Soy de Minnesota

I loved chatting with travelers and locals throughout the vacation portion of this adventure. There are so many stories to hear.

FAQ: Where are you from?

Little Minnesota connections popped up here and there. We met a Chilean guy whose brother is currently studying at the U of M (and he was well acquainted with the rivalry between the Vikings and the Packers); we chatted with a Chilean man who makes Venetian blinds in Chile, and went to Minnesota for work purposes. We met another traveler who said "your state must be half empty. I've met so many people from Minnesota here!" 

On the flight from Punta Arenas to Puerto Montt, I sat next to a woman from Wayzata who was just returning from Antarctica. We had a wonderful chat about Chile and our travels. (Antarctica. Now I understand.)

Then I explained how eBooks work at HCL, and told her how to get a library card. Never a break, folks, never a break.

FAQ: What are you doing here?

It was wonderful to hear from so many people that they were taking three months, six months, a year to travel. We met some guys from Spain who were cycling through Argentina and Chile. We met a guy from France who was taking a few months to explore the continent, and another girl from France who had been here for five months already. We met a guy from South Dakota who was taking a few months in South America, and then was heading to Spain for awhile. 

I wondered how they were able to do this, afford this, what their situations were. Then I heard myself casually tell our story, too. "Oh, we're going to live here for a few months. Work. Learn Spanish. 

Now that the vacation is wrapping up, I´m having another wave of reality that I will be here for months. It is very convenient that the reality is has coming in bite-size pieces, easy-ish to digest.