Nesting in Evanston

Well, I am officially moved in to my new place in Evanston.  And I love it.  Honestly, I thought it would take me awhile to warm up to the area.  As a student at Loyola, I have only known Rogers Park, which is actually in Chicago proper, but as I start this new chapter of my life (as an "adult" with a job, not a student) a slight location change was in order.  Plus I think it'll help me feel less like a college student as I begin my job working primarily with college students.
Anyways, Evanston and my apartment are wonderful.  I am a ten minute walk from downtown Evanston, where I have already enjoyed sitting in numerous coffee shops using the internet (since mine won't be installed until tomorrow) and feeding my caffeine addiction (I am a Starbucks rewards member now).  The area around my apartment is very residential, charming and quaint.  And I am excited to start nesting, making my apartment friendly, inviting, and super cozy.  
Nesting?  In the past four years, whenever I have moved to a new place, changed locations, I have always known the day I was going to leave.  There was always an end date.  And now, there really isn't an end date.  Sure it's a twelve month lease but that can be extended.  To think that I could be in the same place for one whole year, let alone two years, is exciting and comforting to me.  I have been hopping from place to place for awhile now.  And don't get me wrong, I am unbelievably grateful for all the experiences I have had, the people I've met, the places I've seen.  In fact, I am Skyping with my Chilean host family tonight!  However, I am ready to nest.  I wouldn't say "settle down" (too strong of a connotation).  But I am ready to put some nails in the wall, become a "regular" somewhere (probably a coffee shop), and put away my big suitcase for awhile.
I'm sure when I speak with my host family tonight I'll feel that pang of nostalgia and want to hop on the next plane to Santiago.  And I'm sure I'll feel the same way in September when the Guapas and I reunite for a Spain reunion.  But I know that I am exactly where the Lord wants me, doing exactly what He wants me to do.  And I couldn't be more excited.  There are still about two weeks before I step foot on campus to start ministry with Cru, but I am already bathing Loyola in prayer and asking God to bless the next twelve months.  They are going to be a wild and exciting ride, much like my other adventures I'm sure.  Of course I won't be blogging about climbing an active volcano in Chile, eating guinea pig, or trekking to the South American "end of the world," but stay tuned because this year God is going to do big things - bigger than an volcano I've ever climbed.

Am I Really An Adult? Well... It DEPENDS...

I have been a college graduate for a couple months now and I have almost completed Week Two of being twenty-two years of age.  Thus, I have been feeling quite a bit of the "you're an adult now" pressure.  And even before, as I was getting ready to turn twenty-two at the beginning of July lots of people kept telling me to prepare myself because after twenty-one "it's all downhill from there."  Eh, whatever, I thought.  I was excited to turn twenty-two.  Finally I would be "off on my own" and "in charge of my life" (haha), new job, new apartment, new chapter.  Twenty-two was going to be great!  


And then... I turned twenty-two.  I crossed the threshold into "adulthood," so to speak.  My birthday came on a Monday so I spent the "big day" doing work, support raising, running errands, and even had a dinner appointment that evening.  (I did, however, treat myself to Starbucks that afternoon and celebrated with some delicious Samoa Girl Scout Cookie cake that evening.)  I wouldn't say my birthday was a disappointment; it wasn't.  It was just... normal.  No special event, no party, no big get-together.  And life kept going...


And boy did it keep going... The rest of that week was filled with what I like to call "adult stuff" (i.e. signing a lease, renter's insurance, health insurance, car insurance, running errands, appointments etc. etc.)  And I won't lie, I was stressed out.  Insurance alone pushed me to my breaking point time and time again.  What was I doing?!  Seriously, though, what am I doing?!  Instead of being "in charge" of my life, I was more confused than ever.  (Who even really knows the ins and outs of insurance companies anyhow?)  And instead of being excited about being "off on my own," my insides were screaming, "I just want to be a little kid again and eat pigs-in-a-blanket and mac 'n cheese!!!"  


A few more "minor" breakdowns later and I was on my knees (again) at the feet of Jesus.  As the overwhelming and seemingly constant waves of adulthood washed over me again and again, my heart was able to find peace.  Peace in who Christ is and in His promises to us, His beloved.  Promises to protect us, to guide us, to not give us more than we can handle, and to be with us through it all.  It is oftentimes beyond difficult not to give in to the chaos and not to let our circumstances consume us, but instead be consumed by Jesus.  We must fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  (Hebrews 12:2)


But, wait, I'm not even to the best part yet... 


So then, yesterday, I go to check the mail and in our mailbox is a package addressed to "Sarah Routh, or current resident of..."  Hmmm what could this be?  So I opened it... and inside was a pair of Depends.  Yes, those Depends, the adult diaper kind.  A week after my 22nd birthday I receive a free trial pair of Depends.  Of course I had a good chuckle while wondering how this even happened.  Later I was asking myself what the "universe" might be trying to tell me, when a friend offered some solid insight:  "Pretty sure it's telling you to not take life too seriously.  Laugh so hard you pee yourself, you'll be safe."  As I thought about that, he couldn't have been more right.  This whole adulthood thing is overrated and I was taking it far too seriously.  Luckily, receiving a pair of Depends really set me straight and gave me some perspective. 


So the takeaway?  Put on your adult diaper, enjoy life, and laugh so hard you pee yourself.  Well... at least that's what I'm going to do :) 

How Can We Not LIVE For The One Who DIED For Us?

For the past few weeks, I have been doing a study of the book of Romans, a book so legit I can hardly put it down!  Anyways, I finally made it to chapter eight this morning, which, if you've ever read Romans, you will know is a chapter in which Paul (the author) completely slam dunks it and eloquently proclaims truth after truth.  It is amazing.  So I read through chapter eight and then listened to a podcast by John Piper called The Mighty & Merciful Message of Romans 1-8, which more-or-less summarizes the first eight chapters.  After listening to the sermon, I was just overcome by what a big deal this is!  I mean, seriously, think about this with me for a moment...

I don't think any sane human being would deny that our world is (slightly) messed up.  There is pain.  There is suffering.  There is injustice.  There is greed.  There is MURDER, for goodness sake.  We live in a broken and fallen world because we are broken and fallen.  That wasn't God's design.  That isn't God's design.  He created us to be perfect and righteous.  He created us to enjoy the fullness of all He has given us in His creation and enjoy the fullness of being in a perfect relationship with Him.  However, we messed up.  And thus mankind began the impossible process of trying to get right with God.  We can't.  There is NO WAY.  We cannot do enough good to ever make up for all the wrong we have done.  It is impossible.

