The Downhill

Well it officially feels like the end is closer than the beginning!  Matt and I have been trying to plan out our final weekend excursions and plan for the final University of Kentucky brigade.  I really want to work on the final brigade so we are trying to figure out how we will make that happen.  We also want to go the city of Baños which is known for the hot springs and waterfalls and we want to go to Otavala which a city that has a lot of indigenous people and a great market we hear.  We are both also looking forward to Holy Week here, especially the Good Friday procession.  Matt saw how amazing Cotopaxi was and now he wants to go before we leave.  He and Jared are trying to figure out when to go.  There are so many other places in this beautiful country, but they will have to wait for another trip.  Looking back we have had so many wonderful adventures already and we can hardly wait for more.

It was interesting to see this week how much the people at the special needs school and the daycare missed us last week.  I was not sure of our impact until going back this week and hearing how they missed us.  It makes you feel good to know you were missed.  The special needs school is also planning a big pig roast for Jared and I before we leave in the big town square.  It should be a lot of fun.  There is sure to be music and dancing.  It makes you wonder sometimes why we throw parties for people before they leave.  I know some of it is to give everyone an official time to say goodbye, but I like to think that it is so we can remember the person or people leaving in the way we liked being with them the most, having fun, smiling and overall being happy.  I also like to think it is to tell the person we support them and make sure they know they will be missed.  I think we all would like to think we would be missed when we leave a place.  It confirms to us that we are important to someone and that is a good feeling.  That takes me back to an earlier post in which I wrote about letting people know how much we love and appreciate them.  That thought applies to people we work with too.  So if you take any advice from me today it should be to tell people how important they are and how much they are appreciated BEFORE their going away party.