Goodbyes

Given that in less than 12 hours we will be leaving Harlow, bound for Almaty, Kazakhstan via Heathrow, I'll keep this brief.

I'm giving up on a full update of the last month, my apologies. All I'll say to fill in the gaps is that I have continued to find the programme incredibly beneficial, even if it has had its challenging moments. We've had some fun, including a fancy dress party, more birthdays (mine included - awesome day with lots of sunshine and food!), more African drumming and dancing complete with bright costumes, and then more general GX socialness. We've had plenty of informative discussions at our Global Citizenship Days including about individuals and society, the role of women, democracy, and one which Dinara and I led on education - did you know that 72 million children around the world are denied the right to a basic primary education? I'd highly recommend checking out Global Campaign for Education and taking action - add your name to a petition! We completed another Community Action Day at a place called Grove Cottage which is a nursery for disabled children from 0-5 years old. We got down to a spot of painting, cleaning, gardening, and washing of the minibus. We took a trip to Cambridge. Dinara and I made a flying trip back to Norwich. The whole team turned out for a bit of friendly rivalry and watched Kazakhstan vs England in the football last Saturday at the pub - the result will no longer be mentioned. And in all, there's just generally been a lot going on!

So how have I been feeling? Well, right now, I must admit to being a little zombified from 12 weeks of intensive action. In some ways the reality that we are actually really and truthfully upping sticks and going to live in a faraway scorching hot country has been dawning on me little by little over the past week, but since I seem to be in a permanent state of autopilot at the moment, there's still a small part of me which hasn't quite grasped it! Yes, the bags are packed (well, very almost), but I will always have this feeling of not being quite prepared enough for going out into the unknown. And yet, tomorrow at 9am, we shall set off.

I'm rubbish at goodbyes as many of you will probably know. The past week has been full of them so I'm a bit goodbyed out but I've still a couple more to get through tomorrow morning with Kofi and Efua. There may be tears, especially if I don't get much sleep tonight (very likely!).

It's funny how settling somewhere for even a mere 12 weeks can have such an impact on you and you become attached to the people and places - I'm leaving with good associations and ones which I hope will continue on long after we've packed up our suitcases and taken to the skies. Saying goodbye to Realife last Thursday was more of a wrench than I thought it would be. Even though Kassym and I have just been doing a few odds and ends of projects these last few weeks, I really enjoyed it and I got to know some of the others who worked there a bit better, especially Maire who fundraises for Realife by auctioning off celebrity autographs on eBay. I'm sad to leave but I'm sure I will return as it's not exactly far from Norwich - something which has made it easier.

Another significant goodbye was at St Mary's Church on Sunday morning. I think I only attended St Mary's maybe 7 times, but it has had lasting impact on me. I couldn't have been made to feel more welcome and supported. Whenever I went along weighed down by GX issues, it managed to lighten my load, lift me and refresh my spirit. And it was another way through which I became a little integrated into the community, and outside the structure of GX. Not to mention it has been so important to me to have that Christian input into my time here - I would be far weaker without it so I am truly thankful.

We also put on a Community Farewell on Sunday to say a big thank you to our host homes and volunteer placements. We had copious amounts of food, a time of posing for the paparazzi (well, the paparazzo - there's was one newspaper there!), and a presentation which included music, dancing and film. It was a bit disappointing that not that many people turned out for it but the whole thing was very much organised last minute - I suppose it was the principle of saying goodbye and thanks though which mattered. Our amazing decorations (banners, tissue paper flowers, paper chains etc) made the place look brilliant at least.

Phew, the clock keeps ticking. Now there's less than 11 hours (I think this is taking me an age to write as I've been watching the footie at the same time!). But seriously, as this UK chapter comes to a close, I am in rather reflective mood. Goodbyes are acting as an emotional drain on me, but I am certainly looking forward to what the next stage will bring and the novelty of a new culture to get to grips with. Nerves are kicking in, but I think the adrenaline is needed to keep me moving!

It's time for me to draw this to a close. So a few final prayer points:

Praise:
- For the successful completion of this first phase.
- For the friendships that have been developed between the GX team and the communities of Harlow and Bishop's Stortford, in our host homes, at our volunteer placements, and in other ways.
- For all that we have learnt, both personally about ourselves, and about development issues.

Prayer:
- For safe travel, both flying to Kazakhstan tomorrow and within Kazakhstan - on Monday evening we will be taking an overnight train from Almaty to Shymkent.
- For the next phase, that we can make a lasting positive impact in Shymkent and develop more cross-cultural friendships.
- For the team as we pull together to reassess how we are working. Last Friday and Monday we were evaluating how things have gone and although there have been a lot of positives, we all recognise that there is a lot more we could do. We have decided that we need to be clearer about our aims so please pray that we can carry this through when we get to Shymkent.

Thanks so much guys. Sorry this post has been a bit vague and boring - a snapshot of my state of mind at the moment. But I hope all are well. For those about to graduate, have an amazing time and all the best with what's next. And all the best to everyone anyway.

And so with much love, until Kazakhstan,
Beth xxx :)