May 1, 2005: Headlines: COS - East Timor: blogs - East Timor: Married Couples: Personal Web Site: Peace Corps Volunteers Dean and Randi in East Timor: Saying Goodbye to Timor Leste What Have We Done?
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May 1, 2005: Headlines: COS - East Timor: blogs - East Timor: Married Couples: Personal Web Site: Peace Corps Volunteers Dean and Randi in East Timor: Saying Goodbye to Timor Leste What Have We Done?
Peace Corps Volunteers Dean and Randi in East Timor: Saying Goodbye to Timor Leste What Have We Done?
Leaving East Timor was much more difficult than we imagined that it would be. Of course it is a horrible cliché to say that you don't realize what you have until it is gone
but we really only realized how integrated we were, how good our Tetun had become, how many friends we had, how much we had learned about the political and economic situation there and how much it felt like home as we were getting ready to leave.
Peace Corps Volunteers Dean and Randi in East Timor: Saying Goodbye to Timor Leste What Have We Done?
Saying Goodbye to Timor Leste What Have We Done?
Log Entry Location: Tonga
May, 2004
[Excerpt]
Leaving East Timor was much more difficult than we imagined that it would be. Of course it is a horrible cliché to say that you don't realize what you have until it is gone
but we really only realized how integrated we were, how good our Tetun had become, how many friends we had, how much we had learned about the political and economic situation there and how much it felt like home as we were getting ready to leave. During the last several weeks we consoled ourselves by saying "we'll be back." For Patti, it was incredibly reminiscent of the end of her first year in Brazil in high school.
We had a series of goodbye parties and events and by-far the most difficult part was saying goodbye to our good friends, Lili and Osorio. We spent lots and lots of time with them and with the other members of our "adopted" family there. We even had the privilege of becoming godparents to Orio, their newest baby boy. After the death of their other boy in November of 2003, they saw it as a blessing to have a new little brother in the household. The whole family helped to prepare for our going away party at the house everything from the traditional foods to Patti's dress and hairstyle.
Leaving Peace Corps and the Directorate of Environmental Services was also incredibly difficult for both of us. The Peace Corps staff hosted a big "send off" party and Patti spent most of that time crying with a handful of the local staff. Dean's staff came to our party at the house and also presented him with some beautiful tais as a going away present.
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Story Source: Personal Web Site
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - East Timor; blogs - East Timor; Married Couples
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