Is it that time already?

This week has been filled with really and truly great authentic Samoan adventures and making of relationships that are going to be hard to let go. Yesterday we spent all morning at Nu'uuli with Ruth playing volleyball for the Good Samaritans. If you know me at all, you know that my athletic ability is comperable to that of a four-year-old. Having said that, I had fun playing and the Samoans had fun laughing at/with me. We had a great time. Lynn, Ruth, John, Simon, and countless other Nu'uuli Samoans have made this week so special. I will not soon forget them. Then in the afternoon we chilled and went over to Fae and Tasi's house. They had their baby. She is a little 6 lb. 5 oz. little girl named Angel. And she is one, let me tell you. She is so tiny and beautiful. She was just born on Wednesday morning at midnight (she couldn't decide when she wanted her birthday to be). Then we went upstairs for dinner with everyone. 

After dinner, Colleen took us out for one last hurrah and we went to a haunted old girls school. Upon arrival, we were asked to leave the premises and we played helpless tourists looking for Sliding Rock (on the other side of the islands). We played our cards right and no one got hurt. Then we went to KS Mart and the movie rental place. We decided to give Colleen a "Middle School" themed birthday party. We rented Sleep Over and talked about everything a good middle school would talk about and even did a prank call. It was a lot of fun. We chilled with her and then went to bed. Oh yeah, our middle school names were Reny (Rainy- Colleen), Clowdie (Cloudy-- Melinda), Storql (Stormy-- me), and Apel (Apple-- Marci). We decided a good middle schooler would have code names. 

Today at church, it was really emotional. I have one week left, but Marci and Melinda leave today. They did another good-bye ceremony with gifts for us and I got like 4,000 more lavalavas. I actually did tear up a bit even though it is not my last week. I am going to be a basketcase next week. The bad thing was they had the kids in my class give us the gifts and then we took more pictures and everyone was teary by the end. They sang some very sentimental songs too.

This afternoon I am packing to move upstairs for my final week here. I am trying to weigh everything out and I think that I am going to have to deflate Wilson (my volleyball) and ship some stuff home too. While I am packing, I am listening to some Samoan songs and it is making my teary again. I miss my family a lot, so I want to see them; but, I love my island and mostly my islanders. I think that it makes it harder basically knowing that I may (probably) never see this island or these people again. It makes little sense to become so attached. I am trying hard to get used to the ebb and flow of life and people in our lives, but that doesn't make saying good-bye any easier. 

I am finding out that I am more attached to everything in my life than I would like to think I am. I am discovering how much I will miss people all the time, no matter where I am. Getting on that plane will with out a doubt be the most bittersweet thing I have ever done. Now before I start crying again, I am going to get off and keep packing. I am making it my goal to remember where I've been and look were I am going, but mostly to be wherever I am.