Heading home

It is with mixed feelings that I pack up and prepare for the trip home but I think both of us are ready to come home. It has been a very interesting and, in many, many ways exciting trip (not the least of which is the trip the provinces yesterday, as Kris has described it. But then words simply cannot do that sort of experience justice. Suffice it to say that, as we entered our hotel for the evening, I think we both said a silent prayer of thanksgiving, and thought about the dog that was hit by a motorbike right in front of us, or the truck that crashed and lay on its side in the canal that paralled so much of the highway we traveled).

The people here are great, so generous of heart and spirit, and so hardworking. But, as Kris suggests, many are so poor. And there is no social safety net, to speak of here. But yet, all of that seems to fade a little as a small child, riding on the front of her mother’s bike yells out, “Hello!” as they go by, and you return the greeting and wave, and she beams from ear to ear, waving back as they pedal down the street. The kids always seem to find ways to be happy.

So we head home, anxious to share our observations, stories, and pictures. Our work here will probably continue and I hope we can contribute in some small way to the efforts of the people in this region to help themselves.

I think we are both saturated with sights, sounds, smells, thoughts, and feelings. As we decompress, we will continue to share our thoughts with you.