DOOMED?

One might think... but that is where the beauty of the Gospel comes in.  We could never get right with God so God gets right with us.  John 3:16 (a verse many of us memorized as children) puts it quite simply:  For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.  

Because God knew we could never make up for all the bad, He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to this earth to live a perfect and blameless life in order to ultimately die the most excruciating death on the cross and bear the wrath of God (i.e. take all our wrongdoings on His shoulders) for us.  He died for us.  Let that sink in a moment.  (Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends - John 15:13)  He wiped our slates clean with His last breath.  But He didn't stop there.  Jesus conquered death when He rose from the dead three days later.  Death could not hold Him.

Romans 3:22-24 says this:  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Wow... that is it.  That is the key.  We don't have to do anything to earn God's love because it is by grace that we have been saved, through faith - and this is not from ourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boat.  (Ephesians 2:8)  

Not only that, but nothing can separate us from His love, neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation.  (Romans 8:38-39)  

Awesome, right?  Oh yeah :) 

But we can't just "know this in our heads."  We must believe it in our hearts AND we must live it out in our actions and through our lives.  Jesus clearly said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and FOLLOW ME."  "Follow me" is an action, not a thought nor a belief.  It requires doing something.  And the sad thing is that many people think following Jesus and/or Christianity is boring and dull and sucks the fun out of life.  Ha.  If they only knew... following Jesus is the ultimate.  There is nothing more satisfying.  There is nothing more fulfilling.  Nothing will bring you more joy and peace.  Nothing.  

So how can we not LIVE for the ONE who DIED for us?

I'm a GRADUATE!!! wait... what?!?!

Hello beautiful people who read my blog!

Hope this beautiful spring/summer weather is treating you well!  It sure treated me well last Friday when I graduated from college!  It was indeed a beautiful day.  In fact, the weekend in general was fabulous.  The rents and I drove up to Chicago while Jared & Gina flew in on Thursday evening in order to make it to my Honors Convocation that night.  Now that I think of it, the honors ceremony was a bit more fun, in my opinion, than graduation.  a) I didn't have to wear that awkward, yet infamous hat and b) that was the first time I walked across that stage and thus more exciting than the second time less than twenty-four hours later.  Anyways, after the honors thing, we all went out for a bite to eat at a place called Bat 17 in Evanston with wonderful sliders and sandwiches.  Fun times... although we were out a little too late considering what time we all had to get up the next morning for my 10am graduation (you know the drill... be there by 9am but with traffic leave at 8am...)

But it was a beautiful day, making graduation all the more enjoyable.  Like I said, the ceremony was a little anti-climatic but the reception by the lake was quite nice.  (They provided Diet Coke... a much needed beverage at that point in the game.)  Followed by a mini-tour of campus, considering there are seemingly dozens of new buildings popping up all over Loyola's compact campus.  Anywhoo, about an hour later, Gina and I's feet were screaming for mercy and a break from our heals so we settled in for a nice lunch on a patio somewhere in Evanston.  After afternoon naps and a change into more comfortable clothes, we headed out to one of my favorite places to eat in Chicago - Cafe Ba Ba Reeba, a Spanish tapas bar in Old Town.  So much fun and indeed a celebration!!!

And the crazy graduation weekend did not stop there... On Saturday we got up early and headed to Anne Sather's, in Andersonville, a Swedish bakery with cinnamon rolls that are out-of-this-world.  (You may think our weekend revolved around eating... and it kinda did, but to my defense, I was simply making sure my family was able to experience Chicago in all her glory... Chicago is the food capital of the United States you know.)  Afterwards, we thought we would meander through the Shedd Aquarium since it was rainy and overcast.  To our surprise, before we could do any such thing, we had to stand in line for two hours to even get in!  (I should have known, the Shedd is one of the coolest places to go.)  However, the Jelly Exhibit made it all worth it :) 

In the end, it was a fantastic weekend!  Being with family, reconnecting with friends I hadn't seen since last spring before I left for Chile, good eats along with sawfish, stingrays, and penguins.  Oh yeah, and there was that thing we call graduating from COLLEGE!!!  Still hasn't phased me...  I figured it probably won't for at least a few years, or until I'm thirty, the age when I am officially an "adult" and have to think about "marriage and all that stuff," says the twelve-year-old I nannied for last week.  My thoughts:  Thank goodness I still have eight more years until that point!!!  In the meantime, I feel like I am in that awkward "pre-teen" stage, where you don't want to consider yourself a "kid" but you aren't quite a "teen."  For me, I'm not a college student anymore but not quite an adult yet either...  Until then, in the words of some famous jazz/R&B singer,  let the good times roll :)

April in a Nutshell

Well, I guess I haven't been too good at keeping y'all updated now have I?  Whoops, it must have "slipped" my mind with the whirlwind of events that was April.  So now I have the weight of April on my shoulders as I attempt to "update" you on what my life looks like post-Chile and (almost) post-graduation.  (Yes, that's right, the big day is next Friday, the 11th!!)


The obvious news... I was (finally) accepted to intern with Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) next year on Loyola's campus in Chicago.  As many of you know, I was involved with Cru all four years of college at Loyola and loved every minute of it.  I am so thankful for my involvement because it was through Cru that I learned what it means to truly have a relationship with Jesus and to follow Him.  It was years ago, when I was eight, that I accepted Jesus Christ into my life.  I knew I was a sinner in need of a Savior, but I honestly didn't know much more than that.  Oh yeah, I was a good person and all, but it wasn't until my freshman year of college that I truly got the Gospel and what it was all about.


So, what is it all about?  Well, for the sake of trying to stick to one topic per post, I will save that for a future post, so please stay tuned because that one will definitely be a game-changer.  However, for now, I'd like to keep going on why I chose to spend this next year being a missionary in Chicago.


Four years ago I never would have imagined that this is what I would be doing the year after I graduated.  I thought maybe grad school or the Peace Corps or perhaps I'd be working for some non-profit trying to "save the world."  But I soon realized that the world can't be "saved" by human efforts no matter how altruistic those efforts may be.  We are in over our heads, which got me thinking about the "bigger picture."  What is life really about?  What is the purpose of all of this?  And as I kept digging deeper and looking for answers, Jesus kept showing up and reinforcing what I learned when I was eight - we all are in need of a Savior and that Savior is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.


