Goodbyes

I'm getting ready to say goodbye to Afghanistan. I have decided not to extend my contract at the end of this year and the weeks are zooming by so that my departure date seems to be speeding towards me. I can feel the goodbyes looming and although I am sure that it is time to go home for a while, I also know that these goodbyes will be hard, some of them heart-breaking.

So I will be writing about saying goodbye over the coming weeks, about the temptation to withdraw rather than look the people I love and care about here in the face and say "I'm leaving. Goodbye. May you be well despite all this and may we meet again".

But first I want to re-post something I wrote about goodbyes about one year ago. I have said so many goodbyes in my short life and although I can feel a part of me retreating from the fullness of the emotions that will come with this next round of leave-taking, I also know that there is only one kind of life for me and that is a life felt-fully.

Here is what I wrote last year:

1995 Goodbye David Goodbye my husband, my love. Nobody else knows the young woman I am today like you do, and no one ever will. You have been my friend, my love, my playmate and my confidant through these crazy, fantastic years of our youth. Through death and loss and grief you have loved me. Through confusion and doubt you have always stayed close. We set out on this adventure of life together. We cast our simple but surprisingly sturdy little boat out into these turbulent waters. You have never failed me, nor betrayed my trust in you. We have tried everything that we could think of, we have tried and then tried again. No, we have not failed each other, but we have come to the end of our trying. We are worn out, exhausted and sad, so sad. Goodbye my lovely philosopher. Goodbye my friend.

1996 Goodbye New Zealand
Goodbye my homeland. Goodbye my turangawaewae, my place to stand. As long as I know you are here, I will never be lost. But now I need to leave. I need to be away from here. Suddenly you seem too small to contain the pain that is burning within me and the desire that is bursting out of me. I could drive through one day and a night and come to the edge of your beautiful shoulders. I need to go further. I need to spread out my arms and not touch the edges. I need to get lost in a sea of strangers. I need to stand in the middle of a desert so vast I can sense the majesty of the universe and imagine being lost in it myself. I need to cast myself into the world with no one beside me. I need to discover again what I can do alone. Though I will always return to you, though I belong to you, goodbye Aotearoa.

2001 Goodbye Gaza, Goodbye Israel
Goodbye courageous Gaza, do you know that you’ve captured a part of my heart. I will never truly leave you. I will also never again be the girl I was when I landed here and you embraced me in your warm, passionate arms. Goodbye crazy, wonderful Gaza, but how can I leave you like this? Your streets are in flames and your children are fighting again. Goodbye my beloved Gaza, and all my friends here.

Goodbye Bassam, you were so kind to this stranger, you and Donia and the girls, there are no words for what you gave me. Goodbye Raji, you pushed me and pulled me and stretched me and tested me, you taught me what I was capable of and yet never managed to toughen me up. Goodbye Ibrahim, I sat in your house three times every week as you taught me Arabic and how hard life can be here. Goodbye Tariq, and Jehan and Ala, you opened your hearts and your homes to me and taught me how to live in this place. Goodbye Sharifa, you came to be my housemate and we discovered we were soul mates. Goodbye Ross, you were with me from the first day and you have always been here, letting me sit in your studio while you work. I have always known that I could rely on you for some sanity when I was losing mine. Goodbye Mehdi, you shared a little of your soul with me and reminded me of my own path. Goodbye Amanda, Eva and Imogen, goodbye Tim, Bahaar, Ludvig and Vincent. You have been my sisters and my brothers here for almost two years, through the disagreements and tensions and laughter and tears I have grown to love you.

Goodbye Israel, because I love you too though you drive me almost insane. Though your army in Gaza breaks my heart a hundred times everyday. Though your soldiers and checkpoints have reduced me to tears of anger, desperation, and deep sadness. Goodbye Israel and Aviva, Asaf, and Tamar, you are family to me and your home is my home. Goodbye darling Adomy, my lover and my friend. You have always been ready with a story, a cinnamon roll and a sweet kiss, to nurse me back into wholeness after weeks of the madness of life here. Goodbye Rachel and Assaf, my cousins. Your lives ‘on the other side’ are so very far from mine, but you have still opened you arms to me. Goodbye Jerusalem, goodbye Al Quds. No other city has moved me as you do and I will never recover from this first love of your pinks and greys, your sounds and smells, your soul.

Goodbye beloved Gaza, goodbye Israel. Thank you for all that you have taught me, for all you have shared with me and for the grace and good humour you have shown to a young, naïve do-gooder. Goodbye and may you have justice. May you have justice and peace, the blossom of justice.

