My departure is near and my service is coming to a close. I
left Gibeon at the beginning of the month. It was bittersweet: I’m excited to
go home but sad to leave my learners and the projects I started. My school had
a going-away party for me with gifts and speeches. It was touching to hear some
colleagues thank me and wish me well. The following night, some other teachers
made a potjie, a stew cooked in a big cast iron pot over the fire, and we
talked late into the night. They talked about their childhood school days, many
before Independence, and how severe the teachers and parents were at that time.
Then they sang Nama songs to me and thanked me again….THAT made me get
emotional! It was a lovely send off….under the beautiful starry night, round a
big fire. It was truly unforgettable.
In these last couple of weeks, I have assisted with some
intensive training sessions as a Resource Volunteer for the new group of Peace
Corps Education Trainees. It was a great opportunity to see other schools, meet
Namibian teachers and work with other Volunteers and PC staff to further
professional development in Namibia. We held technical sessions for teaching
English at schools and it was a good fit for me. I wish I could have done more
during my time here.
I said my last goodbyes to fellow Volunteers and Namibian
friends. It is strange to say goodbye, knowing you’ll probably never see these
people again. All the young Volunteers are doing big trips around the world:
Middle East, Indonesia, Nepal. Wow! I’m not sure if I’ll ever make it back to
Africa. There is so much I still have not seen but home is calling me now.
Travel can wait. This experience has given me time to reflect and consider what’s
important. I look forward to the next chapter in life.
