I cried,
More than I ever have before.
I sobbed,
Body wracking sobs that left me tired.
I did it in the dark,
Holding it until I was alone.
But the tears shed at night were not alone.
There were tears of joy.
Tears of departure.
Tears of laughter.
And oh, did I laugh,
More than I ever have before.
I laughed.
With my friends.
My coworkers.
My host family.
I laughed at the ridiculous days.
At the days that made no sense,
And at those that made too much sense.
I dropped my jaw in awe,
So far I scraped my chin.
It dropped when I saw the mountains.
The poverty.
The young Kichwa women with pounds of potatoes on their backs.
Ecuador gave me every emotion.
Loneliness.
Joy.
Uncertainty.
Now, at the end, I still feel them all.
I feel them in my muscles.
In my heart.
In my thoughts.
As I cry and as I laugh I feel the memories.
The memories of Ecuador.
The memories that will never go away.