As I was coming to a better understanding of what the Gospel is all about, God kept putting full-time ministry on my heart.  As I look back on my four years at Loyola, I am inexplicably grateful for the wise women God put in my life to help encourage me in my pursuit of God.  One woman on staff with Cru, Barbara, was (and still is) an amazing influence in my life.  She showed me what it was like to have a real and personal relationship with God through Jesus and how that relationship brings freedom, joy, love, and satisfaction.  John Piper in his book Don't Waste Your Life says this:  It may not be loving to chose comfort and security when something great may be achieved for the cause of Christ and the good of others.  Reading that made me think, "What if Barbara had chosen comfort and security instead of going on staff with Cru?  Where would I be?"  Answer:  I know that there is a very good chance that without the encouragement and guidance of women like Barbara in my life I would not be where I am today.  Thus, I had to ask myself, "What if I chose comfort and security (i.e. a "normal job" or grad school) instead of doing what I know the Lord has called me to do?  What about the men and women at Loyola who do not know Jesus?"


God has given me such a deep desire to see students find true fulfillment and satisfaction in Jesus Christ.  He alone can satisfy.  Not success.  Not popularity.  Not money.  Not drinking.  Not finding "the one."  Not even the American Dream.  Knowing that nothing else will matter at the end of my life except Jesus has made following Him the undeniable choice.


Notice that I didn't say "easy choice" because this road won't bring "easy" very often.  In fact, I am already getting a little taste of that as I have begun to support raise for next year. Yup, you guessed it.  Like many missions organizations, Cru has no central funds to pay its staff.  So I, like so many others, will be depending on the consistent financial support of people who get the Gospel and have a passion to see others come to know Christ.  Thus, this summer I will be taking a large step of faith and trusting God to bring together a team of people who want to support my ministry in Chicago.


Sound scary?  It is, but I know without a doubt that this is what God wants me to do and thus I know that He will get me there.  Scary, yes, but this is also a very exciting time:  I'm young.  I just graduated college.  I have the world at my feet and the Lord at my side.  So stay tuned because this is definitely going to be quite the adventure as La Aventura Infinita rolls on... 

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Romans 10:14-15

Life as of March 21, 2012

Today marks the two week anniversary of my homecoming from South America.  Yay!  Home is so sweet and so good, yet not everything has been sweet and good in my life.  Don't worry, don't worry, nothing is wrong, per se... Just a little reverse culture shock.  Actually, now that I think of it, "reverse culture shock" is not the correct term for what I'm experiencing.  I wanted to return to the US so I wouldn't say I am shocked by the culture.  In fact, I am embracing it, specifically Target and McDonalds' diet cokes as many of you know via my Facebook.  So I guess I would call it "reverse life shock."  I've been gone for six and a half months and things are simply different.  Of course, I've changed in the past one-hundred and eighty days so the lens through which I view the world has changed, but so have the circumstances.


For example, I received my diploma in the mail from Loyola just the other day.  Talk about shocking.  I'm technically a college graduate (although I don't walk until May).  So of course everyone is asking me, What's next?  And I'm asking myself that same question... over and over and over again.  So much so that I began to freak out a bit.  Okay maybe more than a bit.  Confession:  I've cried more times than I would dare to admit on my blog since being back... including one time in the vegetable aisle at Hy-Vee.  Okay, the ridiculousness of that scene actually makes me smile a little.  J  Anyways, so the past two weeks have been a bit of an up-down roller-coaster, much like life in general.  I think coming back from such a lengthy time away, especially now that I am done with college, is a process, one day at a time, moment by moment.


But back to that pesky question I had been repeatedly asking myself:  What's next?  Well, I recently realized what's wrong with that statement.  I had been relying on myself to make that decision.  (And as many of you know, that is a huge decision, where to go after college.  It can completely alter the course of your life... forever.)  So no wonder I was/still am such a mess.  I'm not in control; God is.  And as much as I have been wanting to take the wheel and plan out my life, I know better than that.  I can only see the right now but God can see the big picture.  So what was I thinking, trying to do it on my own?  Especially when God says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." (Isaiah 55:8)  Great verse, but even better is 1 Corinthians 2:9 which says, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him."  Now that is a great verse, and that is something worth living for.


So often I settle for what is right in front of me, or what is easy and comfortable, what is the norm.  But God calls us to something extraordinary.  Yes, it's a narrow road so of course there will be difficulties but the destination (and the journey) are totally worth it.  I don't want to get to the end of my life and have regrets because I didn't trust the Lord enough, or because I settled for "good" when God had His "best" for me, or because I lived for something that I couldn't take with me after death.


And yet I still don't quite know What's next but I am trying to trust the Lord and walk with Him day by day.  And in each day there is something to celebrate.  For example, I am so thankful for unexpected friendships.  I recently reunited with a woman whom I had met in 6th grade.  We are now re-getting to know each other and discovering our shared passions for garage saling and Pinterest.  (Side note:  If you haven't looked into Pinterest yet, do it.  I can't believe I am head-over-heels for a website!)  Similarly, I have also gotten plugged in to a Bible study and am loving getting to know these women as well.  Currently, I am tickled pink with excitement that one of my best friends from high school is on her way to Burlington as I type!!  And tomorrow I take off for Omaha, Nebraska to (finally) see Jared and Gina and meet MOZI, their labrador puppy, for the first time.


Life is bittersweet, but God is always good.  So I'm just trying to live out Proverbs 3:5:  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding," because He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He knows the plans He has for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.  God is good.

Kony 2012

Alright, this is a bit of a side note from what you are used to reading on my blog, but when I watched this video, I was so moved and saddened and filled with hope that I couldn't help but share it with you all.  Take thirty minutes out of your day to watch this video on Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) in Uganda.  For the past twenty-six or so years, Kony has been abducting children and forcing them to join his army, kill their parents and many others.  I won't go into many details here because the video is so informative.  Watch this please.  This is important.  Thirty thousand + children have been directly affected by this.  Think about that.  Thirty thousand children and that's not even counting all the people that have been killed as a direct result.

Now, go to the kony2012 website and sign the pledge.  Do more if you can.

