Going, Going...

Going, going... and almost gone.
Our final few days were a blur of goodbyes and making the most of time with our friends in Dodoma, alongside packing up the house to leave it empty for the new MAF pilot family from Finland and trying to sell the final goods that we could not take to Nairobi. It was a busy, busy time.

In the last few days, there was one lesson that I tried to learn- but failed miserably. It was the task of How to Smile for the camera when the lump in my throat was hurting so much that I couldn't speak and the tears in my eyes threatened to spill over at every moment. Leaving our friends in Dodoma was so hard. There were many occasions when we were trying to get a last photo with friends and the person behind the camera yelled, "Smile!" When part of your heart is breaking inside, it is very hard to contort your face into a smile. A grimace was sometimes the best I could manage- so this is my disclaimer for some of the strange expressions in the following pictures!

There was the official MAF farewell in the hangar, with all the Dodoma staff present:

Some of the hangar staff:

Look at the beautiful "Goodbye Parkers" cake:

There was the farewell to our wider circle of Dodoma friends, both MAFers and non-MAF, on the Friday evening in our garden:

  

There was a very tearful goodbye in our empty home on Saturday, with my lovely language helper, Mama Kambenga. She wrapped us in a kanga and prayed blessings over Andrew and I before we parted ways. The emptiness of our room reflected the empty feeling in my heart. With moving to a new country, it was painful to say goodbye to this very special friend who has had such a positive impact on my life. The new tears came and hurt my already swollen eyes, but it was impossible to keep the tears at bay, on both sides. We have no idea if we will ever meet again.

On Sunday, the goodbyes multiplied at our final visit to church at Dodoma cathedral. We had a final family shot (with Esther and Ben's very special friend joining us too, which seems most appropriate as some friends here have become as close as extended family):

I struggled over the weekend with saying goodbye to Jane and to Pendo. They came to clean up for us one last time, then helped to clear out our home, as they took the final items that we had given or sold to them including our bed, curtains, cupboards that we had brought in our container from England 4 years ago.Here are all the remaining household items- Going...

 ...going...

 ... gone! And then Jane and Pendo were gone too-  another tearful farewell after a final hug with Joel!

Over the weekend, we finished packing the suitcases ( all 17 of them!!) to take to Nairobi with us, where we will be based for at least the next 3 months, a temporary home while we wait to see how the situation in South Sudan works out. The rest of our household goods which we packed in November and December will remain in storage in Dodoma until we know where they should be sent; until we know where our next home will be!

Finally, all our stuff was gone- and so were the Parker family. The MAF home and MAF furniture are all that remain. Moshi took the opportunity to have a good look around the house before I closed the front door for the last time:

 She then followed me out onto the patio for my final photo of the place we have called home since 2009. Moshi knew something strange was happening. Sadly, we have had to leave her behind in Dodoma, since we cannot take a cat to Nairobi and then move her again, maybe, in a few months. It has been especially hard for Esther and Ben to leave their pet behind, even with the new pilot family promising to feed her after we go. Poor Moshi. Another sad goodbye as we prepared for our final flight out of Dodoma last Monday...