Farewell

This will be the final post for South America trip 1. Yesterday, the 13th, I said bye to Camila and Fanni, ordered some food to the Airbnb, and tried to recover as much as possible before the long travel day. Also, funny story. When I went outside to get the food from the delivery driver, I forgot my keys. I was waiting outside for about 25 minutes total before the housekeeper finally let me in. My fault. BUT, the funny part was, as I was outside, I started to hear loud “gunshots” decently close to where I was. Needless to say, I was relatively frantic to get back indoors.

When I was inside, the booms kept getting louder and more frequent. At this point, I was relatively concerned. Finally, I went online to look for any events going on in Cusco. Turns out, I found that local communities celebrate certain Saints throughout the year with abundant fireworks at all times of the day. And, it was indeed a Sunday. Feeling a little dumb, I took a breath of relief as there really was no cause for concern.

This morning, the 14th, I packed up, got ready, checked out, and found a cute breakfast place to work at. This place, called the Llama café, is known for delicious breakfasts, and I can say that I most certainly agree. Tonight, I will get on a plane to Lima, then transfer to Houston, and finally Denver.

All in all, I don’t feel like the same person anymore (in a good way). So much has happened that I feel like I cannot even fathom it all. Good thing there’s this blog to look back on the mems.

Some of the biggest lessons-learned from this trip, for me, include the following: Have an open mind, and be grateful.

When I say the cliché “open-mind,” I mean open to changing plans, open to new people/culture, and open to new thoughts/ideas. Without this, it would not be possible to fully embrace the essence of somewhere new. If you keep trying to maintain the routines and norms of home, you will miss the things that a new setting has to offer. It may even change your routines back home for the better.

After being here for 6 weeks, I realize even more how privileged my life is at home. It is heartbreaking to watch how some of the people here make it day-to-day. Not only am I more grateful for my life, but I am more motivated to help people and the world. I mean, how hard would it really be to just take cold showers going forward? They’re actually not that bad and they have numerous health benefits. How hard would it be to just air-dry clothes like I have done here. Dryers use a ridiculous amount of energy. Do I really need AC when some families here can only afford to buy one unit and they put it in the guest’s room? No, not really… I feel like I am going to be “that one dude” when I go home, but honestly, I’ll embrace that role if it helps others realize the little changes that can be made to help the world.

I think my favorite part overall has been the people I have met along the way. These people are some of the most selfless, dedicated, and welcoming human beings I have ever met. I want to bring family and friends back so that they can also appreciate just how unique Latin culture is.

This has been a solo adventure of a lifetime. I have gotten to grow in so many ways, through the successes and failures. Trip 2 is still being planned, but as of now, it will include Chile and Argentina from the end of December to March – Ish. I think more people will want to join this trip which will be a completely different and rewarding experience too. I look forward to writing more blogs in the near future. And, as always, thank you for supporting the Desi Nomad.