Another Round of Good-Byes

Every time we see Peace Corps friends now we have to say good-byes and this weekend we had a good share of farewells. We made the trek down to Gorongosa for a big end of service get together, and with buddies starting to head back to America next month, it was our last time seeing a bunch of the guys we’ve had such a strong shared experience with over the past two years. Tete province traveled in a pack, and like all our African travel, we had our share of adventure. Our 4am bus out of the city broke down half way to Chimoio in the middle of nowhere. Our conductor managed to muster two small mini-buses to rescue us, but we had to pack 5 to a row to all fit in. Our next transport had a blow out, but luckily managed to retain control and not flip over. In the end we made it safe and sound. Close to 50 volunteers congregated on the centrally located Gorongosa, so we brought a tent and camped out under the stars, until it started raining. Our rain-fly is already in the USA, so we had to scrounge some floor space and sleep slumber party style. One of our colleagues works in the nearby Gorongosa National Park, so she organized a safari for us in one of their mini-buses. Gorongosa was one of the continent’s premiere safari parks during the Portuguese era, but the two decades of conflict that followed left the park devastated and devoid of the kind of flashy wildlife we’ve grown accustomed to on some of our other vacations to Mozambique’s neighbors, but we still enjoyed the drive and spotted some beautiful antelopes, including our favorite, the majestic Sable. It was kind of crazy with all the tents, hungry mouths to feed, puppies, emotional farewells, and unexpected precipitation, and at times it felt like a refugee camp, but our hosts, Brian and Jordan, did a great job taking care of us all, so we’re glad we made it, despite the 30+ hours of travel it took for the roundtrip. Plus we got a chance to hear about how everyone is negotiating closing their service here, and what people see in their future for when they get back to America (most people, including ourselves, have been avoiding thinking about this, so we got a lot of hums and uhs in peoples’ answers). We ended with a late evening bonfire, with volunteers playing the guitar and singing songs, no marshmallows or ‘smores, but a few tears and lots of smiles.