If I am traveling at 32 I hope....

1- I invest in decent luggage, the kind that doesn't loose its wheels after one trip.

2- Have someone to pull, push or carry said luggage.

3-I learn how to pack less than I weigh in case no one else can carry the expensive, yet broken wheeled suitcase. 

4- To stay in places where I am not sharing a room with complete strangers.

5- Having a private bathroom would also be a perk, but I can't be too picky.

6- I own clothes that were bought new and are made to look a) nice while traveling and b) like I actually get paid to do my job. 

7- I have better sense not the spend the night in a not so international international airport so to save $10 on a hostel.

Let's hope the next 9 years afford me such luxuries. 

Direction, just in time.

I recently spent three days trekking through Torres del Paine National Park in Chile’s Patagonia. This was my first real dose of trekking and I not sure I would recommend this one for a first experience, but I survived and for the most part I really enjoyed my time in nature. The hardest trail by far was up to the Torres lookout. One must cross a couple of rivers (with and without bridges), walk through mud, forest and finally the last 30 minutes is a 100-degree incline on a pile of rocks. If I had spent years on a Stairmaster this still would have been a challenge. I did make it and it was gorgeous.

Along this particular trail there were parts that were very well marked and others that made me second guess the previous markings and think that I would end up at a cottage made of candy or simple get eaten by a puma. Just about the time I felt like I had no other option but to backtrack, I would see a little orange bit in the distance, that would reaffirm that I was on course.  The markings were not consistent in shape, form or the distance between them, some were flags, others were circles painted on trees, or arrows on a rock, or plastic posts. The only thing in common was their bright orange color.

On my way back down from seeing the Torres up close, I began to think of how these markings were similar to how God provides direction. Life many times, for me at least, can seem more like a road less traveled, unpaved and rarely marked, rather than a straight, narrow, paved Roman road.  There are times when I get desperate and am not sure which course to take.  Nevertheless the Universe Herself presents me with markers just in time to affirm that yes, you are still on track.  These signs can come in the form of a friend or coworker or complete stranger, they can come through a e-mail or telephone call, through a movie watched, a song heard or a poem read.  Each speaks just enough to move me and direct me in this unmarked wilderness of life. For the slightest of moments these signs allow my mind, heart and most importantly my soul to unite, aligning my inner compass. I believe all humans posses this compass, this balance of mind, heart and soul, but few of us are willing to acknowledge or listen to it.  If we allow, this compass can direct us, showing us our north and east. Providing us with enough direction, enough hope to satisfy any anxiety we bare. Even if it is just for a moment, we are at peace, knowing full well that the road that we have traveled was right and the course we are taking will eventually lead us to an end- even if ever so vague, we know things are just as they should be. Our inner voice is silenced and our compass is directed by the wise whisper of the Universe that these signs provide, the whisper that unified them all- making them known to us.  A gentle whisper that reaches to the depths of who we are. Speaking, directing our soul. 

Home

Greetings from my birthland... yes, I am still here. For those of you who are not aware I am here till the end of January, waiting for the vote for the New Constitution in Bolivia to blow over (hopefully uneventfully, so I can go back).

I have taken this time as a sabbatical of such to reflect and regroup.  Spending it in Chile has been all the more of a blessing, coming full circle of sorts (birth till now).  Being here has made me realize why I am who I am and why I do certain things. I make more sense to me here.  Cultural differences are sometimes hard to explain in words, it's in seeing and experiencing them that make them cognitively unique. 

The greatest thing I have come to realize is that home is a sense of belonging. Home is not a place, nor a building with four walls, a few windows and a door.  Home can not be defined by something tangible or concrete, though it can be represented by one. Home is feeling that you belong somewhere or to someone, and not only that, but most importantly, that you are needed.  I believe a sense of belonging comes from a greater sense that is given off by someone else who not only needs, but desires ones presence.  Feeling this from someone else and having a similar feeling in return, gives one a sense of belonging.

Home become a journey for many people my age, in particular those with stories like mine, who when asked where home is, they sigh and would rather move on to the next question.  At this point, I am quite certain that nothing concrete could define my sense of home, nor could one specific person.  And while one day I hope to feel that sense of belonging from a person(s), I am now satisfied with knowing that I am right where I need to be; nothing more or nothing less.  This IS home; not a nation state or one of the united states, but a state of ones own. 

ZEBRAS II

In a previous blog entry I mentions the people dressed up as zebras to help the citizens of La Paz learn where and when to cross the streets.

Well well, I found a mini documentary on the matter.  Please direct yourselves to the following link and enjoy

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bolivia#video-ltv-F6C841FC760DECE9

p.s. I live right behind the Iglesia San Franscisco and the intersection featured is minutes from my home. 

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

So far I have successfully enjoyed all of the eight things listed bellow.  I forget how much I LOVE Chile. Maybe because in many senses its home, even though I technically do not have family or a house here. details. 

Lucy was here for a nice 10 day visit. We spent most of our time in Viña del Mar, sitting on the beach and indulging in all the great food I have been missing in Bolivia (including a trip to McDonalds- pathetic, I know).  It was refreshing to be with family and a good friend, having time to rest and relax.

I am now back in Concepción, my hometown.  I was here for a quick weekend trip to be at my 5 year high school reunion.  I was able to see the majority of my old classmates, catch up, and realize how little things change, in both good an not so good ways. 

Right now I am trying to plan my journey to the south, which may or may not include a bus ride all the way to the Patagonia.  It should give me a lot of time to think things through and just be, soaking in all the Chileaness I can before I return to La Paz. 

More on my journeys ahead.