Jum-Reap-Leah!

On the morning I left, many students showed up, in their uniforms even.  I didn't know that a such a formal goodbye had been planned.  The students were allowed to give me one last individual goodbye hug.  My heart broke into pieces.  How could I leave?  These were my children.  This is a picture of me and Sophara.  He was the 2nd grade boy with the big crush.  During the last week of school, one of the teachers must have told him I was leaving because he gave me a note that said, "Kerri, I'm sad.  I love Kerri.  Love Sophara."  He lso drew a picture of us.  I was holding a suitcase, and we both had sad faces.

I tried to be strong and hold back my tears in order to comfort them. 

Kim brought her mother and Seyhak to say goodbye too.  I got to hold and kiss my special Godson one more time.  This was the first time that Kim's mother had been in my apartment, so she took a look around and seemed especially impressed by the kitchen.  "Very modern!" she exclaimed.  Seyhak liked my computer.  His eyes were completely transfixed on the screen which displayed the FaceBook page.  (Some things are truly universal.)  He also likes watching ceiling fans go around just like all other babies.

SreyInh and Chanrong gave me a framed picture of all the students in my Teacher Training Class and wrote "We love Kerri" on the bottom.  Chanrong was wearing one of my favorite shirts which contained a typical oddly worded phrase in English.  It says, "Picture and the face much lighter so that all you are really focusing."  I always get a good laugh out of this not only because of the grammar, but the content is funny too.  It's basically saying, "Look at my face, not my chest."

Laum gave Cynthia and I a going away present too.  He gave her a tube of red lipstick and me a tube of glittery pink lip gloss.  I thought, "Ahhh, he knows what we like to wear."  I would never have expected him to notice such a thing.  (Although, I have strong suspicions that Roam helped pick them out too.) 

The students lined up along the path with girls on the right and boys on the left.  As I walked away, they clapped, and I waved and blew kisses.

Good bye my darling 1st graders!

Then, it was really time to leave. 

Nine friends accompanied me to the bus station.  It was completely unexpected and once again showed me how special these people are.  Getting on that bus was one of the hardest things I have ever done.  I took one last look at them and climbed aboard.  Then, I wept as we drove through the village, knowing that I was leaving my second home.  I said silent goodbyes to all my favorite street vendors, restaurants, pagodas, rice paddies, palm trees, stray dogs, and the path to my school.  Everyone stared at this strange barang on the bus and wondered why she was crying.