Goodbye

Saying goodbye is one of the hardest things to do and in our work it is something we have to do quite often. Today I (Sylvia) had to say goodbye to one of my closest friends here in Mongolia. She and her family left Mongolia for good. Over the last few years we have become very good friends, we talked together, drank coffee together, laughed and cried together. She saw me when I was just 1 month pregnant and saw Reuben grow and change. It will be strange to not have her close anymore. I know it is ok, but still...saying goodbye is not an easy thing to do. On the other side there is saying hello and getting to know 'new' people. This evening I met Hanneke van Dam. She has been working in Mongolia for 12 years. Every time I went to the Netherlands people would ask me whether I knew Hanneke. We had never met, because we live pretty far away from each other. But tonight we met and we had a very nice time together and I really enjoyed talking with her. It is funny how life works....on one side you have to say goodbye and on the other side hello.