Kony2012: Click Here

Unpacking

Yup, that's right.  I am back on US soil, more specifically the rich fertile soil of Iowa.  And boy it feels good to be back, but it's the weirdest thing, being back.  As I was walking off the plane in the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, déjà vu hit me like a tidal wave:  it was the same gate.  Six and a half months ago I walked through the same gate at the airport in order to board my big plane heading for Chile.  I had no idea what was to come.  And then, six and a half months later, after all the experiences I had, after all the people I met, after all the things I learned, I was walking out of that same gate on my way home.  Déjà vu, for sure.  Being back in the US still didn't feel real at that point... Until I went into the bathroom, which was huge with automatic flushers and sinks and the whole nine yards.  Plus I didn't have to throw the toilet paper into a little trash can, I could throw it in the toilet.  Now that was reverse culture shock.  Haha.  Then I walk out of the bathroom, in a daze, and I see a water fountain.  I had not seen one water fountain in all six and a half months I was in South America, not one.  Of course, I took a big long gulp before I ran over to Starbs to inject myself with real (not instant) caffeine.  Next thing I know, I am walking out of the Cedar Rapids Airport with my mom and dad.  Whoa.  Seeing them was happiness.  Por fin, I'm home.  And in celebration of my homecoming, we went to Panera Bread, which happened to continue to feed into the whole feeling of déjà vu since Panera Bread happened to be my last meal before I left for Chile.


And now I'm home-home, in my house in Burlington, in my room where everything is exactly how I left it.  It's like I never left.  But I did.  On the one hand, the streets of Burlington are more or less how I remember them and my house still smells the same.  Not much has changed, thank goodness, but it's weird... For example, I was sitting on my bed just looking around my room and thinking, the last time I was here was in August when I was doing/thinking/feeling this way and now it's March and I'm doing/thinking/feeling something else, something different.  Oh, it's like some weird time warp; it's the oddest feeling.  It's like Chile never happened.  It's like I never went.  Multiple times in the last twenty-four hours I have found myself wondering if I dreamt it all up.  No, no, I couldn't have.  There are pictures and proof and I have more Facebook friends because of it.  Surely it happened.  Yes, it definitely happened.  But I'm back, uh weird.  


I gotta move on from this topic of weirdness and time warps... But in all seriousness, being abroad for so long and then coming home is such a strange dichotomy.  A part of me feels like nothing at home has changed but I have changed so much, but the other part of me says that everything has changed at home but I have stayed relatively the same.  But I'm not the same, I can't be.  I had this whole Chilean experience that transformed my worldview, that made minor tweaks in my life outlook, that gave me a greater appreciation for some things and popped the illusion I was holding of other things... I mean the list could go on.  I guess right now things will just have to be weird as I begin to unpack, literally and metaphorically, all that I brought back from South America.

La Llave & The Big Goodbye

Well, the leaves are beginning to turn colors just slightly here in Santiago, similar to the way they were turning last August when I left Burlington for Chile.  I suppose it's kind of poetic how I am leaving Santiago at about the same point in the seasons as with Iowa.  Symmetry, I suppose, or a sense of harmonious balance.  That feeling that it is time, which reminds me of the passage in the third chapter of Ecclesiastes:  There is a time for everything... a time to plant and a time to uproot... God has made everything beautiful in its time.  This passage has always helped me with the goodbyes, the uprootings, especially the big ones, and today was definitely a "big one."  


This weekend I spent with my host family, making sushi, watching movies, having an asado (i.e. grill-out) etc.  It was a wonderful weekend.  The looming Sunday evening, however, hung quite low over my head, reminding me of what was to come.  For me, this goodbye was not as horrible as saying goodbye to my host family in Spain.  My Chilean experience was quite different from my Spanish experience.  And I think the fact that I am so excited and so at peace with this homecoming made saying goodbye to my dear Chilean family a little more bearable.  Nevertheless, it was, for lack of a better word, weird.  It's just a weird feeling knowing that you are leaving soon and do not know the next time you will return.  Of course, I hope and pray that I will return to Chile one day but I have no clue when that would ever happen.  So, for now, it really felt like a goodbye.


To my surprise, this goodbye was practically tearless (there were a few watery eyes), whereas my Spanish goodbye was adorned with full-fledged sobbing.  Crying is really not my thing so I was a little relieved when my host mom did not burst into uncontrollable tears as I left the gate for the last time in awhile.  During the weekend, the only time I thought Wow, I really should cry, or shed a tear, or something was during lunch today when my host mom took a moment to say a few words about my time with their family.  Everything was going as one would imagine until my host mom presented me with a key to their house, saying that they want me to truly feel part of their family because I most certainly am a part of their family.  Wow... That was one of the most symbolic and thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me and definitely caught me off guard.  I think the key, as a symbol, does a better job than I ever could at explaining the bond I have with my Chilean family.  A key.  Una llave.  Enough said.


Anyway, once I left and started down the street, my mind started doing that last thing.  You know, this is the last...  Por ejemplo, this is the last time I will walk down this street.  This is the last time I will eat choripan etc.  I was sitting at the bus stop, waiting, while my mind was doing that last thing and finally I had to stop myself.  I should know better by now.  Doing that whole last thing only makes things worse, at least for me.  I am not a fan of goodbyes.  I'd rather just cut the cord and not drag it out.  But regardless of that, I should not be doing the last thing because I don't know what my future holds and who am I to say this is the last time I will do or see so-and-so.  A year ago, I most definitely didn't think I would be in Santiago, Chile etc.  Life is full of seasons.  Seasons come and go.  Things change.  But sometimes seasons repeat themselves in the most interesting ways.  You can never definitively say this is done, for good, forever.  Sure, you can close a chapter but you never know when God is going to surprise you or resurface old friends and so on and so forth...


Thus, I can (and should) mourn the fact that I won't be seeing my Chilean family, or Chile for a while, but I can't mourn a definite goodbye.  You just never know.  For now, I am incredibly thankful for the family with whom I spent most of my time in Chile.  They were, quite simply, a blessing from God.

From left to right:  Papá, Annia (the oldest), me, Maca (the youngest), y Mamá.

