The time is coming.

The airplane isn't very far away.  As I type, we have less than a week left. I am unable to clearly identify my feelings, but here are some of them.

I am sad to leave friends here.  I have met some extraordinary people here, who I will be lifelong friends with. Then there are other people who have meant a lot to me, but realistically, I probably won't see again. 

I am nervous about home leave.  We have 30 days of vacation, which is great, but I keep having these really bad dreams about fighting with family and not having a place to stay. 

I am excited to move to North Carolina.  I have only been thinking of the good things, and haven't even considered that there are any negative possibilities.  I am pretty confident that it is going to be great, except for the dream that we had to move into a converted garage that did not have a working toilet, only a squatter out back.

I am relieved that we are leaving Colombo- as Dengue has hit here really hard.  It has always been a problem, but in the last few weeks, several friends have been affected, and one family had 3 of 5 members of their family in the hospital.  Let's just say, in every single one of our prayers, we pray that we won't get it.  And we start each day with a good dose of deet.

I can't wait to have a car.  Two years of tuk-tuks and taxis have had a lot of benefits, but there are also frustrations. It will be fantastic to have a car, and not have the unorganized chaos that is traffic here.

I am leaving here a different person.  I think mostly for the better.  I was able to do most of what I wanted to do.  I got out of it what I put in, and for that I am completely satisfied.  

Sri Lanka will now be a part of me, and a part of my story.  And for that I am grateful.

Here are a few pictures of our time here.  In no particular order.