So Lonely

I have been at site for almost a year and this is the first time I'm truly all alone.

Yesterday I put my remaining sitemate on the train to Kyiv and we said our goodbyes.

I was proud that I kept up appearances at the train station, at least until the train pulled away. I had the most time with my last sitemate--after our Group 26 sitemate left in May. We continued some of the traditions of cooking together, watching movies, supporting the clubs, and in general, just hanging out and talking. Towards the end I found myself calling him every night to see how he was or what he was doing. He invited me occassionaly to join him at gatherings with his group, also university teachers, and I always really enjoyed myself and his crew.

It is sort of a strange feeling, as prior I always knew that there was someone that I could call or count on if something happened--if I locked myself out, or got scared, or was depressed about something. Now, I am alone.

But more than that, obviously, he was a wonderful person and someone that I respected and admired very much. A new volunteer will arrive in N-- in a few weeks, before Eric arrives, but I just know that it won't be the same. Someone only gets that lucky once.

Congratulations to him though, for again showing me that the two years are not impossible. Thankfully I'll be seeing him again in a month when I go and visit him in Germany. So perhaps all this whining may seem like it's not necessary to you, but again, this was a very special person to me and he will be missed, sorely.