A teary teary night

In just two short hours I'll be saying goodbye to Suriname. It has been a teary night of saying goodbye....and it's not over yet. There are about half a dozen people who have set their alarms for 2:00 am and who will be here to see me off. To say that I feel loved would be an understatement. To say that I will be leaving with red eyes from crying so hard would be an understatement. So, I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on a few of the treasures I have gained from my time here in Suriname.

Girls’ Dinner. Several times I got to enjoy being treated to some amazing Suriname cooking and spending my evening in the company of some wonderful women. Jetty, a neighbour and friend to Jenny, the lady where I lived did the cooking. Mariel, Christa, Jenny, Suli and Heraya (Jetty’s daughters) and I got to enjoy the food. And we all had the pleasure of each others company. Those were nights full of laughter and lots of good stories. I always felt blessed on those nights.

A family. From my adopted Javanese family to Jenny & Janet. I have another family here in Suriname. To have been welcomed into their homes and into their family life when they barely knew me, yet embraced me like they'd known me for years...amazing. We have laughed together, argued, cried and laughed some more. How is it possible that total strangers would open their home and their hearts to me in this way I may never know, but I'm sure glad they did.

My coworkers. I had a wonderful work experience here in Suriname largely due to the people I worked with and the ability to really experience the work environment here. It was through my coworkers that I tried so many different foods here in Suriname and learned so much about the culture. Saskia, Wendy, Mariska, Gary and Maja - who shared their space with me and were ALWAYS offering food to me. Really, all of my coworkers helped me to learn the Suriname way of always sharing with others. This is no lunch time swap. This is a central part of the Suriname culture to share food. At first I always felt guilty that I had nothing to share, but soon, I found myself sharing what I did have and that is the Suriname way. You may not have much, but there’s always enough to share. And then there was Bidjesh, Bea and Steven who took me and showed me some wonderful parts of Suriname and welcomed me into their lives...from their Monday night walking club to the football games it is sad to have these times come to an end. And then there is Firoz and Deborah there aren't words for these two...they made me laugh SO much, to say that I will miss them would be an understatement.

My appreciation for Canada. The simple act of being born in Canada affords me a place in this world that some people will never, ever get to experience. I may not have a vast knowledge of the truth depth of poverty in Canada, but I know that simply by being on Canadian soil you have access to commercial goods and to social support systems and outreach programs that simply do not exist in some parts of the world. You may be poor, but you also have a MUCH better chance of getting out of poverty than MANY people do in developing countries, particularly women and children.

Faith. In Suriname I was reminded that I do in fact still have faith. I thought I’d lost it. Here in Suriname instead of making me angry, my religion gave me comfort. I’ve always, always believed in God. And I have always, always felt God’s hand on me. That has never changed. And I don’t know that I’m still so sold on organized religion in some ways, but I know that I still have faith and I hope that maybe going to church won’t feel like a burden (as it has these past few years), but rather like a comfort because of the sense of community that being part of a church brings to your life (like it used to for me).

My understanding of myself. Some may call me stubborn but I’ll give that the old PR spin and say I’m determined. Despite a rough start here in Suriname, I had faith that it would get better. Some of you said I know you’re not a quitter Tricia, but there’s no shame it in. I knew I would never give up my dream and I’m glad I never did. So call me stubborn if you want to, but what I learned is that determination can indeed see you through to the other side and the other side is in fact all that you dreamed it would be. So I will continue to be determined, to dream and to accomplish. And if I have to be stubborn about than so be it!