2001 Goodbye Vaughn
Goodbye Vaughn, though those words stick in my throat. I have so many other things to say to you before I am ready to say goodbye. Like “Why?” and “Why?” and “Why?” Like “She loves you” and “We all love you”. So I won’t say goodbye. I can’t say good bye, years from now I will still not be ready to say goodbye to you. I watch my beloved sister grieve for you with an intensity and pain that I cannot bear even from where I sit, once removed. Goodbye Vaughn, though it is not your time. Goodbye sweet Vaughn, because although the words still stick in my throat it is time to let you have things your way. Goodbye.

2002-2005 The frequent flyer mile years.
Goodbye Auckland, hello Wellington. Goodbye Wellington, hello Sydney. Goodbye Sydney, hello Darwin. Goodbye Darwin, hello Dili. Goodbye Dili, hello Darwin. Goodbye Darwin, hello Sydney. Goodbye Sydney, hello Wellington. Goodbye Wellington, hello Auckland. Goodbye Auckland, hello Wellington. Goodbye Wellington, hello Sydney. Goodbye Sydney, hello Darwin. Goodbye Darwin, hello Dili. Goodbye Dili, hello Darwin. Goodbye Darwin, hello Sydney. Goodbye Sydney, hello Wellington. Goodbye Wellington, hello Auckland. Goodbye Auckland, hello Bangkok. Goodbye Bangkok, hello Wellington. Goodbye Wellington, hello Christchurch. Goodbye Christchurch, hello Wellington. Goodbye Wellington, hello Santiago. Goodbye Santiago, hello Buenos Aires. Goodbye Buenos Aires, hello Sao Paulo. Goodbye Brazil, hello London. Goodbye London, hello Oslo. Goodbye Oslo, hello Amsterdam. Goodbye Amsterdam, hello Athens. Goodbye Athens, hello Wellington. Goodbye Wellington, hello Bangkok. Goodbye Bangkok, hello Tel Aviv. Goodbye Tel Aviv, hello Jerusalem. Goodbye Jerusalem, hello Ramallah. Goodbye Ramallah, hello Haifa. Goodbye Haifa, hello Tel Aviv. Goodbye Tel Aviv, hello Bangkok. Goodbye Bangkok, hello Wellington. Goodbye Wellington, hello Sydney. Goodbye Sydney, hello Darwin. Goodbye Darwin, hello Dili. Goodbye Dili, hello Darwin. Goodbye Darwin, hello Sydney. Goodbye Sydney, hello Wellington. Goodbye Wellington, hello Denpasar. Goodbye Bali, hello Wellington. Goodbye Wellington, hello Auckland. Goodbye Auckland, hello Wellington. Goodbye Wellington, hello Kabul.

2005 Goodbye Grandpa
Goodbye darling Grandpa, I wish I could have said this to you before you went. But I understand that you have been saying goodbye to me, to all of us, for months now. I knew it even then, when you squeezed me a little bit too hard, held my hand for a little bit too long, and looked me in the eye and told me again and again that you loved me. Goodbye Grandpa, I understand that you were ready. But do you understand that we were not, that we never ever would have been. Grandpa, can you believe that they have made me godmother of your namesake, little Archie? Goodbye beloved Grandpa, but please don’t stray to far from me, if this Archie is to be even a fraction of the man you were then I’m going to need all your wisdom to guide me and all of your love to pass on.

2006 Goodbye Marc
Goodbye beloved Marc, yes I’m going on this adventure for the both of us. I’ll be back soon to tell you all about it in person. It’s true, I don’t know if I will be able to bear being away from you while you set out on your journey to beat this cancer, to fight your way to the long, happy life that we both know will be yours. You know that I am only a phone call away and I’ll be on the first plane if those doctors start abusing your human rights again (if they steal your voice again, write me a note!). I’ll write you long and hopefully entertaining messages about life in Kabul to read when you are recovering from chemotherapy. Goodbye Marc, I promise I will even learn to sit still so that I can practice those healing meditations for you. Good bye my friend and my brother, see you soon.

2006 Goodbye Kabul
Goodbye Kabul, goodbye new friends, new home, new job and new life. It seems I have barely settled in and yet here it is again, time to say goodbye. Goodbye Horia, my heroine, you have shown me what people mean when they talk about grace under fire. Goodbye brave Shinkai, you trusted me and gave me the chance to discover something new about myself. Goodbye Kate, Sarah, and Rachel. Goodbye Monday night yoga and Thursday night ladies’ drinks. Goodbye to my women of Kabul, you have cried and laughed with me, you have so quickly come to know me. Goodbye Timur, Kai, Tamim, Wagma, and Azma. You have shown me what hospitality should look like and you have taught me a little about growing up Afghan in America. Goodbye Jamie, Sarah, Jeremy and Scott. You have made me laugh when the pipes were frozen over and when it seemed the report would never get written. Goodbye Javier and Herman, you have taken me on as your housemate and made me feel like your star. Goodbye Nellika, you offered me a home away from home. Goodbye Norman and Mala, you offered me your doggy trust and helped me learn to be less afraid of all dogs in the process. Goodbye Mohammedullah, Shapour and Azim, you have endured having this strange and sometimes unpredictable Haraji as your manager with good humour and generosity. Goodbye my Kabul life and, deep breath, hello Herat.

