Loss

I can't belive I will be home in three weeks. It's pretty scary how fast time goes by here, especially when you consider how slowly life moves - doesn't really make sense.

Last week I was forced to face the realities of being so far away from home. John Borushek, a beloved member of my family, passed away extremely suddenly and I was unable to return home for the funeral. It has been very difficult to be here in Tabora knowing what a hard time my family is having right now, and while I was considering staying for a week or so longer, I have now decided to return home as scheduled on 22 January. It would have taken me at least three days to get home to Perth from Tabora, in which time, according to Jewish law, the funeral would have already been held.

Working overseas is great until there is a major event at home. As long as everyone at home keeps saying "there's nothing to report here, everyone's fine - you know Perth!", there's not much to be homesick about. But when my family is reeling from this huge shock, it's very hard to be away.

I leave Tabora on Wednesday 16 January but out of respect for John I will probably limit these posts to the bare essentials from now on. The loss of John has really made me value (even more) how much it means to be close to family.

Despite my sad news I hope everyone has a meaningful and happy new year. I'll see you all soon.