Packing for the return journey

June 7, 2017

The second-to-last night went as usual. I went to bed early, then woke up sometime after midnight and dozed off until seven. It was so bright in the room at two o'clock that I fumbled around on the neighboring bed, outside the mosquito net, to get the camera. But by the time it was ready to shoot, the moon had disappeared behind the clouds again and the shots were black.
After getting up, I joyfully grabbed my suitcase and started filling one half with all sorts of things except for big clothes. It was the half that could be locked separately. I then carried the half-filled suitcase to Tawasap and placed it in the tienda. Valeria wanted me to pass on a message to Tzama, but I couldn't because the police came to speak with him. It had to do with his murdered son, as Maria later told me. Immediately after breakfast in the dining room at Tzama's house in the village, I set off again. First to retrieve the other half and second to report to Valeria that I couldn't pass on the message to Tzama. But she wasn't in the house and didn't hear my calls. So I did my work, packing things and carrying them downstairs in plastic bags. I had to pack later because the police were still there and I didn't want to overhear. So, for the last time (yippee!!!), I went to the vivero, collected a few plastic bags and threw them in the trash, and roughly cleared a bed of little black bags without plants from the weeds. After that, goodbye vivero and back to the tienda. Tzama had retreated with the police officers to the media room or music room, apparently to show them some things on the computer or whatever. Maria asked me if I wanted to help her with the artesianas. Why not, better than in the vivero. So we worked side by side, chatted, and worked in peace again. Then the police officers drove away, Tzama and Maria too, and Andre Maria, Nanki's wife, served me lunch, fish soup with fish. Very good, just don't accidentally swallow all the bones.

I realize that I write very boringly. It's probably because I'm very satisfied and consider every little bit important and worth mentioning.
The big fact, however, is that I have my room very empty and everything is more or less ready for me to make a quick exit tomorrow.
And please don't misunderstand:
I am very glad to get away from here. I've had enough, it's time to move on. Despite all the adventures and beautiful moments, there was a lot of time spent being bored. And I miss my life, at least my solitude. Right now, in this moment, little Camillo is running into the room again. He doesn't really bother me, but still. I'm traveling without a child and he's not my problem.
Being away from all media is refreshing, but also annoying. I've noticed that I love and miss my life at home. That I miss my people too. Not just Andi, the most. But also the whole extended family and friends. Laughing heartily again at a celebration, getting damn stressed on a geocaching tour with Bruno again, having a beer with my colleagues on Thursday evening again, having breakfast with the women at Uschi's or Helen's or at our place again... such things are damn valuable. I miss them terribly.
Even work is missed. Maybe it's less the work than the people at the workplace.
So one eye is laughing that it continues.
The other eye is crying. Because here I have found friends, even a family. I know that one day I will come back here and look at the finished projects. And it will be a joy to be a guest here again for a few days. I am sure that by then the next and the next but one projects will already be underway.
What I will do until then: learn Spanish. I want to master it better and be able to speak it better with my family and friends in the selva.