leaving wa

i am excited to be going back to the comforts of america, but i am equally sad to be leaving ghana.

specifically, leaving wa was a sad day for me. because of a last minute schedule change, my school held my going away party on the same day i left, just a few hours before i was to catch my bus. yes, it was a bit stressful, but it was also a nice way to really say goodbye to everyone, all in one day.

at assembly in the morning, i told the students i was leaving and that i would miss them all and that they should be good and work hard. they all wished god to bless me with a safe journey. at the party with the teachers, they thanked me for the work i have done and also wished me blessings and safe travels. they gave me two beautiful dresses as going away presents: one sewn by my good friend and seamstress/teacher annacleta, and the other made from handwoven cloth by a housemother at the school. it is always humbling when people who have so much less than you have give such generous gifts. but that's ghana. ghanaians are a generous people.

when the party finished, i packed just my few last minute items and locked up. it's hard to believe, but this little house in ghana has been my home for longer than any place since high school. and even more than that, so many special (and life-changing) times have taken place there.

as we rode away in our tiny taxi toward the station, i had tears in my eyes. we passed the people and the shops that i know so well. i know i'll be back to visit, but just based on how much wa has changed during my two years there, i know it will be a completely different city in a few years.

when i first considered joining peace corps some three or four years ago, strangely enough, one of my greatest concerns was that after building friendships and relationships for two whole years, it would be devastating to leave. i guess that's an indication of what a good experience this was.