The trip is over and the goodbyes have begun – lots of hugs and a few tears. We had a wonderful last dinner all together at our Pietermaritzburg hotel last night with lots of reflecting beforehand over bad red wine. The things we have seen are quite difficult to process. We have only scratched the surface in so many ways and have to guard against extrapolating and assuming that we truly understand the culture of this huge and complicated country. I have read (and written) stories, before I came here, about most of the partners we visited but the experience of being there was SO different than reading about it. We are all feeling challenged about how to try to describe our experiences and help people who want to hear our stories feel even a little bit of what we felt and observed. And about how to help even more than we are right now. The need is so great and the people on the ground doing the work are so dedicated and skilled and effective.
We left Joan (participant from Richmond) in Pietermaritzburg and the rest of us took a bus to Durban. Betty and Char (participants from Nelson and Calgary) and Beth and Leslie (SLF staff) stayed in Durban and sent us a photo of themselves on the beach before our plane even landed in Johannesburg. Meg (SLF executive director) and Judi (participant from Burlington) started their journeys home today. The rest of us had yet another “final dinner” (and one more malva pudding and custard dessert!) back at the Airport Bird & Game Lodge where we stayed on our first night with the group 13 days ago. It feels like much longer. Bonnie and I both leave early tomorrow afternoon – Bonnie through Addis Ababa and Toronto to Victoria and I through Dubai and Toronto to Winnipeg. Most of the rest also leave tomorrow but later than we do so some are going to the Apartheid Museum and some on a city tour before leaving. We did that when we first arrived so are feeling pretty ready to be heading home to rest and reflect, see our family and friends and get back on our bikes! Thanks for following along on our journey. <3