Not pictured:  La Abuela, i.e. Grandma

Sentimental at Dusk

Hmm, where do I start?  I suppose I'll start with the "big" news:  I officially have a ticket booked to return to the States!  (March 6th if you're wondering)  As excited as I am, I was having a sentimental moment as I was walking home at dusk from meeting my two Chilean friends for ice cream.  It was our "goodbye" and ice cream just seemed like the typical Chilean thing to do.  Plus, I had to get my fill of the delicious frutos del bosque and coco flavors before I left.  Anyway, I was walking home in a really pretty part of town and the sun was just about to set, so the Andes were looking fabulous and I thought to myself, Wow, I am going to miss this place a bit.  It's true.  I am going to miss Santiago a bit and Chile a bit more.  It has been an amazing six+ months.  I have experienced more than a blog can ever properly express.  I have seen more than I ever imagined.  I have been places that top the charts and truly are wonders of the world.  I have met people that I will most certainly never forget.  And I'm now getting ready to leave, to say goodbye.

Now don't get me wrong, I am beyond excited and beyond ready to come home.  But before I do a blog post about how pumped I am to board that plane, I think it is only appropriate that I pause, get a little sentimental, and give Chile a proper goodbye.  Chile has been good to me.  Well, actually, God has been good to me.  When living/traveling/studying abroad, there are so many factors that are beyond our control.  And God came through big time for me in Chile, (like He always does.  Still trying to figure out when I seem to always doubt Him!)  One of the biggest ways God has provided for me in Chile is through the people.  I am such a people person.  Thus, having such an amazing host family was key.  And then there are the amazing friends in my program, the instant Chilean friends when I arrived, a missionary couple that has been more than hospitable (in fact, I am still living in their home!), the incredible family whom I worked with at the summer camp, not to mention all the wonderful people I met traveling...  The list could go on!

Yes, Chile and I have had some rough patches.  I mean, I'm still not too keen on their cuisine.  Come on, Chile, too much mayo!  But still, I cannot hate on their food.  The avocados are amazing and I can still taste that amazing empanada de mariscos that I ate in Concón over Dieciocho.  Yes, I am ready to leave Chile, but it's not her fault.  It's just time.  Time to go.  Time to go home.  ((Yes, I will get to what's next in another post, but bear with me for a bit))

Okay, so I was walking home, getting all softhearted etc. and just really thinking about how much I have enjoyed Chile and how blessed I am.  Leaving is always hard, but as the saying goes It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.  As sappy as that is, it holds some truth, especially when I apply it to my abroad experiences and saying goodbye.  Yes, it will be hard saying goodbye, but I'd much rather have that hurt than have never had this experience...  I just hope that I can leave Chile well.  When I arrived in late August, I was a bit of, well, a mess.  In hindsight, I was scared, scared of the unknown, scared of leaving my comfort zone once again to brave this big world flying solo.  I didn't know what I was doing, where I was going, I didn't have a plan.  And in that respect, things haven't changed much.  I still don't have a five-year plan or anything but I'm at peace, whereas when I left for Chile, I was not.  That is absolutely a result of not trusting God, with everything.  If there is one thing I have learned these past couple years, it is that I am not in control, He is.  And that is a good thing.

It's terribly hard (especially for a planner) handing over the reigns to God and trusting in Him for it all, but it is terribly freeing as well.  One of my favorite passages regarding "plans" is in Isaiah:  I am the Lord your God, who teaches what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.  If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.  Trust God.  Follow Him.  And walk in His ways.  Thus, coming to Chile was hard, okay, downright difficult because I was trying to call the shots of my life and fit God into my own mold.  So in reality, God bringing me to Chile was even more of a blessing because it was here that He got me back to where I needed to be, which is in the center of His will.  

So I guess what I am trying to say is that yeah, leaving Chile will be bittersweet and it will be sad, but I am able to leave Chile with a peace in my heart.  I know it is time to leave, time to move on.  And I am so very, very excited for what He has for me next...  ♥

PHOTOS!!!!

Hi everyone!!
Guess what?! I finally got a spare moment to upload some photos.  Since I took over five hundred photos on my journey down south, I chose about fifty to make a "Best Of's" album entitled "Go SOUTH!!!" which you will find on the left-hand side of my blog page.  However, I am sorry to inform you that photobucket.com failed me again and all the pictures are in opposite order of how I took them.  (So I guess the album should be entitled "Go NORTH!!!")  Thus, imagine you are first in Punta Arenas and work your ways backwards.  Also, for some reason I can't figure out how to add captions so you all can know what you are looking at.  I'm working on it, trust me.
Enjoy!

The End of the World (or pretty darn close)

Hello hello everyone!
If you didn´t already know, I am writing to you from the ¨end of the world.¨  Yes, that´s right, Punta Arenas, Chile - latitude of 53 degrees south and approximately 6600 miles away from Burlington, Iowa.  I think I can safely say this is the furthest I have ever been from home.  With that said, I have so much to tell you all and describe to you that I think it might be easiest (and most fun) to hash it out in list format.  Ready?


Punta Arenas is...


1. one of the southernmost cities in the world
Yup, that´s right.  Like I mentioned previously, Punta Arenas sits on, or around, the 53rd latitude line south of the equator (or at least I think that´s how that works... it´s been awhile since my last lesson in geography).  The capital city of Chile´s southernmost region also sits on the edge of the Strait of Magellan, named after the explorer Ferdinand and also the most easily navigable passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean but also quite difficult to navigate due to unpredictable winds, currents, and narrows.  (All of this courtesy of Wikipedia, por supuesto.)  Anyway, whatever you like to call it - Punta Arenas, the end of the world, Tierra del Fuego - this is as far south as this girl is gettin´ ... this time, at least.


2. cold, windy, and full of coffee shops
So what have I been doing these past three days at the end of the world?  Well, not sunbathing that´s for sure.  Right now it´s about forty-eight degrees fahrenheit outside but last night it dropped to around thirty-three.  Thus, for the first time in months, weather in Iowa might be a bit more agreeable than where I am.  Shocking, I know.  And the wind... almost rivals the Windy City... almost.  Anyway, since it´s a bit chilly outside and since I am at the end of my month-long trip and am a bit burnt out on seeing stuff, I decided to play a game while giving myself a walking tour of the city.  The Game:  Every time I ran across a coffee shop I had to go in, sit down, and have a coffee.  Result:  Eight coffee shops in two days and a caffeine high like no other.  However, my favorite was definitely the jazzy, vintage, bohemian coffee shop called Tapiz where I had one of the best macchiatos.  I could have stayed there forever (in fact, I think my waitress thought I might and was relieved when I finally asked for la cuenta.)  


