saying goodbye part 1

Well, this week went by quickly with much packing (okay not that much) more saying goodbye. I write this before I actually say goodbye to the rest of our team and my housemates but having said goodbye to Chadian friends.
I spent one last night with my good friends Jamila, Noora, Zanuba, and their adorable mother yesterday. They were probably the hardest of Chadian friends to say goodbye to. Other goodbyes include my neighbours, my Coke supplier and friend Saleh, my Arabic class and our teacher, my English class, our house helper Yakhuta, and the UN guards who so graciously let me in so that I can send this each week. Not to mention my 2 American students who I’m not sure I’ve ever even told you about. I’ve been splitting my time for the last month and a half between the Drodrolagi’s (the family I’ve been with the whole time) and the Donoghue’s (an American family who arrived in late January).
Don’t expect me home next week though as my adventures in Chad continue for 3 more weeks in N’djamena. Then a little of this and that before I actually hit Winnipeg soil, which I’m hoping will not still be frozen at that point. I am glad that I have a few weeks left with my Fijian family before saying goodbye to all those big brown eyes. Eroni was talking about us leaving the other day, as they are going on holidays for 3 months, and said, “We’ll go to Fiji, you’ll go to Canada and then we’ll all come back.” Tears came to both of our eyes when I informed him that I wasn’t coming back.
So, I’ll leave it at that for this week. I’m almost finished packing for the big city. I’m looking forward to the French pastry shop and swimming pool out there that I’ve heard so much about and Coke for half the price! Happy Easter to all, I hope you’ve all had a good time with family and have peace and hope knowing Christ our Saviour died and lives for us all. Amen!
*Disclaimer on last week’s blog: I don’t know if I actually was on CNN (I highly doubt it but I think our director was and our car) and we had no real part in bringing the kids back we merely needed a convoy for safety reasons to drive that road and that was convoy of convoys. Also it only took us 4 hours to drive back with no broken radiator and a stop to buy 50 mangoes for $6-7 CDN mmmmm.