International Development Work takes us to many places and gives us the opportunity to meet a lot of people, from different countries and diverse culture. We build friendships and establish relationships. But at a certain point in time, we say goodbye, au revoir, paalam, tiza onana, tam viet...etc. etc. Though some maintains the friendship and relationship despite the distance while some last as long as we are together in the same country.
This reflection is a result of an email I got from a Brazilian friend I left in Zambia. She and her husband are still there but might be leaving soon. She was updating me about what is happening in Chipata, the small province in the Eastern part of Zambia where I used to live, and among her stories this line struck me...I think I will never get used to this rotation of friendship. Whenever we make good friends and get acquainted to the new environment, either they or we have to move." This is one of the realities of international development work, however, it makes the world smaller. What is important is how we keep the friendship...how we are inspired by the lessons we learned from that place and appreciate the experience we had.
To all of you my friends who have cherished the memories and have kept the friendship and relationship despite the distance, thanks! International development work made my world smaller.
