Woah...

Its over. In a few hours I get on a plane and I say chau to Santiago (I know it's a weird spelling of "chau", but that's how they do things here in Chile). I can't believe it's been a year. I remember taking off from the San Francisco airport, thinking wow, a year is a long time, and it definitely is, but it FLEW by. Time has never slipped through my fingers so quickly. 

On the plus side: I really feel like I lived every moment to it's fullest. Yes, there are still things I wish I could have seen, places I wish I'd gone, but overall I think I did a pretty damn good job of exploring this year, not only Chile and South America, but myself as a person. I am so stoked to head back home and to be with my family and I know i will have a better appreciation for my life in California. This place has changed me, but all for the better, those of you who see me when I get back, will definitely notice a change and I hope it doesn't bother y'all too much :)

There's this song, by this Chilean artist, and there are these lyrics that say "Pedazos de ti incrustados en mi, pedazos de mi, tirados en el camino." I have become obsessed with Fernando Milagros over this year, so it only seemed fitting that his words helped me convey my expereince. "Pieces of you embedded in me, pieces of me strewn on the road." Even though I am pretty sure Fernando's words about being strewn on the road weren't positive ones in the song's context, I'm taking some creative license, and interpreting it as me leaving a part of myself in Chile, but in a good way.

It's been a roller coaster of a year, that is for damn sure, but Santiago has seen me through it all, for that I am incredibly thankful. There are so many things that I want to list and talk about that happened over the course of this year, but half of you will loose interest, so I just want to say that it's been amazing and more that I could have imagined.

See ya on the flip side Santiago! No doubt in my mind that I'll be back, I'll try to bring a GIANT fan with me to blow away the smog :)