Reflections

I’ve spent a lot of days thinking about my return home.  Although it is still far off, I’ve anticipated the day that I am reunited with my family and friends.  As term 2 begins to come to an end though, my anticipation is being placed somewhere else, and it is bringing out new emotions and events I had not allowed myself to think about.  At some point, I will leave this country.  I have already made the decision that after my one-year contract I will return back to America for a bit, so I will indeed be leaving.  I will be leaving 92 beautiful 9^th graders behind me.  I will be saying goodbye to my sweet homestead brother and sister.  I will part from my movie watching days with my 7^th grade neighbor, Martha.  Because I had not really thought about these events much prior to this week, I was not aware of how incredibly much this country has impacted me and changed me.  I have mentioned before that I have learned a lot, and I also know that I have changed immensely, but this country now runs deep inside of me, permanently a part of my mind, body, and soul.  These children and young adults have molded me into an English teacher.  They have welcomed me into their homes and lives.  They have showed me respect that I never thought imaginable.  They have made me feel like a million bucks, an incredibly deep and moving feeling that I have honestly never felt before coming to Namibia.  And the beauty behind it all is that they did not do these things for me because they had to.  They did not give me gifts or money.  They have given me love through their words, both verbal and written, and through their actions.