On my way back home!

Well, here we are. I have been away from home for 74 days! I'm sitting in the Paris airport, absolutely exhausted! I haven't slept in 27 hours. Okay, well I took maybe a half hour nap on my flight from Nairobi to Paris, but other then that I was up! I had a iced double mocha right before I got on the plane, so until about 3 am I was doing great, then I got sleepy, then at about 4 I tried to sleep, and was a teensy bit successful. So if this post sounds a little crazy, you know why. Anyways! Here's a bit of a reflection, and please don't forget I'm so tired. and this internet is all in French! So I'm struggling.

Okay. So looking back on this whole experience, I have such a mix. I am so so so happy I went, but saying good bye was the hardest thing I've ever done. At my last dinner, Clint (a little boy in my grade 1 class) said "So you won't be there to watch the movie tomorrow?" me: "Nope, I won't get to watch it with you". Clint: "Okay, I'll see you on Monday then!". Ya...He looked at me in shock when I said I wouldn't be there next week either. So leaving there was so so hard. I love my family back home and am SO excited to see everyone, but saying good bye for what could be forever was so hard. Before dinner even started, one of the boys came up to me and said "Mama Susan says your going to cry because you'll miss us". Anyways, I cried. Obviously, Africa has made me apparently really emotional. And since the arrival of my moms bag, I've had mascara on (When I put it on, all the kids were like Auntie Kristyn looks different!). So that was a pretty sight to have make up smeared all over. Seriously, I wish I was a pretty cryer.

And then! At the airport, I was going through customs, and the guy looks at my passport, and was like where are your extension papers? I was like what are you talking about, and I figured I wrote down to many days on my claim thing. And he was like your visa says your only here for 1 month. I was like no way, I've always been planning to stay this long. Anyways, he starts looking at me like ya I can't help you, and I was like what do I do now? And he kinda gave me a look like "I can't help you", and so I started crying. It worked, and he told me to check closely next time, because ya. Anyways, I'm pretty much the crazy girl at the airport :) 

Anyways, I have so many letters. about 40, little cards from my little kids. Like I am convinced working in an orphanage is something everyone should do. Maybe not all in Kenya, maybe not all with Rafiki. But these kids are amazing. They are like sponges, and they just aborb every bit of love your going to willing to give them. And they love you back. I gave out 99 hugs after dinner to the 99 children. And then 9 mamas. And then the whole kitchen staff, and my housekeeper. And then all the ROS. Yeah, super sad to say good bye.

I think going home is going to be scary. I think its so easy to forget everything I've seen in Africa, and I don't want to forget. I'd honestly love to still be there. If I were there, I would be helping class one with reading right now. Africa has this weird way with time. It feels like you haven't been in Africa long, but that its been forever since you've been home. And now that I left, I feel like its been so long since I've been there. So honestly, coming home is harder then leaving. When I left I probably thought it would be the opposite.

So there, sorry its long. I haven't talked to anyone except airport people for like 15 hours, so I'm losing it. And if your not busy Saturday night, go to Kings Head for my brothers wedding social :) hehe Here's some pictures! and! The day I left it was Kilonzis 7th birthday! Theres pics of me and him somewhere, maybe I'll put up more now...We'll see

Julie