Hi everyone-
I'm sorry I've let you all down : ( I have become so absorbed with life here in Argentina that I have been forgetting to update you all. I think I have been keeping most of you well-informed, nevertheless, whether it be by skype, email, facebook, etc. But still, it never hurts to just type here what is on my mind.
As many of you may know, last month, in April I took a 10 day trip to Patagonia (southern Argentina) and was able to see some of the most amazing things I ever have in my life. I thought that I would share with you some excerpts of my journal entry I wrote after that trip.
*******
4/13
I had such an amazing experience in Patagonia. I wish I would have brought this journal along to catalog every detail so that I wouldn't forget anything. Of course I took tons of pictures, but for some reason I feel like none of them really capture the amazingness of it all.
I feel like I didn't really realize how truly incredible everything was and how unbelievable the opportunity in general was until I got home and looked back through all of my photos. Not only did I see some of the most beautiful scenery I ever have in my life, but I also met some really cool people along the way, from Ireland, Australia, France and other places. Most of them were all backpackers, and they all made me want to just drop everything and travel. (I had heard about the travel bug before I came, but wasn't aware it could bite so hard!!) I'm not ready to find a job, find a husband, buy a house, have kids. No. The world is so big and I want to see it! I just don't think that right now I am supposed to stay in one my place. For whatever reason, I am feeling emotionally and almost physically compelled to just get out there.
Yesterday was Easter, and it was kind of a had day. Not only was I away from family, but I didn't do anything the whole day either. I got home from Patagonia around 2:30 and pretty much spent the rest of the day in my room, alone....[skipping a few lines....just talking about things that made me do some serious thinking] That chapter is over and done with...And what an amazing opportunity I have now to start a NEW chapter, a new part of my life, here in Argentina! That is what I can't get over. I have reached a new level of freedom. So I need to take all this in and not waste a second. I feel so blessed that God, despite the fact that I do not deserve it, has put me here a different part of the world and I find myself eternally thankful for it, and everything that is happening...all of the ways my mind is being opened up and the ways I am changing and learning. Sometimes I look around and think, "Am I really here? How did I end up here in Argentina?" or else I think about when I was younger, and what I would have thought if someone told me that I would eventually travel to Argentina and live there for a while. It's all so strange, but I love it.
*******
So there you have it. Just lovin life right now I guess.
For all of you who weren't aware, not this Saturday, but next Saturday I will be traveling to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and spending a week there. I am excited beyond belief. The first time I ever saw a picture of that beautiful place, with Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the ocean, I knew I had to go there. After that trip I will have seen 1 of the 7 wonders of the world. Assuming I make it to Macchu Picchu, another of the 7, should I be starting a check list...?
