Our Last Month at Site: Part 1

Well, everyone...WE DID IT! After many challenges and triumphs, Ryan and I will get on a plane in two days to fly away from Suriname, our home for the last two years. We moved out of our site in the jungle one week ago and have been in the city going through the Peace Corps process of closing out our service. We appreciate everyone's support and prayers as we transition out of this adventurous chapter of our lives and re-integrate back into the plentiful U.S. of A.

This last month at site has been a whirlwind. I'm going to try to catch you guys up quickly...

Our captain finished building his own house. He has been working on it since before we moved to our village. He is a man of many trades and did just a beautiful job. After church one Sunday, the pastor and all the villagers went to his place to bless the home and his family. The pastor prayed, said a few words and then we all sang quite a few hymns. 

As you can see, the family had matching outfits made for the occasion. Hanging on the walls are cross stitched pieces used for decoration. After the dedication, they passed out soda, cake, popcorn and even chicken and rice. We were happy to see one of our hardworking captain's dreams come true before we left. For more pics, click here.

Less than two weeks ago the display case was completed for the HIV/AIDS Awareness Quilt that women from my village and two nearby villages made during our 5 week training of trainers. A local carpentar created the protective case so that we could hang the quilt outside of the medical clinic in my village in the rainforest weather. It is important for it to be outside because that is where patients wait to see the nurses. If it were inside the small clinic, it would only be seen by the nurses themselves and not be valuable as a conversation starter and proponent to stop stigma against people living with HIV in Suriname. I'm thankful that I was able to see the finished product before I left. Click here for more pictures.


Me and Lenda, a local nurse and one of my counterparts for this HIV/AIDS project


On the Friday before we left site, one of the teachers asked that we come to the school. I was confused and thought that she wanted to change the day of our last English lesson with her class but I quickly realized that they were planning something with at least part of the school kids to say goodbye to us.

Well, they were planning something with ALL of the school kids: pre-schoolers-6th graders. They had a little table set up all decorated with a chair on either side of it:

They then arranged all the kids in a semi-circle surrounding the table and chairs and then called Ryan and I to the front. One of the teachers who happens to be the village pastor and one of the basias (village leaders) came to the front and talked about all of the projects that we did with the school and how well we lived with the teachers and all the kids. They explained that their thanks were not sufficient but that they would pray to God to bless us (our school is affiliated with the Monravian church). It was really kind. Then every single class each sang a song to us, like they do at the end of the school year program. It was adorable! After they (and the teachers!) sang, the teachers presented us with four beautiful calabashes and a handmade comforter-type sheet and matching pillow cases.

The best part was the handmade gift bag. Each heart on the sides was signed by every child in each class! We were totally blown away. After THAT, every single child in the school (by class) came up and either hugged us, shook our hands or both. Some of the kids were really sad. I know the 5th and 6th graders the best, due to our English lessons, and it was really hard to know we might never see them again. All of my 6th grade girls (whom I took to Camp GLOW) were crying.

It was very moving. My work with the school really meant a lot to me and it was wonderful to see that it meant a lot for the teachers and the kids as well. I will forever carry that day around in my heart and am very thankful to those teachers who were so thoughtful. It was good closure for us and the kids. More pictures here.