3. duty-free, or at least the Zona Franca
Sooo besides drinking entirely too much caffeine in Punta Arenas, I also visited the Zona Franca, which is the area of the city that is duty-free and thus the place to go to buy electronics, cars, and imported alcohol and chocolate.  Before I went, I really didn´t know quite what to expect.  I thought maybe it would be just one big store where they sold a bunch of random stuff.  To my surprise, it is much, much more than that.  In fact, it was quite overwhelming.  Store after store, aisle after aisle of stuff.  Materialism on steroids perhaps.  Halfway through the Zona Franca I had to sit down and have a Coca-Cola Light because I was just so overwhelmed.  Finally, after a few hours of going down practically every aisle and going in almost every store, I left.  My only purchase - peanut butter.


4. a small world
I never would have imagined the end of the world to be such a small world but indeed it is.  Why so?  Well, here are two stories to prove that as large as this world is it is also quite small.  The first occurred while I was riding the ferry back from the penguin colony, which I will describe later.  As I am sitting there, two gringas walk by and I was struck by one of the girls´ faces, which was unmistakeably familiar.  Since I knew it would bother me not to know how I recognized her, I got up, tapped her on the shoulder, and asked them both where they went to school.  Somehow I don´t think I was as surprised as I should have been when they said Loyola University in Chicago.  Small world indeed.  As it turns out, they arrived to Chile a little over a month ago through a different study abroad program that Loyola offers and will begin their classes in March.  Crazy, eh?  The second unbelieveable store happened while I was wandering through the aisles of a huge warehouse store in the Zona Franca.  As I am in a daze walking down aisle after aisle, out of the corner of my eye, I see this chica invade my personal space.  A little taken aback, I snap out of my daze and realize that it is KAREN, a woman I studied abroad with in Santiago.  What?!  For the past month, Karen had been taking a mountain climbing course in Patagonia and is now travelling with a friend doing treks etc. in the area.  I still could not believe I ran into her.  I mean, out of all the places, out of all the places in Punta Arenas, out of all the stores at the Zona Franca, out of all the aisles in this huge store... we literally ran into one another.  It is a small world afterall...


And last but not least...
Punta Arenas is...


5. full of penguins
Although being able to say I have been to the end of the world is pretty cool, the real reason I came all the way down to Punta Arenas was to see the penguins.  So on day one down here, I took a two-hour ferry to Isla Magdalena, home of thousands of Magellanic penguins that come down every summer to this island in order to breed.  Definitely the highlight of my time spent in Punta Arenas, walking amongst a few thousand adorable penguins waddling around and flapping their wings.  It was such a surreal experience.  I mean, come on, penguins are just so darn cute!!!  (Pictures to come, of course!)


Anyway, that really is a pretty good overview of what I have been doing down here.  Tomorrow I will take a plane back to Santiago and honestly I can´t say I´m that sad to be done with my trip down South.  Don´t get me wrong, it has been a blast and I have enjoyed every second of it.  I have done some amazing things, seen some spectacular sights, eaten some delicious food, and met some incredible people, but after a month of living out of a backpack, I´m ready to unpack, take a real shower, and have some variety in my wardrobe.  As for the photos, I should have the Best Of´s uploaded by Saturday.  So once again, stay tuned...


¡Ciao!

A Patagonian High

I am on the high of a lifetime down here in Patagonia.  Where do I even begin?  Well, let me work backwards for a moment.  I am currently all warm and cozy in my hostel (called The Singing Lamb, cute right?) in Puerto Natales, Chile, drinking a steaming hot cup of tea while listening to some Bon Iver.  Oh, I might also mention that I just had the best shower of a lifetime, awesome water pressure, perfect temperature, and a fresh clean towel provided by the hostel.  Maybe only a backpacker can truly appreciate what I just described but it was simply rejuvenating.  And then before that was one of the best meals I have eaten in a long time.  I went to this adorable little café slash coffee shop that reminded me vaguely of the coffee shops in Chicago.  Anyway, it was a vegetarian place and, well, the veggie burger was calling my name.  However, I was a little more than hungry so afterwards I opted for the hummus, yes, hummus.  Note:  Hummus does NOT exist in Chile.  Well, perhaps I have seen it once in Jumbo, the grocery store, but from the looks of it... ew.  This hummus was the real deal.  Delicious with a hint of tahini.  


All is right in the world.  I am beyond content right now and beyond blessed.


Now that you have a little background of where I am writing from I can begin to tell you about my extraordinary ferry ride down to the Chilean Patagonia.  From the beginning, I knew it was going to be successful, for multiple reasons.  One being that while checking-in at the Navimag offices in Puerto Montt, I met two of the nicest girls from California (who ended up being my bunkmates!) and then ran into four of my friends from one of my previous hostels.  So there was a joyful (and loud) reunion!  The other reason I knew it was going to be an amazing trip was the fact that it was pouring down rain (a common occurrence in this part of the world).  Now you might not think that would make me happy, in fact, it didn´t.  However, the happiness comes from finding cheap but good quality rain boots (or wellies as my Welsh friend informed me that they are called in England).  Score!  And let me tell you, these rain boots or wellies were the lust of every single Navimag traveller.  I had two older English ladies allude to their desire to steal them from me.  Ha!  There was no way I was letting those bad boys out of my sight.


So we board this ferry, which was more like a cruise ship, and it exceeded all of my expectations, especially the food.  The first night we had salmon, which was the best cooked salmon I had eaten on my entire trip.  Very impressive, Navimag, very impressive.  The three days I spent on this ship was essentially a vacation from my vacation.  I barely had to lift a finger and did not make one decision the entire time.  I didn´t even have to set an alarm!  I was practically told when to wake up, when to eat, when to go outside to look at something cool (which I´ll get to in a minute), when to eat again, when to go to yoga class on the second deck... And I had all the free time in the world to chat with my new (and recently new) friends, play cards, and read.


