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Published: March 9th 2008
Hi everyone
Well, this is officially the last blog post from my trip to Burkina Faso which began on May 5th of last year. And what a trip it has been! With the many ups and downs (mainly downs at first, I will admit) I can honestly say I have gotten more out of this experience than I could have hoped for. It has been rewarding professionally, but even more so personally. Really, there is no way to explain the joy that I feel from having been here, and how profoundly and fundamentally changed I am as a result.
In order to celebrate this and to share this moment with my friends here, I threw myself a going away party last night. And what a party it was!!!!!!! We really pulled out all the stops and had just the most fantastic evening. I am proud to say it was the best party I have ever thrown and it will be hard to beat in future. The bar is high now! The company paid for the evening's festivities so the sky was the limit. Highlights include:
-champagne
-live band
-garden lights
-more food than you can shake a stick at
Chatting
Sidikou, myself, and Guy all chatting it up. You can see the Chinese doctor standing behind us.-tons of fantastic people
How can you go wrong with a recipe like that? 😊 The pics really do not do the evening justice, and when I woke up today with my champagne hangover, all I was thinking to myself was "Wow, what a great night!" My plan was to have an evening that was unforgettable and I think I may have achieved it; and I'm proud!
So, the plan for my last day in town...
I am going to go to the pool and work on my tan for the last time. I got ragged last time for not being brown enough when I came home, so I am making an effort! Then I will go to the airport and check in so I don't have to worry anymore about my luggage. Then me and Sev are going to go for dinner somewhere before she drops me off for good. Hopefully I won't cry too much!
There have been a few tears so far, but not as many as I expected. When I left Spain after only 3 months, I had a long drunken cry-fest with my best girlfriend there and I was afraid of
an encore last night. Luckily that was not the case. I shed a tear or two when dancing with Guy, though. It was a slow one and we talked about how he would miss me and how we were friends for life and we would surely work together again someday. I shed another tear or two the other day when I said goodbye to my villages. That was really more difficult than I foresaw. It's crazy how they grow on you! They were really not happy I was going, but said they understood that when the boss says you're leaving, you leave. Nobody understands hierarchy like villagers, I tell you. Anyway, they said if they had known sooner they would have planned a big party for me to thank me for everything I have done for them. They said lots of other nice stuff that made me feel good, particularly that even if someone was coming to replace me they would rather it was me who was there working with them. It was probably more based on their general aversion to change, but I still found it flattering. I have really come to care a lot for those people, and
it was nice to know the feeling was mutual. It is special to know that you have made a tangible difference to people, and that they remember and appreciate you.
The last bout of tears was saying goodbye to my favourite driver. We have done so many kilometers together, and shared hours and ideas. He is really someone purely kind and so special, and knowing him has been amazing. He is still trying to convince me that 4 wives are better!
So, Burkina Faso, I embrace you. I thank you for all you have done for me, and I hope to see you soon.
Goodbye and goodnight.
xo
Brownie
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Balchin
non-member comment
Brownie, I'm so glad you've enjoyed your time in African and am awaiting your next adventure to make us all wildly jealous of you once again. But for purely selfish reasons I'm glad you're coming home. Can't wait to have you back with us. I have no doubt that before you know it you'll be packing up for another jet set to some exotic location. Looking forward to being back home with you, hugs, Balchin