El Fin: Jill´s Final Thoughts

To recap...spent a few days in Mendoza after Bariloche, did the wine tour and the hang out at a hostel with other travelers thing, and then made it to Buenos Aires on Sunday, did some shopping (oops), went to Uruguay for the day to have lunch (passport stamp whore, I know) and have packed and I´m ready to go! Ta da! I leave Argentina tonight! I´m a little nervous about saying bye to my last bout of freedom, and I´m a bit unhappy that once I return to the states, that´s it for my international travels for some time. But, it´s time...it´s really flippin time. So overall, I am happy to be returning. I have already begun the biding for a sublet in NY for June and July, and so life is commencing already. So, I have a 9 pm flight out tonight from Buenos Aires...and I only have to make 5 connections, hit 7 airports in 6 different countries, transfer my bags three times and fly on three different airlines to return to Seattle. WHAT?! Yeah, in the spirit of economy and keeping my original itinerary, which was quite manic and unplanned, I am flying from Buenos Aires via Santiago to Lima, with a cool 5 hour layover from 1 am to 6 am, then via Panama City to Mexico City, then on to LA and then to Seattle. So, while from Zambia it only took me 2 12 hour plane rides, from Argentina, I will take 6 planes and 30 hours. Eh. Maybe they´ll have some good movies. And then...that´s it...finally it. When the whole tumor episode happened last August, I was pretty pissed off, and many people, all with good intentions and warm thoughts, told me that maybe this happened for a reason, and that they were sure something good will come out of it. Well, several good things came out it, I got to experience things and places that I would never have been able to experience, or at least not for many years. But if I had to do it over, I would rather have had no tumor, and I would rather have started medical school. I don´t think it happened for a reason, or so that something else could happen during this year. Life is a bunch of silly coincidences. And this year has only confirmed for me the school of thought that shit happens, and it happens for no reason at all usually. Its not the ¨why¨that is important, but rather how you deal with it that is. (write that down, that´s profound.) This year has only confirmed for me that I desire to be a doctor, I love traveling the world, but also that I crave a permanent address. It has taught me what kind of traveling I´m cut out to do, and what kind I am not. I have had no earth shattering revelations. I´ve learned that very, very little shocks me anymore. I´ve learned that my health, and my passport, are my two most valuable possesions at the moment. I often think back to Zambia (as this year has also made me miss Africa a lot) and sometimes I am shocked that I did not become critically ill with pheo symptoms or a hypertensive crisis. I didn´t tell the folks just how many times I was sick, with what I deemed minor stuff related to the food or the climate. But now that I am actually healthy, and I can see what a difference it is to last year, it´s truly amazing. Traveling healthy sure beats traveling with a pheo. So, this extra year is almost over. And actually it has passed very very quickly. And it was, all in all, fantastic. But, to understate it all, I am ready for medical school. Vamos! As always, thanks to my faithful readers for following along. And if this is the first post you are reading...well, you´re a little late. Much love everyone!