The End of a Trip

coming back for a week and change after my trip with st. luke's felt pretty anti-climactic, but right in a sense as well. like the denouement that ties up the loose ends and adds a bit of context, my last days in buenos aires were spent in visits and goodbyes, attempting to see the people i had formed relationships and to visit the places in the city that made me feel most at home.

granted, i was ready at that point to return to the states and had many blessings to anticipate. in front of me i had just under two weeks to spend with my parents before heading to baltimore for my cousin Emily's wedding and reuniting with my entire mom's side of the family. i was going to have the opportunity to share about my experience, what compelled me to go, what i saw and did, and what i gleaned from it all (which gave me more opportunities to relive, refine, and in some senses, define how i felt and remembered what transpired).

apart from a strange instance of not knowing how the date and day of the week correlated in regards to my flight, my last night in town was exactly what i wanted. popcorn, doritos and coca-cola (which became the treat of choice while backpacking for a month), movies, and time well spent with Elizabeth.

when it came time to board the taxi, it was bittersweet to say goodbye to places, experiences, and people i met while there. in some regards, i felt like from the moment i left houston for argentina in setember to the time i stepped back in houston in april, i had just opened an incredibly evocative book and my return was closing the back cover, looking up and finding myself right back in my favorite reading chair in the house. thankfully, the pictures, emails, and occasional skype conversation prove otherwise.

it was with overwhelming gratitude that i left argentina.