July 19th, 2011

July 19th, 2011


It’s been a crazy weekend concluding with an emotional goodbye to the kids. Bryan and TK were able to spend the night with all the boys on saturday, but I wasn’t able to because I was vomiting in the backyard. Pretty fun. More bummed about not getting to spend the night with the kids. Kinda worked out cus the next day was a big improvement. By the evening I think things were back to normal. Thinkin it was maybe the pork from Ling Ling since not a lot of people eat pork, they probably messed it up or my stomach just wasn’t used to it after having mostly beans, rice and potatoes for the past month and a half.....what’s Africa without having something go wrong with you. I’d say if you are on that continent - minus south africa or anywhere super civilized - for more than 3 weeks you will probably at least feel a bit weird at some point.

The finish line is the best place to start - something that is kind of turning out to be true because sitting back in Heathrow waiting for their dumb system to tell us when our flight is sort of deja -vu. We get to chill for an extra 45 minutes because of flights being delayed. Just more time to get to know Heathrow I guess.

It is sort-of weird being back in civilization where you aren’t the odd one standing out. Sure we are American, but the children don’t run up to you calling you Muzungu and Bonga you. We also have to get used to everything being really expensive again (relative that is). It feels fine I guess to have society around you, but I think there is just something peaceful and attractive about being in a part of the world where you are more cut off and secluded from where you came from and people who are similar to you.

I’ve already found many of the kid’s faces floating back into my mind. It’s difficult not to think about them and what they might be doing. Any time of the day now I will look at the clock and probably think about what myself or the kids would have been doing at Musana. It is truly a special place and I hope my travels will bring me back there someday. It’s exciting the form ideas about new places and new children around the world, but there is still that passion of wanting to embrace all those smiling kids in your arms, at least once more......