in which i'm thankful they are only au revoirs...

yesterday night i said goodbye to some of the other managers here at the lodge. they are off on a wee adventure- a fishing trip at Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe to celebrate a momentous birthday. i welled up as the farewells were being said, because they only return to the lodge the day after we leave for our mini-break in Jo’burg, after which we are jetting back to good old blighty. so, consequently we won’t be seeing them again for 3 months, when we return to take on the bushcamp.

we have had a few farewells of late- as the season is hitting its slowest patch a lot of people are now taking their annual leave- but this was the first time it has been the final farewell to a big group of people, all of whom i feel very close to, and i was immensely sad at the thought of not seeing any of them again until June. the fact of the matter is that in just under 3 months (our stay had to be under 3 months for visa reasons!) I have formed a bond with most of these people that far outweighs any normal relationship that you normally cultivate in the workplace, and in such a short period of time. the senior staff here are more like a big family than colleagues- you don’t just work together, you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with them, you socialise with them, and even when you are just kicking back in front of the telly most of the time you are doing it with them.

my Saturday afternoon Eastenders omnibus with the girlies is one of my highlights of the week- i hadn’t watched the soap for years, but since i got here i have been accepted into this little ‘Enders’ club, and the ritual of every week, dropping everything at midday and heading over to one of the houses, huddling up on the sofa and gasping and giggling at the horrors and absurdities of life in Albert Square is just such a great escape. over the fug of cigarette smoke- there is always lots of smoking done during the 2 hour omnibus, to help with the more stressful ‘duh-duh-duh-duhduhduh’ moments- we dissect the characters’ quandaries and indiscretions with a deadly seriousness, only to emerge at 2pm into the middle of an African afternoon, blinking but ready to resume bush life fully refreshed and thrilled we’re not living in grey, rainy, depressing London any more. the club has dwindled in numbers over the past few weeks, and now i am the sole remaining member. this weekend i will be watching it on my own. sniff…. but i diverge from the point.

i wanted to say to these guys how amazing they have been, how welcome they have made me feel, and how appreciative i’ve been to be so accepted into their little bush family and into their lives. but in the usual clumsy way of goodbyes none of that really got vocalised properly. so instead i will write here how awesome i think they all are, and if any of them read it then maybe they will get a little warm fuzzy feeling inside.

there is the mama hen, whose door is always open, and whose fridge is always stocked. it has been nothing but a pleasure being her PA!

there is the stunning barbie girl, who is always up for a giggle and for dressing up fun (as long as it’s not Oilily).

the queen of the bush, she has the dirtiest feet and the best dance moves, and can make me laugh until i snort like a pig. (teeny pimp shoes. brilliant!)

the gorgeous goose, who is so very generous of spirit, with her gifts, her time, and her house keys. we’ve had some great chats, though she may occasionally have forgotten to keep her eyes on the road whilst we were having them!

the sundowner king- just a stand up, great guy, and without a doubt he has kept the husband sane.

the American woman- she may call us ‘sunshine’ but she always brightens my day. she is just too lovely for words (which is probably a good thing, because she’d just misspell them).

the wise sage of the bush- with his dry wit and endless stock of tales and facts I feel like i could never stop learning from him.

and finally the big bwana- i’ve had some bad bosses and good bosses in my time, but this guy is up there with the kindest and fairest. he is so passionate about what he does, and he does something so magical here. amazing guy, he has my utmost respect, and i’m looking forward to earning his respect come June.

there are so many more characters and friends i’ve met and made who live here- the crazy and fantastic Dutch, the dancing contractor - all of whose boundless enthusiasm has inevitably brightened my day at one time or another. but i could go for pages if i’m not careful, and it’s already in danger of just turning into one big suck up. so i’ll leave it at that- all of the people here are very different, but they all have a vital role to play, and they have all meant something important to me.

the thought of having to say goodbye to them all, and it not being an ‘Au revoir’ until the summer but a proper, ‘Goodbye, its been great, see you in another life’ is almost inconceivable- thank god we’ve accepted the bushcamp jobs because otherwise I think there may have been serious issues with actually getting me onto that teeny plane out of here. if it had been a final farewell looming for my time in the valley, the bush, and my bush family I don’t know that I would have been able to say it.

and the time to leave is approaching fast. the ‘big trip’ is down to its final week and a half, and in the same way our departure date from London suddenly rushed up on us with the apparent speed of a runaway train, so the date to return to England is hurtling closer at an ever alarming rate. there is still a lot of fun to be had in the time we have left- my parents are coming out to visit us in 2 days, which is so exciting, i am only hoping that they love Africa as much as i do. and we also have a couple of days of luxury and ‘acclimatising’ time in the bustling city of Johannesburg, which i am really looking forward to.

but in essence i can’t deny that the trip is drawing to a close. and i can’t help but think how glad i am that we made the decision to come back here later in the year. because my overwhelming feeling is that i still have unfinished business, and i’m not done with this place yet, i’m not ready to say goodbye to these people and i’m not done with this way of life. i actually think i wrote something very similar in the guest book of the lodge when we were staying here as guests on our honeymoon in 2009. i will have to paraphrase, for it was quite a while ago, but it was along the lines of ‘i’ve left a little bit of my heart here in the Valley. please look after it, i will be back to collect it shortly.’

and now, when we leave this time, i feel i can add the following postscript ‘i’m leaving a little bit of my heart here in the Valley again, but i am leaving it in the safe hands of friends, who i know will keep it warm until i return.’

…. they are also looking after a box of my khaki safari clothes until i return, which they may well also keep warm in my absence, but if they rip the precious harem pants there will be hell to pay…!!