Yesterday, I got into Chokwe at 8am and said goodbye to Marcilio at 10pm – in between, I took a couple hours for meals and said goodbye to David, Oscar, people at VUKOXA, Dona Flora, Jorgito, the Macias, the Cassamos, the post office lady, Alfred, Mukenga, Miguel, Evaristo, everyone at school, students I ran into along the way, and others who I happened to see. It took the whole time because I visited everyone, stopping to talk for a while and just hang out. I made a lot of promises that I will inevitably not keep, and gave myself a lot to remember.
This morning, at 4:10am, Oscar came knocking on the door with the painting he promised me of my school. I love it. Nanosh is bringing it down to Maputo as I write this. On my trip here, I was nodding on and off, very tired, when I dreamt I had looked at my watch which said 6:30am and awoke immediately to look at my watch which said 6:57am. Fatigued. Then, a couple minutes later, I heard beyond a voice behind me, “Tio João! Tio João!” It was one of the market women who I had said bye to yesterday. She had been on the same chapa with me for two hours, but we’d both been too tired to notice. She was really happy to see me and be able to see me off, along with another lady she works with.
I got into The Base (a hostel) at 9am, and ever since, I’ve been in and out running errands – I’ve been repacking since about 4pm. Nanosh and Jenna get here in an hour or two, then we go off to one last dinner and in the morning say our goodbyes. The goodbyes yesterday were hard because I realized for the first time the friendships I had made and how much people will miss me. More importantly, how much I’ll miss them. But these two goodbyes are the last and definitely the hardest. I often regret my decision to go back home, but I know that once I get there I’ll realize why I did it. It’s hard to leave something so wonderful (with exception of racism and my school, which is going downhill) for something I once knew but is now strange. I’m home in a week.
Peace,
John
