Day 40: Really Long Journey Home

We were woken up at 530 for breakfast. We left the campement at around 630, and drove. Luckily, it wasn’t very hot today so the driving wasn’t as uncomfortable as it had been on the way out. Because almost everyone was fasting, we didn’t really stop for lunch and we were pretty much driving in our vans continuously until about 15 hours later (2130) when we reached Yoff. We were all happy to be back in Yoff for a few reasons, such as the opportunity to take really long showers and wear some clean clothes. We have the day off tomorrow (Monday) so it will probably be spent hanging around, recovering, nursing my mosquito and flea bites, sleeping, and other similar activities. No journal entry needed.

Before I finish, I will just say one thing about this 10 day trip that we have just completed. While it has been one of the more physically/emotionally draining experiences of my life, it has certainly been one of the most unforgettable. It was ten days of not knowing where I’d be sleeping that night, not knowing if the food would be really bad (like couscous), being alone with 20 people that speak in a language you don’t understand a word of, and other stuff like that. It was also ten days of meeting the kindest people I’ve ever met, bonding with kids in my group, and experiencing cultures in ways that most people never will. Although it was hard and uncomfortable (for almost all of the time), I’m so happy to have been given the opportunity to have such an experience.