What I'll Miss...

I can’t believe it is almost time for me to move back to the United States. I only have three more weeks left of teaching, three days of packing, and then a plane ride sending me away. In some ways I feel as though I blinked and this year was over. It’s a bittersweet time; on one hand I can’t wait to see my family and friends, on the other hand I have to say goodbye to my family and friends here...for awhile. I’m pretty positive I won’t live in La Union again during my lifetime, so it is going to be hard to say goodbye. I have been thinking about all of the things I am going to miss after I leave this place…there are too many to count.

I am going to miss the breathtaking beauty of this place. I live in one of the most beautiful places I have seen in my entire life. This place is so unexpected…so untouched. I love walking out my front door and seeing all the mountains that surround me. I literally live in the valley of multiple mountains; when traveling into or out of La Union there are amazing views that a picture or words cannot capture.

While La Union is the most beautiful, I have also been able to travel around and see an abundance of God’s great creation. I am going to miss being able to take weekend trips and see different parts of the world. I have been blessed by living in Central America and being able to see all different countries this year! Every place was beautiful and unique. I’m not saying the United States isn’t beautiful…it’s just pretty great traveling to different countries.

I am going to miss being challenged. Yes, I’ve been challenged before in my life, but living in Honduras is a whole different kind of challenge. There are issues I’ve had to deal with or overcome this year that were completely foreign to me. I was forced to grow and expand my abilities, which overall has been beneficial for me. Sometimes I think about when I move back to the United States and how easy it is going to be to simply ask a stranger a question. Whenever I picture myself going into a store in the United States I immediately think of what Spanish words I’m going to need…I forget how easy it will be to speak a language I know. Overall this year has been a welcoming challenge I am thankful to God to say I’ve accomplished. 

I am going to miss being a part of a different culture than mine. It’s an eye opening and humbling experience to live in a poverty-stricken community. I have learned so much about the world in just a short year here. As frustrated as I get sometimes, I do love that I live in a Spanish-speaking culture. It is great for me to get out of my comfort zone and to learn how to communicate in different ways. I am going to miss everyone’s generous attempts to have conversations with me, and their patient smiles when I can’t think of the correct verb-form. This especially holds true with my neighbors. They could care less about our cultural differences—they love us more for it. Even though there are many unspoken words between us, a smile can say a million things. I have grown a deep love for them. It is hard for me to imagine my daily life without the grandma poking her head in the door and bringing coffee with cookies for our afternoon snack.

Speaking of coffee, ugh I’m going to miss that too!! The coffee we get here literally comes from everyone’s farms that are only minutes away. It is so fresh, so delicious, and soul soothing. I have been spoiled with a supply of quality (and did I say free?) coffee all year! My morning cup of Joe won’t be the same next year…

The family of teachers will be missed. I was so blessed to have amazing Honduran teachers who are 

supportive and willing to help in any way possible. They are so kind and amazing examples of Christ’s love. As my teaching career grows, I can only hope to be such a hospitable teacher as the teachers at ALCS. It’s also hard for me to imagine my life without my fellow American teachers. We have all grown close throughout the year. I will miss our daily walks to the school, even though sometimes they are filled with sleepy smiles and morning yawns. I will miss Jacob’s pure-heart, Jake’s sarcasm, Anna’s daily news from her iPod, Heather’s venting sessions, and Eleanor’s pure joy for life.

Oh yeah, and then there is Gayle. I could probably write a whole blog on everything I’ll miss about this girl. I cannot believe how perfectly my prayers were answered.  God had a plan for both of us. This girl has become more than just an amazing friend, she feels like a sister to me. It is hard to be excited to leave when I know I won’t be living with Gayle again next year. We have shared every high, every tough time, and every laugh together since August. I barely spend an hour apart from her (besides teaching) every single day. We are together from the minute we wake up until the minute we go to bed. Sometimes we even pull our beds into each other’s rooms and have sleepovers! That’s a lot of time with one person, and I’ve enjoyed every moment. She is always positive, always happy, and always caring. I am going to miss sharing my life with her!

One of the biggest things I’m going to miss about my life here is cooking with Gayle. I always look forward to that time of day, because it’s always an adventure. You never know what is going to happen in our kitchen; whether it be a dead chicken flopping around, mud coming out of our kitchen faucet, cutting vegetables by flashlight, creating thousands of soups, trying to figure out the best way to cut an avocado, or even exploding plastic coffee pots on our stove. Gayle and I have become quite creative with the limited supplies that are available. Not only do we cook together, this is also a time where Gayle and I talk about our past with each other. We have shared things about our family, college experiences, and most importantly discussed our faith. I have been blessed to have such a strong Christian friend to keep me growing throughout this year. 

Thankfully, I know I’ll see Gayle in the United States. It’s high on my priority list, and I know it’s on hers as well. We will see each other soon. Although, I can’t say the same about my students; it’s hard for me to write this next piece without choking up. I can’t even express how much I am going to miss each and every single one of them. My heart feels heavy whenever I think of saying goodbye. I can’t even imagine what kind of mess I’m going to be on the last day of school, they are going to have to mop up my tears.

I’m going to miss walking out of my house and hearing a child say, “Hi Miss Van Dyke!! Hi!! Hello!!” My students are everywhere I go, and I love seeing them all throughout the town. I’m going to miss the proud looks the parents give their children when they are speaking in English with me. I’m going to miss my students walking up to me with their arms wide open and simply saying, “hug”. I’m going to miss our attempts at getting past the language barrier, and the laughs it brings. I can’t imagine not kissing their cheeks and hugging them goodbye at the end of the school day, my arms are going to feel empty. I’m going to miss their hands that lace through mine while we walk through the hallways. Their sparkling eyes when they remember an answer or a challenging English word, their absolute ADD craziness at the end of the week, the desire to make me proud, the innocent joy that new markers bring, their a cappella voices singing praises to God, and their beaming faces when I give encouraging words.

I know every teacher’s first class is always a special one, but these students will always be extra special in my heart. I will always carry a piece of them wherever I go, and I can only hope a piece of me goes with them as well. This class has made my passion for teaching even stronger and my love for children even more apparent. I love them all and absolutely dread saying goodbye. On Friday Carlos wrapped his arms around me and asked, “Can you take me to the United States with you?” My eyes teared up as I told him no. His shoulders dropped, his eyes looked down, and he said, “I want to go with you.” I want to tell him and all the rest of my students to stuff themselves into my suitcases, anything to avoid saying goodbye.

To be honest, it is a good thing I have so many things I am going to miss about this place. I’m happy it is going to be a difficult goodbye. It only means it was that special of a year, and it had a wonderful impact on my life. I’m glad I’m going to cry my eyes out; it only shows how much love I have for everyone here. I know I will meet new amazing co-workers, new great friends, a new community, new students…but nothing will take the place of La Union. Everyone and everything here will be forever missed.