Final Days

Hi everyone, so I have been spending my last few days in Africa having a really nice time. On Saturday I went to the orphanage for the last time with Megan and two of her friends who are volunteering at different schools. We had decided to meet in the morning and buy some snacks to take with us - the kids go crazy with outside snacks and love it. So we bought some cookies and some biscuits and then resolved to get Steven to get some fruit once we got there. We all squeezed on a dala-dala together (and I honestly mean that) and it was one of the funniest rides I have had in a long time. It felt like one of those clown cars, where each time you stop more and more people get out and you have to wonder - where the heck are all those people coming from? Hmm, I didn't realize there were 10 people in the backseat made for 3. We were being so goofy and it was nice to have some other people with me to share in those experiences. Sometimes when I am alone and having these experiences they can stress me out or annoy me, but its amazing what a difference it makes to have other people around to share it with you. We arrived at Camp Moses and found that all the kids from Camp Joshua (the older kids) and some other random group were visiting. It was kind of annoying. Even more annoying, all of the other random kids were dressed in these cute little uniforms. Don't get me wrong, all our kids were adorable in matching plaid clothes, but you know we had a rip here and a tear there - and being so close to obviously wealthy kids was kind of annoying - felt like they were flaunting it. So automatically we hated the other kids. We kind of grumbled around for awhile and waited for them to be done - turns out they were practicing for a church event on Sunday. Around noon their program ended and all the kids ran out to meet us - and it turned out to be a ridiculously perfect day. I don't know what it was - though I suspect it was because there were four of us - but all the kids were amazing. They wanted to be hugged and kissed and touched and teased. Most of the time most of the kids are loving, but there are a good handful that don't like to be touched and are really mean and antisocial. One kid, Brian, absolutely astounded me by letting me take his face in my hands and kiss it AND by spending some time sitting in my lap and touching my hair. ALL the kids were like that and Megan and I were so amazed and happy and just loving it. I really think it had to do with the fact that there were four of us - with 20 kids and 1 or 2 volunteers there is just not enough time or attention to go around. But with four of us we were each able to take on 5 kids - which is easy if you have one sitting on each limb and then a 5th between your legs. It's really hard to describe how amazing it was, but the kids were just so HAPPY and it made my heart feel so good to be with them when they felt so good. Another AMAZING thing was that I believe the Mamas had been following the medicine schedule I had put together - and that would have been enough to make my whole week. It can be frustrating and, in this case, scary to think what happens when that kind of basic care is not followed. So we left around 3:00 and went back into town and then I parted ways with Megan. I ran some errands and then met a friend for dinner. The friend, Hilda, had arranged the tour for Tim and I and had patiently dealt with all of my travel changes . . . we had a nice 2 hour dinner and talked about marriage and families and what goes on in her life and culture. I love getting little tidbits like that into peoples lives because I think it helps me understand the people and culture that much more.
Sunday morning was my free day - and I was happy to have it. I spent the entire day at the pool at the hotel where we had stayed for our safari - and it was nice. I kind of approached it as my 'Mombasa Day' since I was forgoing my beach activities at the end. Naturally I got a little burnt - I always forget that my antimalaria medicine makes me very sensitive to the sun. But of course I will do almost anything for a little golden glow so its all good. In the late afternoon I took the dala-dala home (which would be my last for a long time) and had a late dinner courtesy of Rosy. I spent the rest of the evening just packing and preparing for my morning bus ride to Nairobi. I spent some time before bed just reflecting about this trip and talking with my parents and trying to gauge how I really felt. I KNOW that I'm tired. I KNOW that I am ready for a break - but I guess I just don't know how ready I am to come home? I was having a really tough time thinking about this because its been such a special time in my life - and now its over. The best way to describe it is this - I will never have this again. And when I look at it like that I become incredibly sentimental and sad. I feel like such a good person here. I feel happy. I feel relaxed. I LOVE never being cold. I love never wearing proper shoes. I LOVE how people have just taken me into their lives, no questions asked. I LOVE how I have adapted to accept and welcome situations that would have annoyed me at home. and I have just LOVED the freedom. I just love so much of this and it makes me sad that it's ending. I think I need to try really hard when I come home to be this same person. To learn to be kind and happy. To make decisions that make me happy. And to just freaking CHILL out. I guess this will just be an evolving experience, something I reflect on constantly and bring out to make sure I am being the person I know I can be.
On Monday I took a bus to Nairobi and it was fine. Had to pass the border on foot again between Kenya and Tanzania - and it was funny to reflect that I was just there 9 weeks ago. And the same people were trying to cheat me. And I just had to laugh. Kind of like, I know how to do this. I KNOW HOW TO DO THIS. After some travel changes I ended up at the Chelangas and had a naturally delightful time. They are such an amazing family. David was still away at school but George, Faith, Brian, Diane and Eliud were home. AND they had a host student from NH named Katie. Her and I spent the afternoon with the kids, helping with their homework and just playing around. This family is so amazing and the kids are so well educated. Found out that George passed his secondary school exams with flying colors, received an A plain grade which only 800 out of 306,000 students received. So basically he is going to start making applications to colleges and scholarships and would like to do medicine in the US. LOVE this family. In the evening we had dinner together and then we just sat around and talked. I love these kinds of conversations because we learn so much from each other. Before I went to bed I purged some of my remaining items to Katie (she is there for 2 more months and probably will need them way more than I do) and then packed again. Diane woke me up in the early morning and Eliud took me to the airport, which is where he works. My flight to London was uneventful and relatively comfortable, and that is where I am now. LONDON. Home tomorrow and then back to my other life. As my mom said, back to reality. But I like to think both places are my realities and both places are my home.
Love,
Ann