Now, let´s get to the meat and potatoes of this ferry ride:  the scenery.  First of all, we had the best weather.  Yes, there were overcast days but the weather did not stand in the way of any of the sights or pictures.  (Pictures to come!)  The first full day was all about the animals.  We got to see seals, whales, and dolphins!  I mean they were right there!  It was fully-sick (or full-on) as my Australian friend would say.  And the landscape... wow.  Our ferry made its way winding down channel after channel in between island after island of Patagonian terrain.  It was breathtaking.  I can understand why Patagonia is world-renowned.  It is ruggedly beautiful.  Ruggedly beautiful.  And as if the landscape and the animals were not enough on day two we saw the largest glacier in the Southern Hemisphere (other than in Antarctica).  It is also advancing significantly.  Called the Pío XI glaciar it is now 64 kilometres in length.  A GLACIER!  Isn´t that unreal?  I couldn´t believe what was before my eyes.  I still can´t believe I saw half the things I did.  I feel like I just awoke from the craziest dream ever.  Needless to say, going on that little cruise was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  And I am literally praising the Lord for how He has blessed me but also for His amazing creation.  Being on this ferry surrounding by these miraculous mountains and animals brought to the forefront of my mind how amazingly powerful and brilliant our God is.  Incredible.


And there is still more to come... Tomorrow morning I will be up and going early with a bus to catch at 7:15 bound for Punta Arenas, located right on the Straight of Magellan.  Tierra del Fuego.  The End of the World.  First thing on my list?  Penguins.  


Stay tuned!
¡ciao ciao!

Less Than Impressed In Castro

Hi Everyone

Bare with me during this blogpost as the keyboard I am using is missing a few key elements, such as particular capital letters and the exclamation mark, which I tend to use quite often.  However, lucky for me, the last few days have been less than exciting.  I am trying not to be critical but just plain honest.  And honestly, Castro and the surrounding area in Chiloè have been less than impressive.

On Monday, we arrived in Castro, which is the capitol of Chiloè and after getting settled in our hostel, that is actually quite comfortable, Falco and I took a walk around the city in order to see the ¨sights,¨ of which there are few.  The big attraction in these parts is definitely the palofitos, which are houses on stilts near the water.  In the photos I had seen previously the houses look colorful and lively.  However, in person, they looked dirty.  Maybe it was because the water was not very high, which takes away some of the charm... Anyways, those were a little bit of a let-down.

On Tuesday, we decided to go where our tour books and fellow friends who had traveled to Chiloè told us to go - Dalcahue and Achao.  Dalcahue is a small town near Castro that was supposed to have a stellar market and is also the port city to go to Achao, which is on a nearby island.  Sadly, the market was less than stellar.  The attraction in Achao?  The oldest church of all the churches in Chiloè, which are famous for weathering all the earthquakes Chile has had in the past.  Impressively, this church was built in 1730 by the Jesuits.  While the fact that it is still standing may be impressive, the church itself is not.  Bummer.  ajor bummer.  Even though the sights were less than exciting, Falco and I did manage to have a good time and I even learned a few words in German.

That leads me to today, Wednesday.  Well, on our last full day in the area the only thing to do was go to the national park.  As you all may know, I am not too much of an outdoorsy type girl.  I would not declare myself a girly girl, I can get dirty and play in the mud, so to speak, but bugs really are not my thing and generally nature does not get me too excited, unless it`s something crazy, ya know?  So I am probably not the best person to judge this national park, but there was a beach, which was cool.  Nevertheless, Falco and I walked around for awhile and did the main tourist treks.  Then, we headed back to Castro and our hostel, where we made pizza for dinner.  Is it sad that that was probably the highlight of our day?  For the record, it was good pizza.

And tomorrow... well, tomorrow Falco and I part ways and we are once again ridin` solo. Needless to say, Falco and I have had a blast together, especially when we were a group of three with our English friend Amanda, whom we miss quite a bit.  At the crack of dawn, Falco takes off for a long bus ride to Bariloche, Argentina while I take a different route.  In fact, it is quite different from my original itinerary, according to which I, too, was supposed to go to Bariloche.  However, after talking to different people and doing a lot of thinking, I opted not to cross over to the Argentine side, but instead take a ferry, called the Navimag, from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales and then go to Punta Arenas, which is my final destination.  The ferry is quite large, holding more than 300 people, and the trip in total will last three nights and four days.  Although it was a little pricey, at least on a backpacker`s budget, it will definitely be worth it.  I will be able to sit back, relax, and let someone else take the wheel for awhile.  Plus, I will be able to see a part of Chile and of Patagonia that is only visible by ship.  Here is the website for those of you interested in a more in-depth itinerary - Navimag Itinerary

Oh, and that`s the map of my route.  Pretty cool, eh?  Well, that is the general update and now you have an idea of where I will be headed.  Sadly, this ship does not have internet, no surprise there, so I won`t be able to blog for the next five days or so, but that`s probably okay.  I bet you all are desperate for a break from my blogposts.  Haha.  Hope you all are doing well.  Stay tuned for more updates on my journey to the End of the World.

Un besito,

Ciao

Marisco Overdose in Ancud

Well, I am no longer in Puerto Varas.  Actually, I am no longer on mainland Chile either.  Instead, I am on the grand island of Chiloé.  Chiloé is known for its mysticism, interesting food, and a completely different culture from Chile.  Today, we got a bit of a taste of that new culture.


Falco (my German friend, with whom I have been travelling recently) and I arrived in Ancud, Chiloé yesterday.  Luckily, we are staying at the same amazing hostel as our English friend Amanda.  (We all met in Pucón.)  Yesterday was also Falco´s birthday so we went out to eat in order to celebrate. Since Chiloé is famous for its seafood, Amanda and I decided to try paila marina, which is a type of soup with lots and lots of shellfish - clams, oysters, etc.  The first half of the dish was delicious, but by the time we got halfway through, we didn´t even want to look at another marisco let alone eat one.  Nevertheless, the dish at least deserves a 6 on a 10 point scale.


However, paila marina was just the beginning.  Today, Falco and I went on a mission - to eat curanto, the typical dish of Chiloé.  What is curanto exactly?  Well, for starters, it is cooked in a half a meter deep hole in the ground.  Yes, hole in the ground.  Anyways, the place to go for traditional curanto is about 13km away in a town called Quetalmahue.  In order to get there, Falco and I tried out hand at hitch hiking, which is quite common and popular down here.  Don´t worry, Mom and Dad, we didn´t actually hitch hike because before we found a random stranger going our way, a colectivo stopped for us.  


Okay, so we get there and immediately a man flags us over to his restaurant, which ended up being in the Lonely Planet guide (score!), and sat us down at one of his tables.  Curanto was already in the ground cookin´.  So how do you make curanto?  Well, I´m no expert but what I gathered was this:  First you get the stones heating up in the hole in the ground.  Once those are to the right temperature you add all the ingredients, which include potato bread (a Chiloé thing), chorizo, lots of mariscos (yes I ate more mariscos - I officially have a marisco overdose), chicken, potatos, and even some ribs.  Then all the food is covered with these huge leaves from the nalca plant.  Believe me, these leaves are enormous!  After everything is set, you let it cook for two or more hours.  It is truly an incredible process.  And once again, I found myself eating mariscos as well as delicious chicken, sausage, and ribs.  


