Yesterday we officially said goodbye to Durham. I said goodbye to many before I made the drive to San Francisco a few weeks prior, but at that point, I knew I would still be back one more time for graduation. My first goodbye was tearful. My second was not as emotional but I felt the weight of leaving Durham. Saying goodbye the first time and the second time was hard. Durham was good to us.
We had wonderful friends in Durham—friends that we will keep for life. Many of our friends were from Fuqua, students and partners. So many of the partners provided a listening ear many times and were just overall loyal friends.
We will also miss our church friends. Most of our church friends were in our bible study that met weekly. These friends helped me feel more connected to community in such a big church. They also provided me an immense amount of help with my move and never complained while they helped. They seemed joyful to be able to help.
Another group I will miss is my running friends. I found a running group about 6 months before I moved. I feel like I have known them for more than 6 months though. These friends kept me company on long runs, pushed me during my hard workouts, and provided encouragement for my running. The group was a great fit for me. Finding a running group that is a great fit can be challenging so I am always happy when I find such a group. This is another group that was especially hard to leave. Thank you Bull City Track Club. They reminded me of my Dallas running group I enjoyed so much.
Lastly, I loved getting to know my school friends that lived in the area and the folks at my second internship site, Blacknall Presbyterian Church.
We will miss Durham greatly. We are excited about our new life in San Francisco. As we get settled into SF, I am reminded what it is like to start over with finding a new community of friends. I am sure we will find a community of friends here, and am thankful that so many Fuqua folks are headed our way to start that community.
Thank you to all of our friends in Durham for a great two years. We miss you so much, come visit. Go Duke!
It definitely hit me at graduation that as we said "See you later!" we were really saying, "Goodbye!" See you on the other side of the states though!
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