On Thursday, April 25th I went to my field placement for the last time. Wednesday of that week had been my last day in the office. Although that day I did my normal paperwork, the staff let me choose where to go for lunch and we had some great conversation over delicious Chinese food. It was a very nice day, although it was much easier to leave than the girls' home was.
On Thursday morning the missionaries were there as always, and we just played some fun games with them for about two hours. After that we had a short workshop given by one of the staff members and I don't remember what else we did after that. For lunch that day I ate my last chicken foot (thankfully the other meat dish was just a small piece of beef!) and gave my last workshop about wild animals (requested by the girls) in the afternoon. I'm glad I saved that one for last, because it was a lot of fun for all of us. We learned a lot! After the workshop concluded I passed out some chocolate chip cookies I had made for everyone, including all the staff. The girls told me they were delicious. Little did I know more sweets were to come!
Once my workshop was over the girls started going about their own business until suddenly the bell rang to call them into the dining room. One of them came over to distract me as the door was closed and a frenzy began inside the dining room. I soon guessed that they had planned something special for me.
When it was finally time to go in, I found everyone sitting around the table, which was full of chips, pop, and cookies, all of which we never eat there. And I was told to sit directly in front of a big cake! They had written "Muchas gracias" (Thank you very much) on the cake themselves. Right away everyone started to thank me and say sweet things to me. We recalled some fun memories and laughed a lot. The staff joined in as well. I got lots of hugs and a mountain of cards (which I think I'll wait to read until I get to the States). I cut the cake for all of us and we just had a great time. Finally, it was time to go. I gave the girls I was closest to some final hugs and made my way to the gate for the last time. One girl, who has touched my heart in particular, followed me all the way to the door and slipped a bracelet she had made onto my wrist. We promised each other we would not cry, and I was off. And I didn't cry--until the police officer shut the gate behind me! I let myself be emotional for a little bit and had it all back together by the time I was at the bus stop. I could not have asked for a better despedida (goodbye) from everyone I've worked with these last three months.
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