Me Voy con Lagrimas

As I write this I am sitting in my room in Santiago for the last time waiting for a cab which will take me to the airport at 4:15 in the morning, sleep is not an option.

I have said my goodbye to my family; one of the hardest things I have ever done, and I must say that I am rather glad they are not accompanying me to the airport for I don't think I have the emotional fortitude for that.

I almost lost it when my host father said to me, "Has sido más que un hijo, has sido un amigo." This means, "You have been more than just a son, you've been a friend." He could not have expressed what I was feeling more perfectly.

For my final hours in Santiago my friend, Juan Pablo, hung out with me. We laughed and shared a few beers as we said goodbye. I walked him out, not knowing if and when I will see him again but knowing we enjoyed every second together.

Looking back on my time in Santiago makes me realize that it really was the adventure of a lifetime, hopefully one of many. The things I have learned here cannot be expressed in words, the stories will not do the events justice and there is no goodbye fitting for the friends I have made here.

But I most go on. Next semester I will be studying and interning (begging for change in the metro) in Washington, D.C. with several other Syracuse University students. Another group of friends for another set of adventures, hopefully with less running from the police.

Goodbye Santiago, it's been real.

La Isla Más Increible del Mundo

I have just returned from a four day visit to Easter Island, it was incredible. Easter Island is not only a fascinating place in an archaeological sense, but also culturally. The fact that only 4,000 people inhabit the island, and that only people of Rapa Nui descent can own land makes for a very homogeneous society.

I am sure that you have all seen pictures of the Moai, so I'm not going to bore you describing them. The history of Easter Island is what really makes it an amazing place. It is believe that people arrived to Easter Island from other parts of Polynesia sometime between 400 and 700 AD. The island at this time was covered in vegetation and food sources.

When the people began building the Moai they became obsessed with them. They spent more time building Moai than farming and fishing. They were also cutting down trees to use as transport for the Moai at a massive rate. At the same time the population of the island was growing immensely, peaking at 10,000 people. 

What resulted were food shortages, and subsequently civil-war. Easter Island is a good indicator of what could happen to us if we continue to live the way we do. We have to stop being so obsessed with our own lives, but also care for future lives.