Monday, November 26, 2007

Saying Goodbye

A couple of weeks ago, the new volunteer who will replace me came to visit Assoul. What a wonder it was to see it again through her eyes. And it made me that much happier that I could see all this through, in spite of all the things I wish I could have accomplished but did not…

This has been a hard week for me, both logistically and emotionally. I thought I had my packing all planned out. But by midweek, I’d dispensed with my entire “MAYBE” pile, and was starting to give away things like hiking boots, a (nice) backpack, small electronics… After this lifestyle, one would think I’d not be quite so attached to stuff anymore. Mina grew increasingly frustrated that it was taking me so long to finish getting organized and emptying out my house (hamdullah my replacement is not letting my greedy landlord benefit from any more Peace Corps rent!). “If it’s old, then don’t take it,” she told me. If only it were that simple. There are souvenirs and gifts, and of course I need to not be naked for the next two weeks (or quite so cold, for that matter). Of course being the packrat that I am, I am very impressed to see my Moroccan friends happily take and make use of stuff that most folks I know (but not me!) would throw away: shredded mosquito netting that I had used to keep flies out during the summer, all varieties of packing material that came from my numerous and very welcome care packages, (bubble wrap was an especially big hit), and plastic bags, both cheap Moroccan mikas and leftover (some used) Ziplock bags from home. Mina’s excellent Ziplock advertisement: picture a Berber woman standing by the window of her mud house, holding up a Ziplock and exclaiming in Tamazight, “You close it, and it stays closed!”

And, of course, I much preferred to be spending time with friends in Assoul than rummaging through my junk collection. There were far more tears in the end than I expected. It turns out that, for all my ups and downs here, saying goodbye to Assoul was just as tough as saying goodbye to my family 27 months ago. Will I come back? Insh’allah.

But my travels aren’t quite over yet…