fond farewell

my final shift at himmat was a bittersweet parting, forced simply by lack of hours in my days and weeks at present. i really didn't want to leave. in all honesty, the whole thing has never seemed much like work. i've met many beautiful people - a diverse set of characters, from the youngest child to the eldest of the organisation. the kids have been brilliant, and i leave with so many wonderful memories of my short time there. many an evening covered in paint, refereeing arguments over the pool table, and drinking copious amounts of tea with my fellow youth workers. two in particular, will be friends for life.

not only have i laughed, learnt and loved during the time spent between these four walls, but i have discovered a new way to live. i have grown, become much less selfish, and finally understood that for me, when it comes to making a positive contribution, it really all starts with the next generation. they inspire me; through them i have rediscovered my own inner child. yesterday, i was touched to receive their goodbye cards, with such lovely spelling mistakes as 'good luck in your egsam miss izzy'. it also tickled me to notice that the other izzy (the male, bearded, muslim one!), had insisted that they all address their cards to 'ms' instead of 'miss' or 'mrs'.

i remembered fondly, an event from the previous week. one particular girl had been reading to me from an english translated version of muslim stories for children. suddenly, she stopped and asked, 'do you like the qur'an miss izzy?' i had to admit that, no, i had never really read the book to be honest. 'what do you read then?' she continued, 'the holy bible?' i shook my head again, no, and answered that i wasn't really religious, although i did quite like parts of the bible and had read it from time to time. the little girl looked utterly shocked, 'not religious? what do you believe in then?!' i said what i believe, which is both everything and nothing - translated to the statement that god is everywhere to me. having no particular name, religion, stories, but being all around us and in us at every moment. she looked intensely relieved, as though i had just been saved from hellfire by the skin of my teeth. 'ah, that's ok then miss izzy, you're right. god bees everywhere'. if you don't come across little kids of pakistani heritage and their slang often, that will be lost on you, but trust me, it was the most adorable thing ever...

so back to the last shift and after work we went for a meal, where i was shown photos of the wedding of my boss neelam's cousin. it had been ongoing for what seemed like weeks, and i was reminded of the cultural diversity and insight into what can seem a somewhat closed community, that i had experienced through working there. despite believing myself to be utterly non-judgemental when i began, i had to admit that the last six months had still provided a steep learning curve. they found me a curiosity, and i them. i loved to hear about their traditions and felt privileged to be included. when neelam said i could join in with the preparations for her wedding, whenever that may be, i was somewhat overwhelmed! a week of practising dances long into the night and elaborate rituals involving covering her in some kind of turmeric paste ... bizarre and brillianT!

i will really miss that place.