The end is near

As I write this I am packing because I will leave what has been my home for the past 8 weeks. The emotions I feel are conflicting. I am sad. I will miss my new friends, my students. I will miss coconut juice and sugarcane juice. I will miss the smiles, the waves, the "hello teacher" that greeted me wherever I went. I will miss the music at 5am, the street vendors, and the ladies in the cafeteria. 

And yet I am happy. I have done something not everyone gets to do. I will soon be back in my own bed, my own house. I will be able to eat in my own kitchen, I will use a microwave. I will drive. I will see my colleagues and friends whom I have missed, I will enjoy a beer at the Green Onion. Most  importantly, I will see my children. I will kiss them goodnight and I will enjoy their company. 

 The end is near. Tomorrow morning I will say Tam biết to KGCC. And while I still have another week in Vietnam, tomorrow I say goodbye to the place that has been my home for the past 8 weeks. It's difficult and yet it's not.