The One with the Final Thoughts

As I sit here eating a sandwich and a cold glass of orchata that my landlady Imelda made for me, I am beginning to realize that this is it. In less than 48 hours I will be leaving my little town of Gracias, and then in 5 days I will be on a plan back to Boston. Like I said in my earlier post, I have many mixed feelings about leaving 7 months earlier than anticipated.

*I am relieved that I no longer have to live in such a dangerous country.

*I am sad to leave many good friends and coworkers who have treated me like family.


*I am heartbroken to leave the kids I’ve been working with, never being able to know if they’ll make it or not.

*I am grateful to have had a year and a half of amazing, life-changing experiences.

*I am overwhelmed with thoughts of returning to the developed world.

*And lastly, perhaps most importantly, I am satisfied with what I have made out of my Peace Corps experience- I accomplished what I came for, and even though I had more projects planned for the remainder of my service, I am still leaving with the notion that I have helped people, and that’s what this was all about.

I want to extend a hearty thank you to the Wayland Girl Scouts and their leader Angela for the clothing donation, and to Angi for the shoe donation. Both have been given out to the kids at the center where I work, and rest assured that they went to children who desperately needed them. Thank you for such a simple gesture; it goes a long way for hthese kids.


Another big thank you to Darien Book Aid, an NGO in Connecticut that donates 25lbs of new/gently used books to Peace Corps volunteers around the world. I requested children's books for the IHNFA and books/resources on drug prevention, sexual education and culture for the Youth Center. The donation came in while I was on med-evac, and I finally got a chance to give them to my organizations!

This has definitely been a bitter-sweet week saying goodbye to my Honduran home. It is sad to leave earlier than expected, but if I were leaving in August it would be sad just the same. I keep focusing on all I have accomplished rather than what I had planned and did not get to see through. Putting everything into perspective has helped me understand that regardless of the specific number of months I've served, I have still seen wonderful changes in the people and children with whom I've worked. They have helped me as much, if not more, than I have helped them, and I will forever hold a special place en mi corazoncito for Honduras.