A tearful goodbye

April 2, 2011

PC picked up any extra luggage, our water filters and trunks today. I have one suitcase and 2 backpacks. I spent the afternoon doing my laundry and I’m hiding in my room until I have to go back to school in another hour. I’m ready to get the flock out of here. 18 hours and counting.

*I’ve met several young girls here (20 ish or so) since I’ve been here that are kind of snots and think they are the shit. One girl that must be a niece to my host mom in particular. She has a diva attitude. She is tall, think, pretty (ignoring the lazy eye) and she always has her hair done and nice clothes on. I give her that, but, once your take someone that looks good and you sit them down to eat and they stick their hand into a bowl of rice and sauce and then they stick their hand in their mouth up to the wrist it really does take away some of the hotness. Not to mention the spitting and burping. Of course that’s only one girls opinion.

April 3, 2011

I’m back at Tubaniso. Leaving was way more emotional than I had thought it would be. I didn’t feel a real attachment to this family. My host mom and sister didn’t come to say goodbye to me. The mom spent the night at the garden and my host sister was in her room. The brother said she was sick. We had to meet the PC truck up at the school so we all had to walk up there with our stuff. My two brothers helped me and walked me up to the school. My younger brother, Burama, who is 12 was crying before we even left the house. I was so touched by his emotions. He is the one person in the family that I haven’t really talked about. Why? Because he wasn’t being an asshole. He has been nice to me and has talked to me and patient with me while learning the language since the day I arrived in Muntugula. That says a lot about me. I remember when I was young I could have bought home a report card that was all A’s and B’s (I didn’t…but I could have) and got one C and that would be what my father would comment on. “You got a C??!!”….AAHHHHHH!!!! What about the A’s and B’s!!?? WHAT ABOUT BURAMA!!!??? He wasn’t constantly up in my face and being an asshole to me and I haven’t talked about him once because he didn’t give me anything to bitch about. After all is said and done he is the one most upset about my leaving. So now both of us are crying and we are walking up to the school together holding his hand and telling him in my best language how much I would miss him. Both him and Gaussu (the older brother) waited at the van with me while they packed our stuff on top. Every time I looked at Burama he would well up with tears. There was about 30 kids and some adults that were waiting with us. The other kids will never let Burama live it down that he was crying. Malians just don’t cry and when they do they get teased…forever about it. It took a lot of balls for him to show such emotions. Again I was touched. I was hugging him and kissed him on the forehead a couple of times. While he was sobbing he took my hand, as if he was going to hold it, and slipped me some money. I think in my whole life I have never experienced such a heartfelt gesture of kindness from another human being. It was 100cfa’s which is about 20 cents, which isn’t much to us but to him it was surely everything he had and again just the fact that he slipped it to me the way he did as if to say “for your journey”. I have never been so touched. I am going to have a whole drilled into the coin and will wear it and keep it always. I swore I would never go back to Muntugula after training was over but I have changed my mind. When my Bambara is better and I can convey to Burama how much his gesture meant to me I will go back. I will show him the coin and let him know I will always remember him.

In the meantime, I was standing with Gaussu, who is 20. I held his hand and in English told him that I couldn’t stand him and that he has been a little shit and mean to me the whole time I have been here and that I will never come back and visit him…then I noticed a big tear slide down his face. GOD I’M SUCH A SCHMUCK. Luckily he had no idea what I was saying. We hugged, said our goodbyes and passed a few blessings back and forth and we were off.

I’m still carrying my coin around. I will always carry it.