Farewell

Today was my last day at Triunfo. Patrick and I were on our own once at again the school, as our other two volunteers are still sick. I had to do my best to stay composed throughout the day so that I could teach my kids this morning, but the kids would come up to me and constantly say, "Señorita Mari, no se vaya," which means "don't go." We read and worked on telling time and played with the jump ropes during PE. It's so neat to see how far they've progressed since I first got here and hardly any of them could jump. One of my girls, Elizabath, was crying last week with frustration from not being able to jump, and then must have practiced all weekend, because today she could finally do it. I'm always the one to twirl the rope for them, and they have the biggest smiles on their faces as I count how many they've done. We ended the instructional part of the day with a little English review, and then it was time to celebrate this month's birthdays. All the kids get to ask for one thing for their birthday, and they sit at the front of the classroom to open their presents and have the cake shoved into their face (a nice Peruvian tradition). Then we serve them all the cake and a fruit salad. None of them actually know when their birthdays are, but our program director went around to their families to collect the information, and now they get to have a little bit of attention on for them one day a year.

After the birthday party, I knew that the time had come for my dreaded going away party. I've had to watch four volunteers leave, and it always looks so hard, and indeed, it was. The kids come up one by one to give you a hug and present you with a card that they have made. When they hug you, it feels like they might never let go. Four of the sixth grade girls had to spend some time comforting me afterwards.

Today has been pretty surreal: walking to the Casa to get picked up to go to school for the last time, watching the scenery on my last rides to school, and taking one last look at the building before heading up the big hill and to the van. Generally after traveling somewhere, I can't wait to get back home. On this trip, leaving right now seems so arbitrary and random, now that I finally feel like I have the routine down and have built relationships with the kids and actually have some credibility with them. This trip has absolutely flown by for me, and has been my favorite travel experience thus far (Mexico is a close second). Every day I came back exhausted and starving, covered in dirt and various kids' snot, to collapse into bed and then do it again the next day. But I've never felt so needed and my particular skills and interests have never been put to use in the way that they have been here. I've met some incredible people on my travels and with GVI: my host family, other volunteers, and, of course, the kids.

I really don't feel like this chapter of my life and my relationships with this place and these kids have come to an end, although I do look forward to breathing fresh mountain air, starting my new job and leading a slightly less hectic life for a bit.

Thanks for following my progress and supporting me throughout the past six weeks. Tonight I'll party hard with the other volunteers one last time. I'll fly to Lima on Saturday and the US on Sunday, and start my internship on Monday.

Hasta pronto,

La Señorita Mari