Saying goodbye to the babies was so hard. It is always hard to leave them behind not knowing what the future hold and no longer being a part of it. I did really well with my goodbyes but as I bent down to kiss one of the little boys, I could no longer stop the tears. This little boy had been just a few months old when he arrived last December. I cannot even count how many times he stopped breathing and had to be rushed to the hospital. He was having seizures that were hard to control and he didn't eat well. Now, he has just turned 1 and he is amazing. As I held and kissed him for the last time I was overwhelmed. All of the kids at Door of Hope hold a special place in my heart. Each one in unique in his/her own way and each one has given me such happy memories that I will carry with me forever but sometimes I don't want the memories, I just want to keep them! I didn't wait to say goodbye after loving and caring and investing so much into them. I wanted to take them all with me!
A lot of tears were shed as I pulled out of the driveway for the last time. The house that I had known as home, and the aunties and uncles that I have known as my family all faded into the distance as we drove away and all I could do was pray that some day God would bring me back home to my family.
Heading out of South Africa with my mom and my best friend made it a lot easier to leave. We stopped in Holland and spent 5 days there visiting with some wonderful friends. It was such a blessing to be there and to see everyone again. My friend Cornee (who had volunteered at DOH in 2009) kindly gave up his flat so that my mother and I could stay there. He arranged everything and made it a wonderful week for us!
After Holland we stopped in Germany for three days to see the sights. It was so nice to finally have some down time and to actually relax! I think I had forgotten the meaning of that word while working at Door of Hope!
After Germany we headed home to Canada. My best friend is Australian and we actually met at Door of Hope back in 2003. She now lives in Australia and works as a social worker but she took five weeks vacation to hop all over the world with me. This was her first time in Canada and I was very excited to show her the sights! We had two busy weeks and did a lot of eating all the wonderful things that I had missed out on. Yesterday, she flew on to New York and she will head back home on Tuesday.
So now the fun begins! I have a test booked for October 12 for one of the Colleges that I applied to. It is a basic math, science, and English test to determine which classes I need to take. I am still waiting to hear back from another school but I am hoping that I am accepted to a school in the next few weeks so that I can start to plan the next few years of my life!
This blog won't be nearly as interesting as it has been but I will keep you updated on kids still in Africa (I am still in regular contact with them) and I will keep you posted on what I am up to. I also hope to work with a few former DOH volunteers here to have fundraising even for Door of Hope! So here goes the new chapter....
Saying goodbye
With Cornee who made my trip to Holland so wonderful!
With Jo and my mom on the way to Germany!
Early Dinner at Marche in Toronto
Niagra Falls
Cheesecake Factory!!!
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