Monday, August 29, 2011

I still haven't packed

Tonight I said goodbye to a twelve-year-old boy who stood in the doorway of an orphanage and cried as I walked away.

What could anyone say to make that hurt less?

The only way I'm getting through this week is by thinking about how my dad's coworkers all know the exact time I'm getting home because he's been talking about it for weeks. And how Rosie's cleaning her apartment a week in advance so I can sleep on her couch in her bed this weekend. And how there's a Harry Potter-themed homecoming party invitation sitting on my parents' kitchen counter. And how in order for the next adventure to start, this one has to come to an end.

Before I came, Ben told me that there would be nights that I'd be so homesick I couldn't stand up. He didn't tell me that the nights leading up to my departure would make me break down in tears on the sidewalk.

I'm really excited to see everyone at home - I really am. But leaving Korea is going to be one of the hardest things I'll ever have to do. Bear with me while I figure myself out these next few weeks, okay?

3 comments:

  1. KOREA! one last time...so glad you're adventure was lovely enough to be sad leaving. Can't wait for what's ahead for you!

    lovelovelove

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  2. SO MUCH LOVE and prayer going out for you this week, sister friend... don't forget it for a second. BEEN THERE. exactly. right. there. it's nice to be able to say that, so take advantage of it if you need to... if you need to 3am Skype me I WILL understand. ♥ Remember how my world was spinning so fast around me that YOU had to pack my suitcases just to make sure I boarded the plane? And then you crawled in my carry on. I still remember how hard I bawled on the walk home from the subway after dropping you off -- that was MY breakdown on the sidewalk moment. Hard to believe it was 6 months ago.. We've both survived this long, so there's that..

    I love you girl, and I seriously, SERIOUSLY mean it when I say you can call. In the mean time: take a deep breath and soak it all in, laugh about the times you cried HATING Korea (I was there), hold the people that you love in unforgettable hugs (both there and here), and SMILE -- through both the happy AND sad tears -- you've got good reason for both.

    You're gonna hear it a thousand times in the next couple of weeks, but I want you to know that I'm PROUD of you for all you've accomplished/finished/done/begun/grown/etc.etc.etc... It's one for the history books, or blogs at least, and I'll be eternally grateful to have been a part of it. Love you, girl. ♥

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