only a few more days

Sorry for not posting the last few days. I'm trying to spend more time with the people here since I have only a few more days left (I leave on Wednesday the 5th). It's been really hard for me to start preparing to move back to America, I'm definitely not ready to go. I have become so close to everyone here. I know I said all this before. But it's all I seem to think about as I am starting to prepare to come home (or is it leave my home?...).

 

I have two more days in Sendafa, tomorrow and Tuesday. I remember this feeling last year, it's so sad for me that it's going to be about another year till I will see it again. When I was in Sendafa this past Tuesday we passed around some of the multi-vitamins and iodized salt to the children. The kids in Sendafa are so wonderful. One girl, who was 10 years old, carried the bags of salt around on her back (they weighed 30-40lbs). I kept asking her to let me carry it (ihbakish, ihbakish: please, please) but she wouldn't let me, she really wanted to help. She walked around with us until we were finished. There was also a group of kids that always walked with us and would take turns holding my hands. So sweet.

 

That reminds me. Maybe I already shared this story, if I did, I'm sorry. I think this was last Friday, but I might be wrong. We had finished our work in Sendafa and we were helping Andre who is from Water Missions International (the organization who is helping us to drill the well in Sendafa). We were at the site where the drill is going to be and all of us except Frew were sitting in the car with the doors open. We were parked along a dirt road that appeared to go all the way to the top of mountains in the distance. And on this road was a young boy, maybe 10 or 12 years old. He was walking his cow. His pockets were overstuffed with fresh pea pods. As he drew nearer to the car he said "Hi, how are you?!" to me and I responded "dehna, ante dehna neh?" (which is Amharic for "I'm fine, and how are you?"). He started laughing, guess he didn't expect me to speak Amharic. He continued to walk even closer. And then stopped rather close to the car and started eating the peas. Eshete asked him "are you going to sell the peas, or just eat them all?" The boy responded: "why should I sell them? I have all that I need". He then gave us the rest of his peas as a gift and then went on his way. What an amazing response. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.

 

Tomorrow we are handing out more vitamins and salt. I can't wait. It's such a nice time because you get to see the kids, and it gives you a chance to walk through the village - which has always been one of my favorite parts. Actually, I have been having this thought that when I live here I want to take a taxi to the edge of Addis Ababa and walk the whole way to Sendafa and then spend the day walking around the village. The countryside out there is so beautiful and I think it would be quite an interesting walk. Especially to walk around Sendafa the whole day without any real agenda would be really nice too. We'll see if it happens.

 

Well, I should probably get some sleep. Long day tomorrow.

Hope all is well with each of you.