No Need to Say Goodbye

"It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word
And then that word grew louder and louder
Till it was a battle cry
I'll come back when you call me
No need to say goodbye

Just because everything's changing
Doesn't mean it's never been this way before
All you can do is try to know who your friends are
As you head off to war
Pick a star on the dark horizon and follow the light
You'll come back when it's over
No need to say goodbye
You'll come back when it's over
No need to say goodbye

Now we're back to the beginning
It's just a feeling and no one knows yet
But just because they can't feel it, too
Doesn't means that you have to forget
Let your memories grow stronger and stronger
Till they're before your eyes
You'll come back when they call you
No need to say goodbye
You'll come back when they call you
No need to say goodbye"





-- "The Call" by Regina Spektor








It's been one year.








Twelve months.








Fifty-Two weeks.








Three-hundred and sixty-five days.








Five-hundred and twenty-eight-thousand nine-hundred and forty-nine minutes.











In other words, far to long sense I left that place I still call home. Oz. Australia. It's funny how I still love they way that word rolls off my tongue. But it's also crazy how much weight it carries even this far along. It's crazy how things get easier, but only ever so slightly. They say that time is a great healer, but it's astounding just how much time it takes to heal wounds of the heart. It's crazy how much thinking about those last days still hurts. How vividly I can remember the pain of leaving a place that I love, of leaving a culture that I love, the people that I love. I still don't know if I should talk about it in the past or present tense. I still can't grasp all the ways in which I grew and changed because of my year abroad. Every single day I think about Oz. Every day it dawns on me that Oz taught me this or that. Every day of my life, I remember. I feel. I love. And some days it physically hurts. Some days there's nothing on my mind buy Oz. Nothing but stories--memories. Something I've found I have a knack for collecting. And every day goes on. Life moves forward. Before I know it it'll have been two years. Five. Ten. Twenty. Time doesn't stop just because the mind dwells. Just because we don't forget. Every day I get farther and farther away from what Oz used to be, from the day I left. And closer to the day that I return, to what Oz will be. I'll come back when you call me.


And still, it's just as shocking waking up today as it was a year ago. Only this time around, rather than having to take in "America", I have to come to terms with the fact that it's been so long. That it's my New Year. That July 12th is my time to reset the clocks and begin the count down all over. My time to begin afresh; a time filled with new journeys, new adventures and new stories. New lessons about life, new people and plenty of new epiphanies. A time to find a new flow and accept the change. It's like being reborn in away, knowing that you've made it through so much and that when things do get rocky, you have the strength to fight your way back to the top. So that even when things seem impossible, you know that they aren't.



You've learned how to put things behind you without completly forgetting. You've learned how to say "see ya later" and avoid the word "goodbye", becaues there is no such thing. You've learned that being in a crowd of people doesn't necessarily mean you can't be lonely. You know that it's ok to be you. But you've also leaned how to share certain parts of yourself with differnt people. As you have different friends for different things. You've learned to go with the flow, but letting go is something you're still comming to terms with. You've learned that just because everything's changing doesn't mean it's never been this way before. You know what it means to truly love. And you know that living on opposite sides of the globe doesn't stop that love. You've learned to live without the people you love, the places you miss and the stories you could share. You know that just becaues others can't feel it too doesn't mean you have to forget. You let your memoreis keep your love alive. And, most importantly, you know that there is no need to say goodbye, only "See you Later".





You've been on exchange. And even this long after, it still isn't smooth sailing. . . you've just learned to become an excellent sailer.

Got a tan. Saved the World. Life is Good.

One would think the above is impossible. Usually superheros wear full body spandex topped off with a cape and there's no way the sun is getting thought that. But last week, I proved em' wrong. I saved the world and got a badass tan. Well, maybe not the entire world...maybe it was only a small piece...and maybe it involved a few afternoons at the beach, and maybe my tan isn't exactly 'badass'....and I most certainly didn't stop any buildings from falling or any old ladies from getting hit by a bus. But I did something great. I made an impact that changed people lives as well as my own. I made a difference.

A few weeks ago, myself and 16 other students at Durango High School saved a little piece of the world. Though Interact (the high school branch of Rotary International) and a contact currently in the Peace Corps, we spent 6 days in Jamaica sweating, painting, teaching, learning, tanning, growing and changing. Changing the lives of others and making a lasting impact. Growing as people as we gained new experiences in a foreign land. Tanning on a daily basis, learning from others, teaching those around us, painting wall after wall and sweating profusely. It's hard to put into words the kind of things you gain from this without over doing the cheese factor. But you all know how much I love being cheesy! So...

I know that I'm a better person because of everything that we accomplished last week. Everything from smalling up (cramming as many people into public transport as possible....11 people into the back of a tiny truck bed and 5 more into the cab), to reading to the kids at Baboscel Primary school, to picking up trash around the Cricket pitch and painting the Community Centre, every minute of every day, I was becoming a better person. The sense of community I found within our group of Interacters was astonishing, we learned from each other, we cried together and we laughed at one another. There's nothing better than being able to crack a joke at someone else's expense :) We are a family in a sense, Rotary has united us in the same way it has brought together so many people across the world. Our little group of 16 kids and 5 adults will always have this experience to share. The people we met in Jamaica will always share this experience with us. It was wonderful. Life changing. Eye opening. And pretty much just amazing :)

Now for the visuals! The very best part of any blog is the photos! Cause I know how few of you actually read this and just look at the photos. So enjoy!

For a few days we volunteered at a primary school, to us this kid was known as the "cool kid with the dreads"...as you can see he's pretty wicked :)

On the first day at the school we spent time teaching kids in the 4th grade to read then we went to the different grade levels and read them the book "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss. When we asked them questions at the end they were all so excited. This is one of my favorite photos.

Jamaica used to be a British Colony, just like Australia. So, guess what!! THEY PLAY CRICKET!! And they have Milo, they have tea and coffee after dinner, they have supper, and they drive on the left, and the use the metric system, and they even have some of the same slang! It was just like being at home. That's probably my favorite part about Jamaica, the fact that the British took over it however many years ago so that I could visit in the 21st century and feel like I was in OZ :)

We also spent a lot of time painting things....and this is what happens when you spend a lot of time painting things. We were so worried about getting speckle tans :) This is Ally, Leah and me (L to R)

Of the 6 days we had in Jamaica, we spent one being tourists. The obnoxious American kind......and we went to the Dunn River falls. Which, as you can see by this amazing photo taken by the professional photographer that happened to be one of our chaperons, are quite pretty. They are about 9 kilometers long and you start at the bottom at the beach and climb your way up. Heaps cool eh?

And because we did this trip through Rotary, we got to go to a Rotary meeting! Which was one of the highlights for me on the trip...cause I'm all obsessed with Rotary and what not. You see, the Peace Corps contact we have in Jamaica is former Rotarian from Durango and a new member of the Ocho Rios club in Jamaica. Here we have Tori, the club President, and the Sargent at arms. Did I mention they have the same sense of humor as Aussies :) takin the mickey is what they do.

And here's a few photos just for laughs :)

A few photos for the "AAAAAAWWEEEE" factor

And one just to get you thinking :)

haha....there are just random wild goats all over the place! I'm not even joking!