Sorry this blog is so late.....
Thirteen months ago, I left my family, friends, and home to
come to La Paz, Bolivia. My objective
was to work in a foundation helping the poor and the street children. My goal was to help change lives and to give
kids a hope and a future. I had no clue
what the year would hold for me. So
right now I sit in the Lima, Peru airport, waiting on my connecting
flight. After thirteen months, I again
have to leave my family, friends, and home to go back to the States. As I sat in the airplane, watching La Paz and
El Alto fade away in the distance, tears began to roll down my face. My goal was to help change lives, but in the
end it was mine that changed. My world
has been rocked. Now, thinking about the
future, I have no clue what this next year will hold for me, nor the years
after.
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| My Home. (Photo Credit to Soy Pacena Facebook page) |
La Paz
has really become my home this past year.
Lately, I have had trouble remembering the day I landed at the
airport. Life before La Paz has become
more like a movie. I remember the events
but not so much of how it felt. What I
really feel now, is this life I have gotten accustomed to and how much it hurts
to leave it behind. I am truly excited
to go home and see my family and friends, but I am torn apart inside leaving
behind all the family and friends I have made here in Bolivia, but most of all
the children who have stolen my heart day in and day out.
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| One of the nights sleeping in an airport during our trip |
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| 9 Flights in total on our trip |
I just
got back from my trip around South America a week ago (more blogs to come on
that) and I have spent the days since telling everyone I could goodbye. It hasn’t been easy and honestly, I have
broken down in tears many times thinking about it. I was told that the pain you feel and the
tears that flow when you leave just show that you truly gave your heart to the
people around you. I must have given
most of my heart because it really hurts and there have been many tears. I waited till the final day before I left to
tell everyone at work goodbye, because I knew it would be very difficult. My first stop was upstairs in the daycare
with all the little kids. They had just
gotten done eating lunch and were getting put down for a nap. A few of them grabbed my hands and telling me
“Hi” as we were walking to the napping room.
They all layed down in their little beds and we finally got most of them
to sleep. Standing there watching them
sleeping, I remembered the reason I had come to Bolivia. I stood there with tears running down my face
as they lay there snoring with their stuffy little noses. My next stop was the tutoring program down
stairs. I walked in to visit my little
girls who always give me the biggest hugs.
Whenever they run up and squeeze you tight, your heart just melts. After I told them I was leaving to go back
home, they grabbed me by the hand and told me “No te vayas, quedas aqui con
nosotros” (don’t go, stay here with us).
Hearing that, my heart just broke in two. It is so hard to hold back the tears when you
here that.
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| The kids didn't make it easy to leave... |
After
saying goodbye to the kids, it was time to say goodbye to the people I had been
working with everyday for a year. I had
built so many close relationships with each person on my team, as well as
people from other teams. These people
had become like family. They all felt
like brothers, sisters, moms and dads to me.
It was so difficult as we said goodbye.
Eyes filled with tears, I couldn’t walk out the door. I told everyone that this wouldn’t be
goodbye. It was just a “see you later”,
because I am at least definitely coming back to visit. And those were just the goodbyes from
work. There were so many people who have
become a part of my life in La Paz. Even
many of my sales ladies that I have had hours of conversations with down at the
market, in the little stores, and at the food stands.
This
past year in Bolivia has been the best year of my life. I have seen many things that have made me
just break down and cry. I have seen
many things that have made me so happy and proud. I had the opportunity to be a part of many
people’s lives and allow them to be a part of mine. I was able to help many families and children,
while having my perspective on the important things in life changed
drastically. I have learned so much
while working here. I was blessed with
the opportunity to travel and see many amazing things that I could have only
dreamed of. I know I have lived a lot
this past year and that going home is not going to be an easy task. It will take a lot of adjusting to get back
in the swing of things but I never want to be like I was before. I want to hold on to the things I have
learned here in Bolivia and I want to put them in to practice once back. I want to share the things I saw and the
things I felt. I want people to know my
Bolivia. No matter what I do in the
future or where I am in the world, Bolivia and all those people will always be
in my heart and I will never forget the best year of my life.
