Tionana Malawi

i cannot believe it... i am out of malawi. to be more exact, i am in the kenya airport about 10 hours into my 36 hour trip home. it doesn't feel real, perhaps because it felt so painfully real up to today. it was very difficult to leave; after taking so long to settle and starting to seed strong friendships, it just came to quickly. and i suppose in departures, one realizes that she did not take full advantage of time, place and people.

but no regrets about going to malawi! the year professionally was all and much, much more than i had anticipated. i know so much more about where biostats fits into the bigger picture, and as a result, have a much better idea about where i fit into the picture. and i feel loads more confident and comfortable than i did 12 months ago. (now if i can just maintain this). and my colleagues and counterparts couldn't have been more engaging and responsive. wow.

and on a personal level, there are no regrets. i have been able to find my place in it all again, step away from the hectic US and remember who i am and what i am. suppose that sounds cryptic (unintentional), but i think many will know where this comes from. and i have felt so loved here. the troops came out to celebrate my time here and say their farewells - 21 people for a weekend at the lake, 3 family dinners, an open house that pulled about 30 folks. it was lovely. and the most WONDERFUL part of this is that every one of them is amazing - committed, kind, worldly, inspiring.

but as i transition out, i feel so lucky (ondinelago, shili shili) that i have i am returning to a whole lot of committed, kind, worldly, inspiring folks. my roommate put me on the plane today with the words "i am now turning you over to your boston support group". wow. how is this my life?

so photos to come from all the final festivities, and to all of you tionana (see you later)- either in malawi or in us or namibia or germany or .....................