Returning to Ubuoo village after a seven month absence I was touched by the warm welcome that I was given. I came on the back of a string of other visitors, so there had been plenty of welcomes already that week, but still I received a warm and heartfelt welcome back. This was a huge encouragement to me as I transitioned back into field work after four months in Australia.
Almost everyone welcomed me with a big hug, even the men. People didn't just wish me good morning, but wished me a very good morning. One or two families who had been away said they had come back specifically because they knew that I was coming. How lovely!
At the same time, I was enjoying seeing people again, and realising how much people have become friends and family over the last 18 months. There was joy in once again being around the gentle generosity of Pastor Aduma, the firm hand shake of Pastor Mark, and the smile and fellowship of the Goiravi ladies. There was a lot of joy in coming home to Ubuoo.
A few weeks after returning to Ubuoo, I visited an Ubuoo friend in the village where she and her husband now live. Gabido did not know I was coming, so when she saw me round the corner by her house, it was a huge surprise. Her response was to stand on the top step smiling and dancing with tears in her eyes as she called out "Mo merebehe! Mo merebehe!" or "My daughter! My daughter!" I felt like the Prodigal Daughter, and it was only nine months since we'd last met!
The idea of home is increasingly complex for me, as is the definition of family, but returning to Ubuoo at the start of October, I knew that I had come home to my family, even while I had just been at home in Australia with my family there.
PS. Apologies for the lack of photos of late. I keep writing posts when I have little time and limited internet.
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