Back home

It's been a month since I came home, and here is an update on how I'm doing. I'm writing this in English, so my friends in Juba (and Canada) can understand as well. Most friends and family here in the Netherlands have already heard these stories first hand.

Saying goodbye to everyone at CCC was hard. Luckily, my friends Tracey and Clare organised a nice party for everyone to say goodbye to us. We had home made cake and balloons, glowsticks and music! It was a lovely party. The cake was very nice and sweet, although it didn't look great. We passed out presents to all the kids and danced the night away. I loved it!
At the end of the night I saw Juma sitting at a chair with his new soccerball, almost falling asleep. You could see he was very tired, so I took him to his bed. I said goodnight to everyone and went to bed myself.

The next morning I had to pack up the last of my stuff and decide what I wanted to leave behind. Mostly toiletries and medical stuff. Luckily, all my stuff fit into the suitcases. Joanna even went to a local restaurant to find some beers for my dad. I wasn't able to find them before, because in the shops they don't sell the beers in bottles, only in cans. And I especially wanted the bottles, since my dad collects bottlecaps.

I also went to MAF to say goodbye to Carolyn and my students. They made a nice doorhanger for me, which is currently hanging on my bathroom door. It was nice to be able to hug them all one last time.

Then I had the nice task of getting rid of my money. I donated some and bought a bunch of bracelets from the girls with the rest. After that, Joanna returned with the beers, so I could put them in my luggage as well. When everything was set, the kids and staff who were at the compound at that moment came to say goodbye. A group picture was taken and I hugged everyone. They also gave me something, but I wasn't allowed to open it till I was on the plane. It was a nice card with something written on it by everyone of the staff.

Then I was taken to the airport. Tracey and Rebekka went with me to help me at the airport and say goodbye there. Boarding wasn't as troublesome as I expected, although I was send back to get a 'leaving' stamp. Then I had about 45 minutes left till my plane would depart, so I spend the last of my pounds on water and haribo at the tax free shop and read my book untill take off.

The flight was fine, I was even able to watch a movie. Well, about 80% of a movie; the Smurfs. On Caïro I had to leave behind my passport, because I didn't have all my boardingpasses yet and I wanted to get something to eat. There I made a big mistake. I should have eaten at Burger King instead of the grill restaurant. They claim to love meat, but if that's how they treat something they love, I feel sorry for their wives. They ruined the steak I ordered. But oh, well, the spring rolls were nice.

After dinner I still had about 7 hours left, so I found a nice corner to watch a movie and read my books. It seemed this night took longer than the one on my way to Juba, but then I was so excited and nervous I didn't feel sleepy. This time I was so tired of saying goodbye and felt so emotionally drained by leaving CCC and feeling homesick, I couldn't stay awake. I was very happy when I finally could go complain about not getting my passport back yet and having to wait for someone from Lufthansa, because it gave me something to do. It took them untill half an hour before boarding to get me my ticket, so I had to walk fast to the gate. On the plane, I immediately fell asleep and didn't really experience anything from that flight.

By the time we arrived at Frankfurt, I felt a bit more rested and got some breakfast. I was already cold, since it was about 2 degrees Celsius at Frankfurt! I layered up and was happy to board the next plane, since it was nice and cozy inside. Then I heard something I got even more excited about. A lot of people speaking Dutch around me. Sure, there were some Dutch people in Juba, but this was very nice. I started chatting with some people, who visited an orphanage in Malawi and talked about culture differences and the joys and challenges of working in another country. The last flight felt like only 15 minutes to me. I got more and more excited about seeing Arnold and my parents again.

When I arrived at Schiphol, I was very tired, but also very happy to be back in the Netherlands. Arnold was waiting for me at arrivals and about 10 minutes later my parents also arrived. With Cheese!!! We had a lovely breakfast/lunch at one of the restaurants at the airport.

After that, Arnold quickly took me home, so he could put me in bed. I was so tired and slept almost that whole day. The next day we went to my parents to see them and my grandparents. I loved it, and it was very nice to be able to show them some pictures (thanks Clare!).

In the weeks after, I visited most of my family and friends. Everyone loved the gifts I brought them. And most of it arrived safely. Only one of the beerbottles broke in my bag, but it's okay, the other was still good! I love being back and settling back into my life here, but I still dream of Sudan and everytime I see pictures on facebook of the girls or the little boys, I feel a tug on my heart. I miss them all!