It’s Madison here. My final hello from Mongu, and soon to be good-bye. I am struggling to even think of what final words I would like to put in this blog post. How could I possibly fit 5 weeks of the most breathless, speechless, emotion-filled, heart-breaking and heart-fulfilling moments into one page. The truth is, I can’t.
What I can tell you is what this wonderful place has done for me. Some people may not understand this. Many people have this idea that we have been in Africa “helping people” or “being the vision for change”. The truth is, our Zambian colleagues, cab drivers (many who have become my dear friends), cleaning ladies (who I call my Zambian mamas), and everyone else we met along the way have helped ME, and they have changed ME. They have helped me find myself, my passion, my place, and my purpose. They have changed my perspectives, my aspirations, and just me in general. I am more patient because of the “Zambian time” they taught me, I am more honest with myself and others because of how raw and real they were with me, I am more loving and accepting because this is how they treated me.
Mongu has given me so many good days that held so many sweet memories, and even on the days that weren’t so good I always walked away with a lesson learned or a new perspective gained. The things I took away from these experiences, and the people I met along this journey have made a forever impact on myself, my heart, and my life. I wish I could name each and every person and tell them how much they have done for me and how much they have given me during my time spent in Mongu. The list is long, and I would probably sob trying to explain the value and worth of each and every one of you. I worked with so many wonderful people, who taught me compassion that of which I will always share with others in my passing.
Today is a hard day, because it is our final day. It is also an incredibly exciting day…we just became nurses. When I was 16 I made a goal after traveling to Arusha, Tanzania. My goal was to become a nurse and to travel back to Africa. Well, here I am 7 years later. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to come back to this beautiful, culture-filled, and life-changing continent. My time spent in Mongu may be coming to an end, but the lessons learned, and the passion gained will always carry with me. Now five weeks have passed (where the heck did time go?!) and we are packing all of our things, and memories into a 60-gallon backpack. We have shared so many laughs, tears and lots of South African wine and now it is time for us to go. Many of our hardest good-byes have already been said and we are soon to be off to start our new journey as registered nurses.
Thank you Mongu, thank you my Zambian friends & family members, and thank you readers for following along with us on this journey. There aren’t enough words to share my gratitude. It is not a good-bye, it is a see ya later...
ALL my love,
Kumoyo/Madison
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