Well,
This is it. I have packed my bags for America and said good
bye to the Bale Oromia people that have been such gracious hosts to me for the
past two years. Jill is starting her new job in Southern Oregon about now. It is time to settle down and prepare for family life. For the next two weeks i will be in the Ethiopian Capitol to complete my paperwork and say goodbye to the other Peace Corps Volunteers.
This is big time in my life. I have reached a milestone.
Time to catch my breath and let go of my Ethiopian lifestyle, to prepare for
re-entry into the rush hour expressway that is the modern American society. Time
to trust that the new Peace Corps volunteers and my Ethiopian coworkers will
continue my exciting work with beekeeping.
It has been a long two years. I can confidently say it has
been the longest two years of my adult life. I am so grateful to have experienced
this adventure. To have been immersed in a drastically different culture with
my wonderful wife and come out of it a better person.
The hardest part of all this may be saying the “goodbyes”. I
have never been one for sentimental farewells, but this is a very sentimental
farewell culture. I know that there is almost no chance I will ever see my
Ethiopian friends again, but how can I look someone in the eye and tell them that? When
they ask when I am coming back I struggle for answers. Some people I avoid
telling at all because my body cannot handle another coffee ceremony that will
keep me awake all night. In this sense I am like the other foreigner
tourists who are just passing through to collect Ethiopian stories and
artifacts.
But I knew this would happen. This adventure was always
destined to end. I will always have photos to look at and remember. For now I just must give thanks for this opportunity; it truly was the experience of my lifetime.
