Learning Until The End - Day 7

We are coming home. I am writing from somewhere over the great state of Texas. Our flight will land around 9pm and I hope to be back in San Diego by midnight. It has been a remarkable experience - and I feel honored to have participated alongside some of USD's finest.

We were up, packed and on our way to the airport by 8:30am. It may have been a titch early for some of the team, but they shook off the fiesta from the night before and rallied with their usual spunk. There were a series of goodbyes, last moments in the hammocks, and a few photos. As we drove to the airport, I had begun to settle in to 'return' mode. As we got closer to the airport, we encountered some kind of accident on the opposite side of the road. A man had been killed and his leg contorted in an obvious break. His body lay in the middle of the street - no cover, just there. As we passed, a silence overtook the bus. Tears formed in my eyes, and the student next to me whispered, "I've never seen a dead body." It was horrific. As we pulled up to the airport, I tried to check in with students but there was such hustle and bustle to get 26 of us checked in. We stopped at an airport gift shop and took turns "guarding" the luggage left outside.  Lots of rememberances of our time were purchased. Our departure was uneventful and the group was (once again) patient as I walked through the plane with my checklist to make sure all had made it. At this point, they just roll their eyes and smile.

As we landed in Houston, the group re-entered the age of technology. A student that I was walking with quietly asked, "Did you hear about Chuck?" (A 2012 graduate that had passed away during our trip.) I nodded and she continued on to say that she had found out 2 days before, but didn't want to ruin anyone's experience. (I am now second guessing my decision to not tell the group...) We then talked about the man in the accident, her disdain for the seeming lack of respect. And, finally, circled back to the painful death of her friend, my friend. She shared that she hadn't expected death to be a part of this trip. My heart broke further for the grief experienced far too young. It wasn't until all were settled at the gate in Houston that  it all washed over me. Vulnerability and pain apparent in others, empathy filled me to the point of overload. Exhaustion completely set in.

As we were passing through the airport, two students asked if I was coming to Ghana next summer. When I smiled, they began in earnest- "You have to come!" I told them that the organization had to decide who they wanted to ask to attend, and that we would see. One of them got a little twinkle in his eye and declared something to the effect of, "I'm voting for you!" Ghana? In August? I wonder if MandyandGhana.blogspot.com is available?

Rainbow (Hope) over Honduras