A Final Farewell



A Final Farewell ~ With Love
Kristin was 26.  She had a spark, a giggle that was infectious. She was wonderful with children.  She loved the outdoors and was fearless.  She was smart and had earned her Master’s in Education Guidance and Counseling in 2012.  She was adventurous and took off hitchhiking across the US after earning her degree.  She brought that sense of adventure to Guyana with her.
I first took notice of Kristin at Splashmin’s Resort, the first lodging we, as a group had in Guyana upon arrival.  The first dawn, my new friend Michelle and I walked the grounds and spotted Kristin doing laps in the black water river.  She was strong and could outswim any one of us, I believe.  She took time during those first few days in country to teach a child how to swim….already making a difference!
During our training, I recall her coming to the school in Timehri where I getting my first dose of teaching in Guyana.  Two other trainees and I were working on a Literacy Faire that ended up taking place on a rainy day.  Kristin, along with a few other trainees not assigned to our school showed up to help.  She had great fun organizing a yard run during a brief break in the rain.
She had a rebellious streak….I told her once that we were cut out of the same cloth as she reminded me of myself at her age.  She flashed her beautiful white teeth and laughed hard.  We all remember her saying more than once, “What happens when you step outside your comfort zone?  It gets bigger.”
That was two years ago. 
Since becoming a volunteer, I have played a playlist of songs that remind me of her….nearly every Sunday. Frequently, I look at the children at school and get a flash of how Kristin would have loved them.  If only…..
Just before swearing in, Kristin had a change of heart for whatever reason.  She abruptly left us.  She went back to the US and soon took her life.  We have all been carrying her memory with us as we serve.  We were blessed to have been in her space, even if it was just a matter of weeks.  So, now that we will leave Guyana with our service complete, some gather back at Splashmin’s and bid her farewell.  Kristin, it is a bit ironic.  We will go, but we leave a bit of you in Guyana….it is said once you swim in black water, you never leave. 



Comments

  1. UnknownJune 1, 2016 at 12:23 PM

    WOW! Beautiful Patty ~I am balling my eyes out~
    Kristin's mommy

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bright Side vs. Dark Side

Image
Bright Side vs. Dark Side Most times, I find my current situation as a Peace Corps Volunteer rewarding and answering a long standing question of, “What would it be like….?” I knew it would come at a price to take 27 months and serve in a country, a culture unknown to me.  What I did not factor in or even know or think about is the daily assault to every one of my senses.  I knew garbage would be burned.  I had read and tried to prepare for bucket baths and cold showers.  I knew I was going to a tropical climate and it would be hot and humid.  I knew there would be familiar and unfamiliar food.  I knew that the culture likely had music folks identified with.  I realized Creolese would be a challenging dialect of English.  I knew that the people of Guyana came from many peoples over more than one body of water.  Even knowing all of this, I was unprepared for  the transportation challenges in all forms; the routine starchy food offerings ...
Read more
This was another very busy day!  Our training group met at our training facility at Red Grounds and we were taken to Georgetown, about an hour away.  Our large group was broken down into many little groups with a PC staff member escorting us.  Good thing!  Georgetown is busy and aggressive!  There are RED ZONES that PC volunteers are not to be in.  However, on this escorted tour, we were shown some of those areas.  PC is a smart group of people.  We all know that if we are told we can't do something, we will explore to see what the big deal is.  So, we saw and we are informed. Those areas are high risk areas for many reasons.  As with anything, there is a bright side and I was amused when I saw an ox walking side by side with a little duck...best of friends! Our vehicle parked to let us out near Stabroek Market, built in 1881.  We made our way into a multi- floor shopping center something like a general store.  Once again, I ...
Read more

Site visit made!

Image
Wow....what a busy week we trainees had.  We traveled to Georgetown a week ago and prepared ourselves to meet and work with our counterparts.  Of course, we had our "down time" to enjoy the Kings Plaza swimming pool and air conditioning. We had our training in a lovely place called the Grand Coastal Hotel.  The conference facilities were great and the food was amazing.  I would recommend this place to anyone coming to Georgetown, Guyana. Here is a group picture with most of us and our counterparts on the stairwell in the courtyard. We all packed up and rode along with our counterparts to our new sites on Thursday.  I was so excited to see my new school and Ms. Ray first had me drop my luggage off at my new home, meet Maggy the owner and quickly take a brief walk to the school.  The children had spotted our arrival by mini bus and many were waiting in the road to watch us walk to school.  I was greeted with signs, a welcoming statement, songs and ...
Read more