The final countdown

“You get a strange feeling when you’re about to leave a place, like you’ll not only miss the people you love, but you’ll also miss the person you are now at this time and place because you’ll never be this way again.” Our last night in Samoa is here. I knew that this day was going to come and that at this point in the semester, it would be our time to leave. Knowing that all along, and now happening upon this day, I can actually say I am ready to go home. Yes, there are a list of things I will miss about Samoa; the people, the busses, the easiness, being constantly surrounded by water in the Pacific, many new and challenging experiences, my fellow SIT group and most of all, my Lotofaga family. There are, however, things that I will not miss. The food, no hot water, the dogs, the lack of connection to the rest of the world, the inability to understand certain aspects of Samoan life on a cultural level, the incredibly minimal contact with family, and of course, no air conditioning. In our final days, I have finished my month long research project, on local foods in restaurants in Samoa. On top of that, we have returned to and said our final goodbyes to our village families, visited To Sua trench one last time, spent a final night at a private island, packed our bags (mostly) and are now ready to take on the 18 hours of flying time within the next two days. I think the hardest part of this semester coming to a close is not that I don’t want to leave Samoa, it is knowing that if I am ever fortunate enough to return, it will never be the same. I will never be the same. But that’s okay. See you again in a few short hours, America!