It’s no secret to my friends and family that I basically live, breathe, and, and eat to travel. It’s become a defining characteristic of who I am, and though I may not consider myself so, it’s flattering to hear people say that I’m brave, adventurous, a risk-taker…

Almost 4 years ago, I spent a couple months in Peru where I forged a seemingly instant connection with other volunteers at the home stay where I was living in Cusco. Two of them, Andy and Julia, were continuing their South American journey and I and two others, Kushal and Hiyasmin, tagged along for the wild, unforgettable ride. Though I’d done a bit of travelling before then, the weeks I spent with this amazing group of friends is one that I constantly look back upon with fond memories that never fail to put a smile on my face.

These weeks challenged me, provoked me, made me see life from a different angle, and were responsible for making me feel capable of so much more than I thought. These weeks in Chile and Argentina, staying in hostels, taking long distance bus rides, trekking every other day, climbing volcanoes, sliding down glaciers, seeing the beauty of Iguazu Falls, the splendor of Santiago, and the sophistication of Buenos Aires…

It’ll be interesting to revisit the capital cities of Chile and Argentina and see how they’ve changed, and reflect back on my time there where so many doors of my life were opened. I imagine that I’ll feel that bittersweet nostalgia more than once along the way.

Those weeks in Chile and Argentina was when the ball got rolling. At this point, the ball is unstoppable.