As
my time comes to an end, just like during the end of Model UN, this morning I
had to reset my alarm for a little bit later when it beeped at 6:00 AM. After
finally rolling out and getting ready, Sister Joana and I left the house around
7:00 to attend a class that she was giving about political ethics for social
service workers at PUC, the Catholic university. She spoke to a group of around
fifty people about what CRESS, the regional social service council, is and the
principles upon which it operates.
In
the afternoon, I was able to spend some time saying goodbye to the Gomes family
(the friends with whom I went to the farm that was near Buriti Alegre). I also
was able to have dinner with Sister Joana, Professora Vera, and Dr. Elias
Rassi, who was previously Secretary of Health of the city of Goiania and a
friend of my mother. He organized my
time at Maternidade Nascer Cidadao and helped me to find my host family. The
last time we met was on my second day in Goiania and so I think Dr. Rassi was a
little shocked with the amount of conversation we were able to have, now that
there is a lot less of a language barrier between us. I was happy to explain
for him many of the experiences I have had and some of the things I have
learned about health care in Brazil. More importantly, I was happy to thank him
for welcoming me to Brazil and for working so hard to organize a large portion
of my experience.
The title of this post, "My heart is beating faster and getting smaller," comes from Sister Joana and Professora Vera because they both asked me today if my impending departure was having physical repercussions in my body. I was not really sure what they meant when they asked me if my heart beat was speeding up and if my heart was shriveling, but I think they mean to say they will miss me too. And honestly, I am very happy to be coming home, but the friends I have made on this trip and the work I have done will always be a part of my life now.
