Day 76: saying goodbye to volunteers

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Our first round of extended volunteers left this week. I was only given the opportunity to get to know them for a week, but like college or a job enviroment, people tend to get closer faster when they live together or share extreme/challenging circumstances (watch Speed if you don’t believe me). It has been interesting to watch people process through going home (back the the US and Great Britain) after volunteering or exposing themselves to a new culture and poverty for the first time. Alden was the first to leave. He finished college and is unsure of his next step. So much of his processing is around excess back home and enjoying small things that get thrown to the side when you get in the rush of life. He is convinced he wants to go home, sell all his belongings and move to a thrid world country for the rest of his life. David is the second. He is interesting for sure because he is in his mid 50s and went to school to be a photographer. He says he struggles back home now because everyone and their mother thinks they are a photographer because they have an IPhone and no longer want to pay for professional photography because their uncle can do it. So he is already looking for a life change and while he was here did photo updates for 3 NGOs. Now people here is the real deal...David‘s work reminded me why I don’t even try to take photos. I am not trained and don’t have a clue about what to do to truly capture the scene. Paying for a real photographer is so worth it, but it often one of the first things cut because anyone can snap shots. I don‘t know what it would be like to have my profession/education be deemed unnecessary. He too is struggling with the pace of life back home, people’s demeanor/attitude towards life and not wanting to revert back to his old habits. I don’t think I will have as hard of a time transitioning back to life at home, but it has made my brain start to wonder what that process will be like. How long until I fall back into my old habits? What habits/thoughts from this trip will stay with me?

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