Another One Bites the Dust

Here we go again, another person going home.  However this time has me feeling some kind of way. One of the few people that I have clung to as a close friend here is going home and I am really going to miss her.  She told me a week ago, however, today is still a little bit gloomy since now it's actually happening.  We just came from hanging out for the last time at the bar, having our usual brochettes, potatoes, and Fanta and I must say we had a really good time.  Me, her, and another volunteer hung out for a few final laughs and to reminisce on the series of events that have taken place on our journey thus far.  After the bar, we went back to her house to load up the car with her belongings.  As we were leaving, she handed her host mother a short letter with photos of herself and their family attached to it so that they would have a keep-sake to remember her by.  When I say that this was an emotional moment, I mean it was emotional.  From the outside looking in, you wouldn't expect to see many tears (if any at all), but from the inside looking out, we are here building meaningful and lasting relationships.  Although we have been with our host families for just 10 short weeks, there is some type of attachment there that I can't really explain.  I genuinely love my host mother like a second mother...and today I saw that I am not the only one.  My friend's host mom cried as she hugged her for the very last time.  As I watched, I began to get a little teary-eyed myself.  For one, because Rwandan women DO NOT cry (so this must have really been hard for her), and for two, because of the way that the Rwandan people love so openly and freely.  They have welcomed all of us here with open arms and have taken us in as their very own children; taking the time to teach us everything there is to know about surviving in Rwanda.  We have had to re-learn how to cook, re-learn how to take baths, and even re-learn how to wash dishes and mop the floor.  Everything here is new to us and in many ways, we are like children all over again, with our Rwandan parents teaching us how to be responsible adults.

The girl who is leaving has

definitely been a blessing to know and to be able to spend time with...if ever there was a time when I would seem down or just wasn't being myself, she would pull me to the side and ask me what's wrong.  She was this way with everyone too.  I'm sure you can imagine how much gossiping and talking about each other everyone does here with our group being so small (and with there not being much to do), but I have never heard anyone here say anything bad about her.  She just has one of those spirits...very caring and uplifting.  I'm going to miss all of the laughs we've shared...from our Thriller rides in the Peace Corps car to her speaking to the Rwandans in English despite the fact that they couldn't understand a lick of what she was saying...and then we would all crack up because she would look at them when she was finished talking and just wait for the English response that never came. 

There is a group of us here that hang pretty tough together and we have had some pretty good times together.  I've never been the type to latch on to people so quickly, but she really is a good person.  The Lord has something great in store for her and I genuinely wish her the best!

Love and Peace Corps,

Dametreea