The Three Goodbyes
Well… I cried. And that was only on the first goodbye. And if you know me, then you know what I mean between the lines here. But can you really be surprised? I mean, living in a place for two years is no small feat, especially in a new culture, where making friends, building relationships, and coming to know it in a way that can only be described as intimately. And then having to say goodbye, not knowing when you’ll meet these people again? Isn’t it a more surprising thing that I didn’t spend the whole time bawling my eyes out?
So Long Itufa
As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I think three major goodbyes come at the conclusion of your service. The first is saying goodbye to the village and community. It begins when you start packing up your house, preparing remembrances to leave behind so people have a piece of you after you’ve gone. It’s when you’re hanging around places just to imprint them in your memory one last time—so you know that even when you’re moving on, you can still look back on them. It’s spending time with your people when you know you should be filling out your Close of Service checklist, but a few more minutes together won’t hurt. Mine reached its climax at my going-away party, when I got serenaded by my teachers with a goodbye song filled with emotions that had grown over two years.
From language group all the way to COS. We did it!
The second is saying goodbye to the other volunteers you’ve served with—both in your province and in your entire cohort. One of the most memorable moments here was spending it with the “Original Three”: Henry, Isa, and me. We went to Liuwa with our host families and made memories to last before heading home, then spent our last night together talking and reminiscing about all the changes we’d seen and how different things were from our first visit back in 2023. It’s been a long road, and I wouldn’t have wanted to do it without you guys. Luinzi amoho luli.
Lubasi lwa luna - Our Family
And the third, which might be the hardest since it’s the last one, is saying goodbye to the entire country. After you’ve done your exit interview with the DPT, shared your last inside jokes from Pre-Service Training with your project managers, and completed your ring out, where you’re celebrated for finishing those long, arduous, yet fulfilling 27 months, it hits you. It’s when you’re getting on that plane or bus, taking those final steps that ultimately carry you away from one life and into another.
The whole month has been one long goodbye. From welcoming the new volunteers to sending off the old ones, saying goodbye to my host family and community, and trying to squeeze out a few last memories before going our separate ways. Goodbye, Itufa. Goodbye to my cohort. Goodbye, Zambia. Until next time.
Book that’s currently distracting me from writing my next blog post: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind x William Kamkwamba, Bryan Mealer
Song that is probably getting played way too many times: Never Home x SiR
