With 5 weeks left in the semester and spring in full bloom, I can’t help but glance back and reflect on the distance I’ve traveled. This Chilean adventure has been one hell of a roller coaster. Everything has felt more intense here. Friendships are made much faster as a foreigner, because time is limited and travelers share an instant camaraderie that is unlike anything else.
In “normal” life in the United States, people occasionally go through transitions when starting a new job, moving, or making new friendships. However, traveling abroad has been a bunch of transitional phases strung together: First there was the high of getting to know Chile and everyone in my program. Then, I had to get used to the language, move into a house, and adapt to teaching in a new environment. Later, I went through culture shock and got home sick. In between, I traveled to Peru and Uruguay. Then this place magically became my home. Now as I prepare for my South American travels to Argentina, San Pedro de Atacama, and Patagonia, I’m realizing that it’s time to let go of it all. It’s a struggle, but I’m learning that it’s okay for things to be temporary. At times I wonder if the energy I put into all these things was a waste, but in reality I know that nothing here has been a waste.
A year ago, my biggest fear came true: my dad (one of my best friends in the world) had a heart attack and underwent a quadruple bypass surgery, along with many other health complications. Instantly my world was shattered and something inside of me permanently shifted. I don’t even remember what I was doing for Halloween last year, and it’s my favorite holiday. This year, I’ll be in Argentina living out what will in the future be my glory days. This sharp contrast has help me realize just how far I’ve traveled and changed during this year of challenge. While I may not be completely over what happened last year, I have come to trust in my inner strength, as I have learned to confront my biggest fears, learned to stretch my comfort zone and learned to live in a state of transition. Nothing has been a waste, not even when I stumbled and made grave mistakes. Everything I have experienced since last year has allowed me to live life in the moment, learn from mistakes and find meaning in the chaos. That may sound trite but it certainly is true.
"That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet." -Emily Dickinson
:) What a delightful experience! I wish I could relate. My whole life was this experience, strung together in a quarter of a century. The outcome was all more painful, including way, way more loss, pain, hardship, and on the other side of the coin.. full of blessings, and pleasant surprises. I truly wish I knew what it was like to minimize a lifetime of experiences into a year or so. Then trim off the nasty parts. What you have, Camela, is truly a priceless gift of knowledge, and experience. No one can take that from you! and now, you are all the more tough, as i stated when you left, you'll be coming home anew, a warrior nomad girl, with purpose, and meaning. You're a soldier now!
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