The Relentless Loss of Friends

This afternoon, I was at the farewell party of a couple of friends, Stew and Jo, who are amongst the dwindling number of SILers (and close friends) who were in Kenya when I first arrived 8+ years ago. Whilst Kenya doesn’t have much climatically-speaking by way of seasons (hot dry season, short rains, cold dry season and long rains), May and June are definitely the months of goodbyes. For some, the leaving is just for a year’s home assignment, so whilst missed for that time, at least they’ll be back. For others, like the Johnsons, it can be the end of their time (in their case, 17 years) in Kenya.
Working in an international organization with missionaries from the US, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Australia, ….., as well as the UK, the added challenge of such goodbyes is that there is no guarantee of meeting up with some of these people again, as there would be if someone left your town for another in the UK.
This was an aspect of expat / missionary life that I wasn’t really prepared for, having said all my goodbyes (or so I thought) when I left the UK. Earlier on this year, when life was feeling very transient, I wrote down the names of SIL expat colleagues who’d left Nairobi in the 8 years that I’d been here – I got to 90 in no time at all! Some of those I didn’t know that well, but even so, that’s a lot of goodbyes, especially when you add others who’ve left, who I’ve known through church and orchestra.
My recent trip to Tanzania brought this home to me afresh. I really enjoyed the social interaction (and the playing) with the other members of the quintet, and it struck me how ironic and sad it was that I got to know Daris and Tom within a couple of months of them leaving Arusha, just 160 miles away, to go back to Austin, 8,860 miles away!!
However, whilst at times unsettling, having your life touched by the lives of so many (and touching theirs too) adds to the overall tapestry, each relationship depositing something separate and unique. And there are lots of people and places around the world to visit!

Some of those who've left, or are about to
(Apologies for the watermark!)