One last word

This is probably going to be my last post from Caynaba. My time here is slowly coming to an end and on Monday I'll be sitting on a plane to Germany.

After almost 6 months in Somaliland, I'm going back to Germany, back to my old life, back to a life where I have an abundance of food, don't have to worry about where I get my water from, and a life where I'm not under police protection 24/7. But what remains after spending half a year in another country? First and foremost, I hope to have many beautiful memories that I was able to share with the people here. But of course, I also hope that I was able to give something to some of them for their future path at Caynaba General Hospital. Besides the memories, there is also a health post and an isolation station that we were officially able to open a few days ago, and hopefully the people here will benefit from it for a long time. What I can take away from my work here, I will probably only find out in the next few months. In any case, I know that I appreciate the privileged life we lead in Germany even more than I already did.

All in all, I really enjoyed working here in Somaliland. You don't just help the people on site, but also learn a lot about other cultures, habits, and yourself. You also come across situations where you reach your limits. Often, you ask yourself whether such a project has somehow changed you. I will probably only find out about that in a few months as well. However, I have noticed here how much I benefit from a life without shift work, with regular meal and waking times, and a regular daily routine. But that alone probably won't make me a different person. But why should you always change everything instead of simply accepting yourself?!

I'm leaving Caynaba with very mixed feelings. On the one hand, I'm naturally incredibly excited to go home, to see all the special people again, and to face new challenges waiting for me. On the other hand, it's also difficult to leave the people behind whom I spent half a year with, some of whom have become friends, and I don't know if I'll ever see them again. Many of them have the dream of coming to Germany someday, and I wish for them that one or the other can make their dream come true and we'll meet again in Germany. But maybe it's not a goodbye forever, and you'll see me back in Cayanaba sooner than expected.

With the temporary end of my stay in Somaliland, my little blog from Somaliland also comes to an end. Thanks to everyone who has followed with more or less interest what I experienced here in Caynaba. There is probably much more to tell than the few words I wrote here, maybe I'll tell the other stories over a beer or two.

'... And then he lived happily ever after.'

#AlexleavesSomaliland