My camera, which has been so good to me this whole trip, gave up during our last week.  Luckily, we shared Deena’s camera and took as many pictures as her dying battery would allow.  We wanted to get photos with everyone, with the children, our family and the community.  I want to remember every detail of this experience, capturing as much as possible through my written reflections and through the thousands of beautiful photos I’ll have forever.

When we passed by our Go-Go’s (grandparents), we asked if we could take their picture, and Mr. Benesi’s mom gladly obliged but requested some time to first change out of her farming clothes and put her tools away.  A little while later, both of them – grandma and grandpa emerged dressed in their very best, ready to take a picture with Papa.  Grandma was dressed like a true Malawian lady with jewelry on and all and Grandpa put on a suit and a tie.  Dressed they were, with their son, as proud parents and proud Malawians.  They were so deliciously cheerful in their pictures; I can’t wait to send them a copy.

I’ve already looked through these pictures dozens of times, and I will continue to do so, feeling eager to edit, print and get them right into albums when I get home.  I’ve never been one to take so many pictures before.  Usually I find the camera to be a distraction from the moment, but here, not knowing if and when I will see these people again, I knew I needed to get images of everything and everyone I plan to carry with me to America.  And when I look at the many pictures we’ve acquired, I mostly notice how happy we all look.  From the first week to the last, I look back on these with joy, and some of them are so touching they bring me to tears.  But these tears I know, are a beautiful reminder of the deep connections I built in such a short amount of time. They tell a story – mostly one which captures both joy and sorrow, poverty and a richness in culture, simplicity in lifestyle and complexity of challenges.

I have the addresses and some phone numbers I need to keep in touch, but in the meantime, I’ll continue to look back at these pictures that tell my story of this experience from beginning to end, the first day to the last.