Arusha, Tanzania is one of the most
beautiful places on the planet; not because of the lush vegetation and vibrant
colors, but because of the people. Walking around town, it is rare to pass a
stranger that does not say hello and welcome you to Tanzania. Driving to the school,
every child you see smiles and waves. At L.O.A.M.O, it is impossible to walk
around school without being hugged and wished a good morning. The culture here
is so overwhelmingly welcoming that in the short amount of time I have been
here, I have found a place that will always be home.
It is for this reason that when I
hear the word “Tanzania”, the first thought in my mind will be of smiling faces
and beautiful laughter. I have seen elephants, lions, zebras, and more, but the
students at L.O.A.M.O outshone them all. I have never felt so much love and
gratitude radiating from one place, and it is hard for me to imagine it
existing anywhere else. I have seen and done so much on this trip, but there
isn’t enough time in the universe to accomplish everything. I am not ready to
leave L.O.A.M.O, but I never will be. Even if I had stayed here for years, I
would have always needed one more hug, one more dance, and one more smile.
I think that is what made Saturday’s
goodbye the hardest one yet. Two of my students, Noel and Precious, muttered
quiet “I love you”s through tight hugs. When I told them the same, their only
question was “then why are you leaving?” Tears welled in my eyes and I was left
utterly speechless. How do you explain that a plane ticket is your best excuse
for leaving to two children who only want love? All I could do was pull them
closer and whisper, “Because I know my heart will always remember you.”
Precious nodded and wiped tears from my cheeks while Noel grabbed my hand for one
last time and pressed a folded letter into my palm.
Watching their bus drive away, it
did not feel like the last time I would see them. My brain said it was goodbye,
but my heart knew that it would always return home. Maybe I’ll see the students
at L.O.A.M.O next summer, or maybe I’ll never get the opportunity to see them
again. Either way, we will sleep under the same stars and I will take comfort
in the fact that I never truly left them, for you can never leave family.