All the roads that lead you there are winding...

How is this possible, it’s over?


I’m so confused right now. My emotions have jumped from peacefully striding along in a world I had finally figured out to this… new phase.

I’m tired of new phases.

I treated myself to a celebratory Italian dinner tonight, Punta Arenian style. We were greeted with an unhelpful weight staff and garlic mayo… I’d say that’s pretty Chilean. I enhanced my already full figure with some lasagna noodles and bolognese sauce, yum-O. My good friends Keeley (who will be traveling alongside me for the next couple of weeks) and Michelle joined me. We discussed how we were planning to fix the universe, what makes Chile such a wonderful place and of course how Latin men really understand the true meaning of romance.

I said goodbye to my fellow teachers today, I kissed all of my students so long and I tried not to cry for a full 24 hours. All in a good day’s work I’d say.

I’m emotionally spent. For so long I was trying to create this niche for myself; a place where I could feel normal within this seaport Chilean city. Then one day I stopped trying because it came naturally…

A morning wake-up from my Chilean family complete with reggaeton and cigarette smoke to awaken me from my peaceful dreams.
The good morning exchange crossed between me and the bicycle man, “Hola Senor, Buenos Dias”, “Hola Mes, como esta?” It was never more than this but has become somewhat ritualistic.
Walking through massive amounts of the “little ones” to get to my classroom, always complete with kisses, hugs and HELLO MEEES’s!
Staring at my adorable high school students who didn’t want to speak English anymore than I wanted to speak Spanish.
…
There’s so much more I could add to this list. What started as an adventure here has become a life, and one that I have I learned to love. This city has given me graciousness, patience, and well… perspective.

I have been blessed with people who have taught me that life, your life, is what you make it. No more than that. Things happen we can’t control, we make bad decisions but what matters is your heart and where it lies.

I’ve seen some of the most majestic mountains in the world; I’ve had the opportunity to see things that could not have been constructed from anyone or anything but God himself. All of this gave me an assurance that Jesus is always surrounding me; his creation is mother Earth (pasha-mama), how could you deny him when staring at towers that point to his kingdom. I think this is what I’m going to miss the most…

man it’s so simple here… I think we could all use some Chilean perspective in our lives.