A tearful goodbye...

Location: Freeport, TX


Once upon a time, there lived an AmeriCorps NCCC corps member who was awful at updating her blog... And who is apologizing profusely about the lack of blog posts. 


So this is no fairytale, and is real life... And I am truly sorry. Things got insanely crazy, and this round wrapped up much faster than I thought it was going to. And every time I sat down to update, something came up... or I was just busy every weekend. Which is true. Well I am currently sitting here on my last night in Freeport, reminiscing about the past month and a half, and I am reminded of how thankful I am for being able to be a part of AmeriCorps. 


This project was completely different than any that I had had in the past. I was able to see the lives that I was touching. I knew from the get go that I was going to get attached to the kids that I was working with, but after a month and a half the day came that I had to say goodbye. That's when reality of this program hit me hard. For them it was just another Friday, and they would be back Monday, and everything would be normal. Life would go on just as it would have any day before that, but for me it was the last time that I would ever step foot into my club, see the map of the US painted on the ground as I walked the long path through the gym to the classroom, pour their apple juice, and talk to them about how their days went, and what their plans are for the weekend, and the last time I would ever see my kids. I wrote them a letter, and read it out loud to them, choking back tears, wondering if they actually cared, or if they were just excited for the candy that I was about to give them. When I was done I looked up and saw tearful eyes all around me. That's when I knew that I had affected many lives. And then Monday when I received a card from them, all signed, tears formed again. One particular note stood out. "Dear Ms. Kristyn, I hate that you are leaving us. But you will always have a place in my heart. Love always, Laura" It was from a 6th grader that I had become particularly close to over the past month and a half. 


These projects have gone by so quickly. As I head back to Denver tomorrow, I am reminded that nothing is permanent, especially in AmeriCorps. You are so used to change and bouncing from one project to the next that sometimes you forget that the things you do really do matter to people, and you are afraid to become attached because eventually you will have to say goodbye. And in two short months I will be walking across the stage at graduation, saying goodbye to the people that have become my family over the past 10 months. We have lived together, worked together, played together, and relied on each other for everything, and I'm not sure what I am going to do without them. 


The past month and a half has been trying. With the potential shut down that loomed over us, we knew that in an instant everything could have changed and we would have been jobless. The kids were, in a nice way... Challenging? I think would be the best word... but they helped me learn so much about myself and how to handle different conflicts. I have been so luck to have had this project, and I will miss the Boys and Girls Club of Brazoria County dearly. But I will take back the lessons that I have learned, and to quote Laura, they will always have a place in my heart. 


Kris