Leaving Alto Playon

October 2012

I’m writing this post as I sit on my last bus ride from the Darién, and an unexpectedly emotional day.

I was almost on my way out.  I made my last minute visits, took the best photos with Misa, and I stopped to visit Chicheme’s house for the last time.  It was just his kids there at the time, who I have been very close with.  My favorite little boy Geraldo crawled into my arms and hugged me.  He wouldn’t let go when I pulled back and we exchanged our affection for each other.   In that minute I had rush of emotions flow through me like a 1000 megavolts of electricity that brought me to tears.

I couldn’t stop, and am watering back up as I write this.  I said good-bye and walked back to my hut and broke down in tears for 20 minutes.  It was a fusion of emotions that I’ve never felt before:  happiness, sadness, excitement, pride, pain.  I suppose I needed to that to happen.

I tried to gather myself back together and walked out to the Casa Comunal where everyone was in a meeting.  I looked from the outside in the community talking about a coffee project.  It was obvious to them that I had been crying a bit.  After a while, I walked away and it was fine.  I had some water in my eyes as I left, and people came and said good-bye for the final time.  Misa, Irasema, Leidis, and Celideth left me at the port.

As I tried to take my last picture, my camera read:  “Memory Card Full.”  

Indeed.  As Alto Playón and I depart full of fond memories of each other.