the end.

Well blogging universe, this is it. I am back in Lancaster. I have hugged all of my family members, eaten some Mexican food, and briefly considered unpacking my suitcases. I'm really home.

I'm trying to prepare myself for a lot of processing in the upcoming days, weeks, maybe even months. At the risk of getting too clichéd, Chile is a part of me now and I won't be the same again. That's one of the amazing things about having the opportunity to study abroad for a whole semester, or even a whole year -- spending that amount of time in another place can't help but leave a lasting impact. Instead of just being a tourist who visits a faraway country and snaps some photos, you get to really live there, breathe in the air, walk the streets, use the public transportation, get to know the people, absorb the history, observe the current attitudes and styles and slang, feel the city's ebb and flow of day-to-day life. The first month gives you the very unique opportunity to get a real glimpse into another place, and the following months offer you a chance to make that place mean something to you, to find where you fit amidst so much that is foreign.

I could go on and on about what an amazing semester this was, what my favorite parts were, what I'll always remember, how it changed me, what I learned -- but I would rather talk about those things with each of you in person now that I'm back in the States. I know this will make you all terribly sad, but I guess this blog has reached its end now that I don't have any more South American adventures to report on. I'm definitely glad that I chose to document my semester in this way; it's nice to know that a piece of my time in Chile will continue to exist, floating somewhere out there on the internet, if I ever want to go back and look it up. I like records. I hope you do too, and I hope you enjoyed following my adventures as much as I enjoyed telling you about them!

Chao.