As it turned out, we ran into two other guys from our hostel, who were also in the market for some curanto.  So we pulled two tables together and had a feast.  Afterwards, as stuffed as we were, we decided to go for a little drive on the nearby peninsula-island.  Now gives me the perfect opportunity to describe how beautiful this part of Chile is.  Beautiful is an understatement, believe me.  We all agreed that Chiloé is what we would expect Ireland or England to look like - green everywhere, normally dreary weather, large cliffs/bluffs overlooking rocky and cold water.  Gorgeous.  And when we arrived at the beach, we were even more stunned.  I cannot even begin to describe it all in words.  So you will all have to wait for my pictures, which will do it less than justice.


When all is said in done, I am falling in love with Chiloé and this isn´t even the half of it.  Tomorrow we head to the capital of Chiloé, Castro, where there are houses on stilts and beautiful wooden churches that have withstood earthquake after earthquake.  There is also a national park that we hope to check out.  And of course an amazing artisan market that I wouldn´t miss for the world.  So much to see and so much to do!


Hope you all are doing well back home.  I miss you all soo much!


¡Ciao!

Just Do It, Sin Pensar

Alright ya´ll... I got yet another story for you blog-readers out there.  I am currently in Puerto Varas in the part of Chile considered the Lakes District.  Puerto Varas has a lot of character (as well as tourists) and may even be considered quaint.  The past few days I have been wandering around, even visited the nearby town of Frutillar, and just enjoying life.  And even missing home a little.  ¿Por qué?  Well, even though this region has a lot of German influence (reminds my German friend Falco of his native land just a smidge), I really think this region also has a lot of Iowa influence.  Yes, that´s right, Iowa.  The other day on the bus I looked out the window and saw the familiar sight of cornfields!  Additionally, the countryside with its houses and trees draws an incredible resemblance to the great Mid-West.  So without even leaving Chile, I feel as if I have been back to Germany and, above all, back to Iowa.  Of course, the enormous mountains in the background as well as the volcano brought me back to reality as much as hearing the person next to me ramble on in Spanish.  Nope, not exactly Iowa... or Germany for that matter.


Anyway, I digress...


So the BIG story... Well, add another notch to my belt of Chilean adventures because this afternoon I went CANYONING.  Don´t worry, the first time I heard the word canyoning I didn´t have a clue either.  And honestly I still really don´t have a clue of what exactly canyoning consists.  But I´ll tell you of what my canyoning experience consisted.  Lucky for me, my German friend Falco once again accompanied me on this little aventura.  


After getting fitted for our special shoes, socks, and wetsuits, we loaded everything up in the vans and headed for the nearby national park.  (Beautiful scenery by the way)  About an hour to an hour and a half later, we had arrived.  So we put on our gear (wetsuits definitely aren´t my favorite fashionwear but I was glad I had something to keep me warm in the icey water) and trekked up a ways, perhaps half an hour.  Then, we arrive at the top of the river in order to work our way down it.  First step?  Jumping, oh, maybe three meters into the river.  Three meters may not sound like a lot but even this gave me a little bit of fear.  Is the water deep enough?  Will I hit the rocks at the bottom?  Heck, will I hit the rocks on the side of the cliff?  JUST DO IT!  SIN PENSAR!  (Sin pensar = without thinking)  Easier said than done, guys, believe me.  Mind over matter and what not, it is hard to forgo your fears and just do it.  However, I just did it... twice (for good measure).


Whew!  That was fun.  Then we worked our way down the river a bit more and did some tobogganing down some mini waterfalls.  That was a rush!  The water just sucks you down those things and you come up spitting water.  (I still have some in my ears...)  Ten minutes later we were yet again at another jump.  This one, in my opinion, was worse.  It wasn´t any higher but as you are standing there looking down, you see big rock jutting out from where you are jumping.  It took the guides some smooth talking to convince me that I was not going to hit the rock when I jumped into the water... I didn´t.  More tobogganing, more tobogganing, more tobogganing... Then we get to this little spot in the river with pooling water and what not.  This is where we defy gravity and do some matrix moves off the walls of the cliff.  My moves didn´t work out as nicely as some of the others, but falling into the water was nice.  Literally, they wanted me to run sideways on the wall of this cliff... Are they crazy?!  Well, yes, the answer is yes, because next we get to the biggest jump of the day, at least twenty (?) meters, maybe more but I´m bad at guesstimating.  Oh. My. Goodness.  Did that take some smooth talking or what?  Finally, I just said to myself, Sarah, you are going to jump off this cliff into this water that they claim is deep. You are going to do it and you are going to do it in 3... 2... 1...  *loud scream here*  Even thinking about it right now makes me have to pee a little.  (TMI?)  


Okay, whew, that part is over, kinda.  Now we are going to do some repelling down a forty meter waterfall... No big deal.  Or so I thought.  My logic was that this definitely would not be as scary as doing some free-falling into water because I would be hooking up to rope and my feet would be touching the side of the wall the whole time.  Nope, not quite.  After two meters down, the rocks disappear and you are just hanging as you let yourself down by rope.  However, this went quite well for me.  Nice views.  Control over my speed.  All is well.  Of course, I had mental nightmares of the rope breaking, or me losing my grip, or the bolts in the rock above just coming unhinged.  The guy hanging next to me even commented about how terrible it would be if there was an earthquake.  Thanks, Tomás, thanks.  But I made it, only to find out I had to jump fifteen meters or so into the water below.  3... 2... 1... Just do it!  Sin pensar!  *Kerplunk!*  


As scary as all that was, it was some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen.  And can we talk about that waterfall?!  Amazing that I was just hanging in mid-air going down the side of that sucker.  Once again, however, I am on solid ground thanking the Lord profusely for delivering me once again home safely.  First the volcano and now this.  I wonder if He is up there thinking Oh no, here goes Sarah again, is she out of her ever-loving mind? gotta go make sure she doesn´t kill herself.  Haha.  Anyway, just another day in the life of this lucky gringa travelling down to Patagonia...


¡Ciao!