Dear Ndugu,

I wasn't sure how I'd feel leaving the Village.  It was a challenging 3+ weeks, but as I walked the gentlemen of Serengeti House to school on my last day they all suggested that we take a picture together and then they each gave me hugs and said goodbye.  I have to admit that it got me a little soft inside. 

I was writing a friend a couple days before I left that I would reserve judgment on how to define the experience until I had time to digest a bit more.  Though, as I drove away from the village, there was another moment of heavyheartedness.  I, as I do with most feelings, suppressed it with the tenacity of a mongoose, but was a bit shocked at how much the 3+ weeks had subconsciously(unconsciously?) meant to me.  

While I'm still digesting the experience, and don't think I'll quite reach a place where it will be defined as life-altering, I can say that the experience was more than my overly-analytical brain had planned for.

I won't do a shill here.  But, if you guys were looking for an organization to donate to as 2012 comes to a close, this one is a pretty good one in my book:

http://www.tanzanianchildrensfund.org/Sponsor_a_Child.html

If you sponsor/donate, your kid(s) will periodically send cards that highlight their art skills.  If you'd like a sample for what you'd be in store for, I'm including a couple of drawings that the kids did of me... 

While I think I'm meant to be a superhero in the second one, I can't say they are very flattering.  I guess the message here is that, at the very least, you can expect something creative.

Tonight is my last night in Tanzania.  Crazy!   It's gone by so fast and it has been quite the experience.   I fly to South Africa tomorrow evening for a new and different adventure (CAGE DIVING!!) with a few friends.  It will be nice to see some friendly faces, but I'll miss some of the friends I've made here too. 

I'm off to the roof to check out Kili under the full moon at bit longer.  It's sick!

(*I know I owe several people emails.  I promise I'll be getting back to you soon!  Please bear with me!)