Time to say goodbye

people checking out the photos i've collated over the 2 months here. probs one of my favourite photos.

Well its that dreaded time this week: its my time to say goodbye as we prep to leave SEDS on Saturday morning.

My lecturer asked me over the phone through our fortnightly conversations, "do you find it hard to say goodbye?" Immediately i answered "no", but the more i reflect on it, maybe i do. you see we went to the school on Monday morning to officially say goodbye during assembly. I had purchased a cricket bat in bangalore 2 months back and i wanted to give it to the school as a gift and a token of our gratitude for the way they've welcomed us. As the headmaster called cait and i to the front, Cait spoke first and then it was my turn. After speaking for some time i had to bite my tongue as a flood of words kept coming out - there was so much i wanted to say to the students and teachers, so much i wanted to encourage them and thank them for and just to tell them how much each and everyone of them will be missed. Even though i used quite alot of difficult english words i knew that everyone knew what i meant. A funny thing was that when i gave the bat to the school, the headmaster called Hasha, the smallest child of the school (who's in Lower Kindergarten) to come hold the bat while the school sang the national anthem. The bat is almost bigger than him. And he didnt realise that the bat was for the school, he thought it was all for him, so he would cradle and cuddle it haha.

The staff, children and people on campus have been so nice to us - how big their hearts are. it was cait's birthday yesterday (30th Sept) and so we went to the school assembly once again. They brought cait to the front and sang her happy birthday (all 3 verses of it) and all the children made her birthday cards. so many of them thanked her for the arts and craft she had completed with them. Ro, Rash, Jess and I have been cooking her brekkie and lunch and the girls also made her a cake. She might not be able to celebrate her birthday with her family, but she is family here so we celebrated it with her.

There's a guy here who i've made good friends with. he normally goes home every day but for some reason he's been living on campus. I asked him why hasnt he gone back to his village. his reply "because i want to say goodbye to you when you leave." How heartwarming it was to hear that. How nice and accepting people are here. So with the rest of my time, ive just been trying to hang with people one last night and say my goodbyes. my lecturer is right, i do find it hard to say goodbye. hard to say goodbye to people ive spent, ive grown with, ive laughed with, ive chatted with over the last 2 months.

one last surprise came last night which just made me jump with so much joy - Roja came back!!!! i was just sitting outside the dining room and then i heard her voice and i turn around and i see it - i see the great smile and joking sense of humour again! she came back with her husband and uncle and they are living on campus. You can just see the joy on her face! oh it must be good to be back home. So i ask myself - am

hanging with the boys at the fishing pond

singing of the national anthem. hasha and the bat

i missing home? and i think the answer is, im missing ppl more than the tangible things of home but there are bigger and better things that still need to be seen, experienced and accomplished here.

'Happy Birthday Coco' says the cake as the icing melted while piping it