It is for both of us

A month after leaving South Africa I am finally able to bring this blog to a close. I wish I could say the reason for the delay was that I was too busy, but that is not true. The delay is a result of my unwillingness to accept that this remarkable adventure had come to an end.

Jim Metz told me several times during the trip that I would find moments coming back to me almost like flash backs. That out of nowhere I would remember something that happened during our stay. He was right. I have avoided bringing closure to this blog because the experience is still alive inside my head, inside my heart.

I just saw "District 9" and that film had the strange effect of bringing me full circle. On the one hand, I could not have appreciated the film nearly as much before going to South Africa, but on the other it allowed me to accept that the experience is now over. And that brings me back to the very first question. Is this work we did for them or for us?

The answer is much too simple. It is for both of us. The experiences I have highlighted on this blog were remarkable. My words cannot capture the full meaning, the enormous impact of that month. And judging from the way our South African friends responded, it had just as important, although different effect on them. I miss them.

I also miss the team. I miss them much more than I imagined I would. Yunus with his vision and quiet leadership. Lyla with her patience in preparing me for that final week when I would "fly solo" with the leadership training. That motley math crew: Jeeem (Jim) with his marvelous dedication to the people, Mark, the barrel chested ex-Canadian who had a magic touch with the camera and an infectious enthusiasm with his math, and young Amy who embodies the future. The almost bipolar science team with Robin and his boundless energy and enthusiasm and Barbara with her quiet enthusiasm and those damn paper hats that seemed to be everywhere. And our IT guy Aaron who taught me about Linux and kept us connected when outside forces seemed committed to severing those connections. And finally, Gora who shared his home, his humor, and his marvelous grill with us. We were an eclectic team that Yunus pulled together. I was blessed to be a part of it. Thank you to all.