. 

I was a ninja for Halloween

Our typical swimming spot at the end of the pier

Last sunset on Ilha

While Kevin and Tony are now on their way out of country, the rest of us headed back to our sites for our final couple of weeks.  It’s always hard returning home from a vacation, having to go to the market, clean the house, get back to work, etc.  Feeling a little apathetic, soon after arriving home, I braved the afternoon sun to walk to the market.  Six little boys came running down the street to greet me, immediately grabbing my hands and fighting over who got to hold them as we walked together.  Neighbors greeted me with smiling faces and more children appeared to say hello.  “Where did you disappear to?!”  they asked me somewhat angrily, no doubt having spent significant amounts of time calling for me at my house while we were away.  I have a feeling these next two weeks are going to be filled with a lot of emotional ups and downs.

My two favorite Madison boys - Tony and Adam

Though I have been making an effort to inform people that we are leaving, forever, it’s not something they seem to totally understand.  When they already assume I travel to America on the weekends, trying to explain that I am going back there and will not be back here doesn’t seem to quite compute in their minds.  Now that I can say I have just two weeks left, it seems to be setting in a bit more for some of them, maybe.  Until they again bring up something about me being here next year…

These last two weeks in Murrupula are going to be pretty low key.  The town is fairly quite now that school is over and students have already finished their exams.  It’s generally over 100˚ before 9 or 10am, so you can’t do much other than sit in front of a fan.  We have a going away party planned for Saturday with some of our colleagues and friends and then a smaller dinner planned for our last night next week.  Otherwise, I’ll be keeping myself occupied by packing and sorting through what stays, what goes, and what comes back home, playing with children and chatting with neighbors, enjoying doing nothing and taking it all in.