anDUH!

Today as my English students were working on their pronunciations between and and Aunt, I told them to practice saying duh – duh – duh – anDUH. I wrote it on the board and Conrado asked me what it meant. I responded by hitting my forehead with my and exclaiming “duh… pues!” After repeating duh – duh – duh – anDUH several times, I can clearly hear the distinction between their ending d’s and t’s. I suppose I hit my head a little too hard though because now I have a headache.

As I begin to pack my things, I will be reflecting on this past year:

What has changed within me?

What will I bring with me and what will I leave behind – emotionally and literally?

How will anyone be able to understand the life and people here, without experiencing them, living among them?

Will my presentations meet the expectations of the audience: my church, family, friends?

Will I meet their expectations?

How will I continue to use my Spanish learned, so I won’t forget it?

How will my days go without all the kisses on the cheek?

What does a meal look like without rice with it?

What is the next step for me, my next journey?

It seems I am ending this experience with just as many, if not more, questions as I started with. During lunch today we were talking about where Jenny’s stolen cell phone could be now. She asked “¿Quien sabes?” who knows. I answered, “Dios, y nadie mas.” God, and nobody else. “Si,” she answered. “Hay cosas que solo El sabe.” Yes, there are things that only God knows. I felt at that moment, that this is the answer to all the questions I listed above, and so many more. So as I enter into this time of change, I’m not worried. I’m looking forward to it. I look forward to talking with you, and sharing this experience in person. I look forward to the conversations we will have about fair trade, human rights, environmental advocacy, immigration, and culture. I look forward to finding my way to the next path that, for now, only God knows.

Thank you for your support throughout this year, and I’ll see you soon!

I added my latest pictures to this facebook album:
http://owu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015395&l=6b6cf&id=24100417