Week 51 at School - FAREWELL!!!

Well our time here has come to an end.  Thanks to everybody for their encouragement and support and please continue to support St Jude's.

For those reading the online blog, there is more if you click on the Read more>> button below.

The best and worst.  This remains unchanged with the best being the people and the worst being I still can't speak swahili, although I do understand much more than I did when I first arrived, much to everybody's amazement at times.

This place will be hard to leave, but it will also be exciting going home to family and friends.

St Jude's has been our home, our life and our family for 12 months and it is something we will never forget.  For a while there we did consider extending, much to the horror of some in Oz.

Would we come back?  For sure, but not so sure when or for how long.

Would we recommend this to others?  Definitely.  Don't procrastinate, just do it.  Life is too short to wait for the right time to do anything.  I can think of at least 6 people reading this blog who have expressed a desire to do something like we have done.  Please do it - you won't regret it.

What next?  Well first we have to see our girls, then family and friends, then rebuild the coffers.

We are really not sure what we are going back to as nothing will be the same as it was when we left 12 months ago.  We have been told there will be some readjustment required to learn to live in a first world environment.  I think driving will take some adjusting, no more crossing unbroken lines or ignoring road rules, and I'll have to remember to turn off the engine and get off my phone before filling up with fuel.

Some of the other things we are looking forward to are:

Our own home - sorry girls, it's ours

Our own cars - sorry girls, they are ours too

Good steak & seafood

A ski holiday - when we can afford one

The farewells began when we returned from safari on Saturday and have continued daily since them.  Every night we have been out to dinner with friends.  Friday night is our formal, well it's really informal, farewell at The Hole, our local pub just outside the school gate.

 

Friday we put our hands on the Helping Hands wall for departing volunteers.

 

I had to get this in early as I'm not sure what is in store over the next few days, but I know it will be emotional and filled with tears and a tinge of alcohol.

 

That's it for the blog.  Thanks again for putting up with my ramblings.

 

See you all on the next adventure, whatever and wherever that may be.

Just in case you are wondering we arrive home (well the airport) at 6.40am on Friday 21st March.