Almost home...

My last week here has been incredible...and my legs are completely back to normal after the volcano summit, except for a new round of bruises! Tuesday was my last day at Eluai, the Maasai village I have been visiting once a week, that Kitumusote is based in. To say that it was the most perfect day would be an understatement. The weather was the best that I have had in the past 6 weeks here: beautiful sunshine and visibility for miles! Eluai is nestled on the side of a mountain as well, so you can see pretty far. Now my favorite way to travel the 2 1/2 hours to the village from Arusha has become what I lovingly call the "death ride," which is a rented pickup truck (picture a '57 Chevy that's been rusting for the better part of its lifespan and that requires a push to get started), in which we travel over hill and vale, past flat-topped acacia trees, herds of cattle and goats, waving Maasai warriors and kids that are tending to those same herds, holding on for dear life while standing in the bed of the truck, with all the bumps and ruts in the "road"...tough to fully describe the experience, but I tried. Once at the village, I had yet another intensive tutorial in Maa, waiting for the meeting to start, which basically turns into a laugh session every time as both they and myself get the biggest kick out of my feeble attempts at some of the pronunciations! I walked into the meeting to see my name last on the agenda. It was a fairly short meeting up to that point as they did not have much business to discuss, and even though I couldn't understand the language when they got to the last item of business, I couldn't keep the tears from spilling over as I knew it was to say goodbye and thank you. Crying is not very customary in their culture either, so I was very surprised and touched as they tried to comfort me with smiles, holding my hands, and hugs. They disappeared as a group, and then returned in a few minutes singing and dancing in unison as is their custom...the sound of their voices together singing a farewell is something I will not even attempt to describe as it is almost impossible to relate the effect the sound of African voices singing has on me! I could only sit and cry more as they broke out individually to shake my hand, give me a hug, and bestow either a necklace or bracelet from their own neck or wrist onto me as they continued to sing. I have never gotten so many gifts at once before in my life!! Then I got pulled into the dancing and singing!! Now, the Maasai jewelry has little metal doo-dads dangling from everything, which creates the most incredible jingle that I have also fallen in love with...hearing it in sort of a surround-sound effect every week is now one of my favorite sounds in the world. By the end of the meeting, there were smiles all around, I had pulled myself together, I was loaded to the hilt with so many tokens of their appreciation, and I was jingling too! After saying goodbye one more time, we loaded into the back of the death ride to head to the other side of the mountain to visit the director of Kitumusote's boma/village. Rounding the hillside my breath caught in the back of my throat as the Ngorongoro Crater spread out before us in the valley, the sun glinting off Lake Magadi in full glory!! I got to meet the whole family, and received a blessing from the Maasai "don" of the boma, which if I describe it here, would probably just gross people out, but at the time, it was one of the most incredible moments of acceptance and gratitude I have ever experienced! The ride back to Arusha was culminated by a beautiful sunset over the Maasai lands, and I tried to soak it all in as it would be the last time I would look out over it all (this trip).

I have since finished up all my project work at Kitumusote, met up with some friends from Nairobi here in Arusha, and also gotten to see my guide from Kili! After several trips to the market in town, one of which I was on the back of a motorcycle and a Maasai warrior was driving--still wish I'd gotten a picture of that one--I think I'm all set to leave here. All that's left to do is pack and then all I plan to do is relax by the pool at a nearby lodge until it's time to head to the airport. As of Thursday my blood was at it's thinnest ever, and after I put on my stylish compression hose, I should be good to go and spend the next 20 hours on a plane...have no fear, I will be doing ankle pumps and leg kicks till the cows come home, and sleeping is the last thing on my mind!! Really looking forward to seeing everyone when I get home...and please forgive me if I am a little late since my flight into Newark is now arriving an hour later...as they say here, "No hurry in Africa!"

So I picked the title of this entry for 2 reasons...first, I'm up at the crack of dawn writing this because I couldn't sleep due to the fact that I'm really excited to fly out this evening for home. Secondly, and on the other hand, I can't quite believe I'm leaving this place after 13 weeks here. It has become almost home for me, and I will miss it. To have the experiences that I have had, both in Kenya and here, has both reaffirmed what I believe in and also changed me in ways that I probably won't realize fully until long after I am home...it has been an incredible ride, filled with lots of ups and definitely some downs, but they all contributed to the most amazing journey and I wouldn't trade them for anything! Thank you all for your vigilance in keeping up with me through this blog...and for all the love, support, and prayers. I promise to post some pictures when I get home...tutaonana baadaye!!