I made a big decision yesterday. I decided to change my plans and skip the next farm. For the past four weeks, I had been looking forward to going to work on a remote potato farm on the enchanted island of Chiloe. It would have been a beautiful experience, and I certainly would have learned a lot (especially since Chiloehas over 120 types of potatoes). But, here`s the thing. If I worked on the farm, I would only have a few weeks to see all of Northern Chile. That`s not enough time to do it justice. There`s so much to see. Places are so far away. And I don`t want to rush from plan to plan to the point that I miss the opportunity to be spontaneous. So no fifth farm. Instead, today I start my month and a half vacation!
That means that there is a big mental transition I have to make. First of all, I have to realize that now, I am a tourist just like everyone else. I am no longer a migrant worker, hopping from farm to farm. But because that is still a part of my story and my identity as a foreigner, I have to realize that every other tourist may also have equally exciting stories. Second of all, I have to learn to listen to myself each and every day. I now have the freedom to decide what I want to do every single day. There are no schedules or plans. This is all me. This is freedom. And freedom, as described by one of my friends who hiked the Appalachian trail, can be a very overwhelming feeling. So it is time to get in tune with myself and to get in tune with what is around me. It is time to explore Chile, to meet people (tourists and Chileans alike), and to learn whatother types of realities are out there. It`s exploration time!
Of course, this is me we`re talking about, so of course there is a rough game plan. Basically, I want to spend a few days in the Lakes District. I`ll be staying with a friend of Irma`s who owns a hostel out in el campo. We`ll call this my transition time. Then I will go to Chiloe for a week or two, depending on the weather and how I`m feeling. I`ve heard really wonderful things, and I am very curious. And from there, I will book it North as fast as I can (although I`ll probably stop in Concepcion to see the earthquake`s effects, Talca to see a woman about the Fulbright Scholarship, and Valpairiso to get a hair cute). Then onto the North to see the desert, the stars, the mines, the ghost towns, and the mountains.
Life`s either a daring adventure, or nothing at all!
PS. Don`t worry. I`ll be safe. I think about Boston and Montana every day, and I wouldn`t do anything to jeopardize my homecoming.
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