Well, I leave today for my two-day trip back home to Montana. It is
surreal to know that soon I will be driving around town, visiting family, and
walking across “the stage” to receive my degree in Mathematics. The last week
has been full of happiness, excitement, and goodbyes. Let me tell you a bit
about it.
I finished up all of my teaching and had a end of the year meeting
with my two mentor teachers. We figure out my grades for the semester and I
finished up with all A’s. When this meeting was done I felt a huge weight lift
off my shoulders and really began to see the light at the end of the tunnel
towards school.
This last week I have been taking every chance to say goodbye to
friends by eating out with them (dosas, my favorite) and hanging out. It’s
always weird to say goodbye because it always seems like there will be another
time that I will see them or that there is one more day that I will be here. On
Thursday though this week, the Math Department had a little going away party
for me with a lovely cake and snacks (Indian street food actually). They were
all super sweet for saying nice things about me and we sat telling stories and
talking about my future. Here are some photos.
Friday was the toughest day this week. It was my last school day so
in all of my classes I brought cookies and took a photo with them. There were
so many hugs all throughout the day with my students and my colleagues. My
students ended up making me a poster with all of their signatures and nice
notes. They also bought me a few presents: a scarf, a jewelry box, and two
cakes for a not so surprising surprise goodbye party. I ended up talking to a
handful of students and they were telling me how I was the best math teacher
they’ve ever had. A lot of the students were sincerely telling me that they would
miss me. Honestly, I was so surprised and flattered that I had made a
difference in these students’ lives. I had the first experience of the beautiful
outcome of being a teacher--being apart of the lives of students. Here are a
few photos from the day of goodbyes.
Now I finish off with the fact that I am all
packed up, drugged up (for motion sickness), and finished up with being here in
India. The things that I have learned from the experience are huge and I am
sure in ten years I will still see the effect that the trip has had on me. The
great thing is that I am coming home with a job offer in hand for next school
year and a hopeful interview in the mid of next week. There are so many things
to look forward to which makes my departure so much easier but I still thank
the Lord for all He has given me in this trip. Well, I am off! I am sure that I
will talk and see lots of you when I am state-side. All my love!
