Blog 32: Katie

The last few days have marked nearing the end of our GSL trip. Two days ago, I had to say goodbye to my host parents, sister, and cousins. Yesterday, I had to say goodbye to the rest of my host sisters.

Although in some goodbyes there were tears shed, throughout all goodbyes, there seemed to be a presence of “this isn’t the end”. At first, I thought the “casual” goodbyes weren’t meaningful because isn’t a goodbye supposed to be a little more sentimental than other greetings? Why are we shaking hands to mark our departure? Why no tears?


After thinking a little, I realized that maybe this doesn’t have to be a goodbye. Yes, we are physically leaving each other; however, emotionally, we will always be present within each other. In the future, I hope to come back again. This family, that I had just met a few weeks ago, have played a significant role in my personal development over this trip. For the time now we are apart, I have pieces of them in forms of bracelets and pictures. Hopefully in the future, the pieces will become whole again.






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