The Left Handshake

The last few days at site were some of my most difficult yet. I sure had a tough service! But I still can't believe is just about over. On Saturday, I went to Thies to pick up my replacement, Katherine, from training center and bring her back to Bambey to show her around. We went to about 5 houses of my work partners and I answered many of her questions, but then I found out that a good work partner of mine, Fallou, passed away from a heart attack. He was going to be Katherine's assigned counterpart that would have shown her all around Bambey and been a great partner through out her service. Fallou was my host dad's uncle so the funeral was at my house. I have been to many Senegalese events, weddings and baptisms and a couple funerals, but this one was different. I knew Fallou. He was a great man. He was a man who shook my hand and made my whole arm shake. A man who I actually flirted back when he hit on me! I had seen him a few days prior and was saving his goodbye for Sunday. He was a man who was always smiling and so willing to go out of his way to help me out and believed in development. He showed me around to 4 schools and introduced me to principals so I could figure out where to do my tree nursery project. Hundreds of people came to our house to celebrate his life. They sacrificed a cow and made delicious food but my last 48 hours at site were spent among tears because the entire community suffered such an unexpected loss.

Since I spent the entire weekend at my house, I didn't get to see everyone and say all of my goodbyes. At 6pm Sunday, I changed out of my traditional Senegalese attire and made a grand tour of Bambey to say goodbye to as many people as I could one last time. I made some incredible frienships and will always remember my Senegalese families and friends. The Wolof way to say goodbye is to shake left hands, to ensure that we will see each other again. I cried saying goodbye to Awa and her daughter, who absolutly loved my teddy bear I gave her and I also cried after Matar left my house. Those people will always be in my heart. I found the perfect quote to summarize this:

You get a strange feeling when youre about to leave a place, like you'll not only miss the people you love but you'll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you'll never be this way ever again. -Azir Nafisi

I have very mixed feelings about these 2 years coming to an end. I had a tough service but honestly loved it here. I helped artisans out and met a lot of great people and introduced some new ideas in the failings of my compost project. I made a ton of contacts for Katherine and she is excited to continue a lot of my work which really puts me at ease. I made such great Peace Corps friends and traveled throughout Africa. I mastered the national language of Senegal and am completely comfortable among Islamic and Wolof lifestyles. I have lived in Senegal and love the person that it has made me.

So although the bitter part is leaving Senegal, the sweet part is that I am coming home! I can't wait to see my family, (with a much healthier brother and a grandma who said she owes me a few dinners) my wonderful boyfriend, and eat amazing food and go shopping. To buy a car, computer and cell phone will be expensive but it will also make an American out of me. No more eating out of a bowl with my right hand - my left is clean, I swear! I am looking forward to speeding up my lifestyle, working out and getting healthy (can't wait to be off my TB meds in under 20 days!). I am already deep in the job search and plan to stay in Wisconsin until Spring '10. After that, I am hoping to find an environmental job out west.

I don't know how many more blogs I will be writing, as I fly out 1 week from today, but thanks for reading! Everyone who has been in touch while I have been over seas has really helped me get through this part of my life that was quite challenging most of the time! Thank you! And see you next week!