dusk; maasai mara
I had a lovely taxi driver last week who, after hearing about my ‘run in’ with the car, asked me about the best and worst parts of volunteering in his country. the best? seeing the smiles on children’s faces when you give them something as small as a lollipop or even rice for lunch. the worst? not the fact that I was hit by a car, but saying goodbye to all the incredible volunteers I’ve been fortunate enough to meet over the past three months in kenya.
saying goodbye is never easy, and even from my time in europe in june, I’ve had to say goodbye to more people than I’ve probably ever had to say goodbye to. maybe since I finished high school. I guess I should probably clarify that I don’t mean ‘on the death bed’ goodbye; I mean meeting people who you get on so well with and then are likely to not see again, or at least not for a long time. it’s kinda the bittersweet part of travelling, I’ve learnt that on my previous trips overseas. but I would argue that volunteering and meeting other like-minded people makes it even harder. because we’re all (well, mostly all) here to make a small difference, to brighten someone’s day, to make someone smile. at least, I am. and I’ve met countless others who are too.
if I listed all the people I’ve hugged, waved off or helped with their bags as they climb into the taxi, I’d be here all day… and I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say it would be in the hundreds. I’ve cried only once (bloody susie) , but have been teary on many more occasions. meeting people from all around the world, like I have for the past 4 months, means having so many more contacts for future travel experiences. it started at the end of my tour in turkey – when the rest of the group continued on to cappadocia while I went back to istanbul – and the latest is just this morning, when I waved off michael and alyce, two of the greatest aussies I’ve met, no topic is too gross or too over share-y with those two. and I’m so glad I’ll see them again in a couple of weeks when they briefly come back from uganda.
but I’m richer for having met everyone I’ve met. you learn something new, you learn to appreciate things more – like people you actually get along with. I certainly haven’t clicked with everyone, sometimes you meet people and wonder what the bloody hell they’re doing in a country like kenya – “oh my god, the toilet, it like, so doesn’t flush properly”, “the floor is so dirty, seriously, what’s with that?”, “we have to supply our own toilet paper? what the hell?!”, “oh my god, the electricity is off again? how do I charge my phone now?”… I’m not kidding, people have said these things. a) you’re lucky there even is a flushing toilet, b) you’re lucky it’s not a dirt floor and c) you’re lucky to even have electricity in the first place! fark me, some people.
I still hate goodbyes. I’m dreading saying goodbye to the kids at ‘little ray of hope’ and I’m dreading saying goodbye to my host sisters (who now snuggle with me on the couch of an evening). only one month left in kenya before tanzania – time flies when you’re working hard and having fun.
travelling alone 