Am I Sad to Leave?

Nearly every day someone asks me if I'm sad to be leaving Addis in 4 days, and I always have mixed feelings. One month was a perfect introduction time for getting acquainted with the city. My hesitation lies in the fact that I'm not sure how much of my love for the place is for the place itself, and how much of it is for the mystery that is Ethiopia. It is not easy for a culture to seem as disjointed, inefficient, and quasi-modern and so trying to figure out how it got this way, and how it works at all, is a daily fascination. I have loved my last 4 weeks here but even now, I am unsure how much of it is my love for the city and how much of it is my love for the adventure and the mystery of Ethiopia. I am excited to get home and spend some time just sitting and relaxing and relfecting (and not having to deal with beggars every 10 seconds), but I will miss it here. The pace of life, the kindness of the people, the friends I've made, the exchange rate, and my friends at the mission are all things I will miss tremendously. I think my departure is also easier because I am definitely going to try and come back as soon as possible. The experiences here are life-changing in so many ways and I am incredibly fortunate to have been exposed to this great place while I still have so many opportunities to return; all of the other med students here are very, very jealous! Maybe I'll add to this in a few days, but today - I am excited to go home but sad to leave. My sadness is mild though for I am already planning my eventual return.