Yesterday was Gudi Padwa - the Marathi new year. It was also the last day of the Sangam season, and therefore my last day of work. It seemed very relevant somehow that a whole new year was starting, just as one chapter of my life is coming to an end.Winston Churchill's words also seemed to be a relevant title for this blog post.
I'll admit that I've been putting off writing this post. It always had to come, and I've been preparing myself for leaving Sangam for quite a long time. But writing it down and trying to explain how I feel about the experience, leaving, and what happens next, is difficult and I'm not really sure where to start. I think I'll try to explain the practical process of finishing work here, and see how it goes...
I wrote before about our closing ceremony. In some ways, I'm glad that ours happened considerably earlier than our leaving date, as it reduced the emotion. The Tare closing was just a couple of days ago, and it seemed more emotional because it was really coming to an end, whereas we still had a whole event to get to. And on a side note - what an event! It was crazy and frustrating and not like anything we'd done before. I can't say that it was particularly enjoyable, but again, maybe it was good that we weren't actually running it, because it gave us all more time to spend with each other, and to get some end-of-season tasks done.
Our task list included things like giving back uniform, phones and keys, but we also had to do programme-related things like updating session manuals, and tidying the disaster that the programme room became during the seminar. We also composed 'handover notes' for the next SVs - who won't arrive until June. We also had evaluation forms to fill in, which we then discussed with Gwen during our 'final evaluations'. So it's been busy. I also packed early because I wanted to check everything would fit, and then it seemed pointless to unpack it all again. This has also helped me to feel prepared, but I think it's also meant that I've not really had the moment where I really realise that I'm leaving.
I properly cried for the first time this morning when I hugged Jen goodbye - she's on holiday for a few days and won't be back before I leave. I think that the difference was that all the other goodbyes have been me saying goodbye to someone else leaving - this morning, Jen was saying goodbye to me, and it suddenly became real that I'm leaving. However, the rest of the day has been lovely and chilled. We all (SVs and Interns) went out for breakfast with Gwen, and then we swam in the pool (and I got hugely sunburnt), then I slept for a bit, began this blog, said goodbye to some more people, swam again and discovered you can make a great water cannon out of pool noodles, and then came into the lounge to chill out in front of the tv.
The plan for tonight is to watch a film, get Em to draw mehendi on my hands, and drink some beer. Then the last Tare will leave at midnight, and I'll be the only one (of the huge group of us whose terms have finished) left. Tomorrow will probably be a boring day as everyone else here will be working, but we're all going to have dinner together, and then my car will arrive to take me to Mumbai airport at 3am Monday morning.
I've just booked my ticket for the Big Bus tour in Dubai so that I have something to do for the day, and made a pick-up enquiry so that I don't get ripped off by a taxi! It's weird to think I'll soon be home, and definitely isn't real yet. I do firmly believe that this isn't really the end - it's the beginning of a new me, new goals, new experiences.
Maybe I'll write about these more sentimentally - more successfully?! - when I'm all emotional because I finally realise I've left!
TTFN
I'll admit that I've been putting off writing this post. It always had to come, and I've been preparing myself for leaving Sangam for quite a long time. But writing it down and trying to explain how I feel about the experience, leaving, and what happens next, is difficult and I'm not really sure where to start. I think I'll try to explain the practical process of finishing work here, and see how it goes...
I wrote before about our closing ceremony. In some ways, I'm glad that ours happened considerably earlier than our leaving date, as it reduced the emotion. The Tare closing was just a couple of days ago, and it seemed more emotional because it was really coming to an end, whereas we still had a whole event to get to. And on a side note - what an event! It was crazy and frustrating and not like anything we'd done before. I can't say that it was particularly enjoyable, but again, maybe it was good that we weren't actually running it, because it gave us all more time to spend with each other, and to get some end-of-season tasks done.
Our task list included things like giving back uniform, phones and keys, but we also had to do programme-related things like updating session manuals, and tidying the disaster that the programme room became during the seminar. We also composed 'handover notes' for the next SVs - who won't arrive until June. We also had evaluation forms to fill in, which we then discussed with Gwen during our 'final evaluations'. So it's been busy. I also packed early because I wanted to check everything would fit, and then it seemed pointless to unpack it all again. This has also helped me to feel prepared, but I think it's also meant that I've not really had the moment where I really realise that I'm leaving.
I properly cried for the first time this morning when I hugged Jen goodbye - she's on holiday for a few days and won't be back before I leave. I think that the difference was that all the other goodbyes have been me saying goodbye to someone else leaving - this morning, Jen was saying goodbye to me, and it suddenly became real that I'm leaving. However, the rest of the day has been lovely and chilled. We all (SVs and Interns) went out for breakfast with Gwen, and then we swam in the pool (and I got hugely sunburnt), then I slept for a bit, began this blog, said goodbye to some more people, swam again and discovered you can make a great water cannon out of pool noodles, and then came into the lounge to chill out in front of the tv.
The plan for tonight is to watch a film, get Em to draw mehendi on my hands, and drink some beer. Then the last Tare will leave at midnight, and I'll be the only one (of the huge group of us whose terms have finished) left. Tomorrow will probably be a boring day as everyone else here will be working, but we're all going to have dinner together, and then my car will arrive to take me to Mumbai airport at 3am Monday morning.
I've just booked my ticket for the Big Bus tour in Dubai so that I have something to do for the day, and made a pick-up enquiry so that I don't get ripped off by a taxi! It's weird to think I'll soon be home, and definitely isn't real yet. I do firmly believe that this isn't really the end - it's the beginning of a new me, new goals, new experiences.
Maybe I'll write about these more sentimentally - more successfully?! - when I'm all emotional because I finally realise I've left!
TTFN
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