Comments

[le petit cabinet de curiosites]

What about your bonjour or welcome ...The new doors open on what ?
Are you going back to New Zealand ?

[tiny noises]

i have always loved this post of goodbyes. it's very touching and you are so full of love and life.

[Di]

Ufff, this almost made me cry last time and again this time.

Good luck in the weeks ahead.

Travel safe.

[Rob]

Lovely goodbyes.

[bethanyzylstra]

this post did make me cry... you are a true woman of depth, of wisdom, of perseverence. I hate goodbyes. I would often like to avoid them... but we can't, can we. so it is good to ponder and make it right. I hope it goes well for you!

[Wine Secretary]

Goodbyes are hard. It never gets easier. But its the right time for you to make this particular set of good byes and I can't wait for a similar post on hellos! Hello future full of so much opportunity, excitement, possibility, friendship and LOVE!

[Mardougrrl]

I remember this goodbye post! Beautiful then, beautiful now. I am thinking about you a lot lately...about your grace in such extraordinary circumstances. Thanks for teaching by example. xoxo, M

[Delia]

I read this with my heart in my throat...I honestly did. Since I am still new to your blog, this was the first time I have seen your goodbye post and it is amazing. I always wonder what to comment here to you--what to say, but rather than just slip by into my thoughts I will say "Thank you for this post."
Love,
D.

[Sauntering Soul]

I'm normally a lurker here. I remember this post from last year and it touched me just as deeply reading it for the second time.

I adore your blog, and gain so much reading about what you are doing with your life. Thanks for sharing with us.

[ceanandjen]

Words do not seem to fit here. Nothing seems appropriate. You have indeed endured so many goodbyes in your life, and you document them so beautifully and with such soul and love. I see that each one of these experiences in your life has helped to shape you into the person you are today, although I don't imagine the experience you have saying goodbye will make this latest farewell any less heart wrenching that any of the previous times.

With that said, I hold a happiness and and excitement for you and the down time that you will have the opportunity to embrace in N.Z.

I wish you a smooth transition throughout these final weeks and thank you as always for sharing your beautiful experiences and words with us.

We are enriched every time we come here.

xoxoxo

[HiK]

I love the goodbye post. It's so strong and honest.

Love,

HiK

[Peter]

Leaving is dying a bit... No wonder the French call it "La petite mort"...

Goodbyes are needed to evolve and to grow though.. No matter how much pain, the day we don't say goodbye anymore, is probably the day we stop moving in this world...

P.

[Brian]

Hi Frida,

I am passing along an award for writing that I received from Gautami last week. I realize that you are leaving soon, but I hope you continue to educate us no matter where you wind up next. 'A Roar For Powerful Words' was made for you.

http://hummingbunny.wordpress.com/2007/11/17/hear-me-roar/

[Jeni]

Frida...I am completely choked up. Having recently said goodbye to my mother for good, my heart aches reading your words. It can seem like life is a long string of good-byes. Each one brings up all the past ones, as you have so eloquently showed us. Don't forget to see the flip-side...all those wonderful hellos and the full middle ground before the goodbye. As you know from the teachings, everything is temporary...we keep practicing letting go while living fully in the moment and enjoying the temporary thing that we *don't* have. :-)

I am glad that you are following your gut and heart and moving forward to new chapters in your life.

[Charlotte]

Frida,
Thank you for this post. I needed to read some words today that would soothe my aching heart. It seems strange to me that a good-bye post would do that, but it has. Maybe you've taught me how to say good-bye when I'm fighting so hard against it.

Thank you for your beautiful words.

[Chloe]

You've said so many tender goodbyes. I admire your courage to look people in the eye and say the tough goodbyes instead of withdrawing, even when they are heart-breaking.

[Jennifer]

This post of 'goodbyes' is beautiful. It shows love, growth, and admiration for a place or person and how it has touched your heart. It is very personal and heartfelt. Thank you for sharing it. What a great way to appreciate what you have gained and what you will miss.

[Lin]

Sitting right here...holding your hand...giving hugs...wiping your tears...re-living all the special memories with you...we are here every step of the way!
Love,
xx

[Paris Parfait]

A very poignant list of goodbyes. That's the hardest thing about all the traveling and moving and making friends. But all the hellos help make up for the goodbyes. xo