By Overseas Educators Rachel & Peter
Sitting on a wooden porch on a rainy afternoon in Nairobi, sipping some soups, we can’t help but notice something: it’s so quiet! Nobody around is playing cards, listening to music, or slurping passion fruit juice. The only other beings around now are just a fluffy golden retriever, an old white lab that seems to be blind, and a needy little cat. We invited them to sit in a circle to talk about their highs and lows of the day, but they all said they were busy with other plans.
It’s that most bittersweet time of the year. The day after the group leaves. That day when we make a pact not to talk about the group and the semester all day, and we still end up talking about the group and the semester all day. This is the unique attribute about our job. It’s more than a job. For three months, it’s our social lives, our entertainment, our education, our personal growth. But of course, we know eventually the group will split and everyone will go their separate ways. And knowing that this experience is impermanent is what makes the relationships and memories so special.
What fills the silence left behind by the group is a deep sense of gratitude. Gratitude for each group member we met in the airport on day one, for all of the wonderful contacts we heavily relied on, for all of the support from our families and friends and the dedicated folks in the Carpe Diem office. For the thousands of lives who played a part in our journey, in ways large and small.
But alas. No point living in the past. We hope that each of you who are returning home transition smoothly into a new chapter of life that is full of continual discovery, passion, and love.
See ya around.
Seize the day!
With lots of love,
Rachel & Peter