My African Farewell

I feel so much pressure with the amount of people my mom tells me are reading my blog. So much so in fact, I've feared the computer. :) I decided however, that I'd face my fears today and leave behind something that can be funneled into history: An African Farewell.

To date, it has been 35 days since I first touched African soil, and since that time I've found that being 10,000 miles away from home isn't easy. I've also realized that the term "home" has several different applications and definitions... all of which I'm still figuring out.

Today, being the last in Africa, has been...well...foggy. I did not realize how hard it would be to leave. How silly, that I'm sitting here fighting back the tears just writing it. This will be my last time in a rickety little rundown internet cafe, the last time I walk around aimlessly through Lugazi town, and the last time I hear, "Mzungu" 20 times in a 2 minute stretch while waving my hand like a celebrity.

It's the people who I'll miss so much.
The children in my neighborhood that have committed my name to memory and insist on screaming it four or five times every time they see me...just to make sure I heard them. Usually it ends up coming out sounding something like, "Maralee!! Maraleeeee!!" I've never smiled so big in my life.

The students in my Crane's Junior class who came by my house this morning with letters just to say goodbye. Mustering up a smile through all the salty tears was difficult.
Caroline. I'm grateful that our farewell was not with talk of "Goodbyes" but silent, with a kite and a big ball of sun.

So what did I take away from all this?

Well, I'm leaving a much stronger person than when I came. Not merely by physical measure, but spiritual as well. This experience has not only strengthened my testimony.... it has strengthened my character, my countenance, and has brought me closer to my Savior. Because of my time here, I've come to realize the true meaning of service and come to know a whole NEW meaning of love. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that freedom...peace...unity...happiness...they're all just words. Whether they exist or not it's the people, the character of the individual, that gives them meaning and therefore value. I've found hope here in Africa, and there is an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and empowerment in its wake. Maybe I can't save the whole world today, but I'm counting Lugazi, Uganda as Done and Done. :)