Adios South America

After almost exactly two months after the day I left Chicago for my ‘round the world excursion, I am leaving my new beloved home of South America and jetting across the Pacific to New Zealand and Australia. South America was never high on my list of places to go, but now I am so glad I’ve discovered this amazingly diverse place. From hot equatorial days in the lava world of the Galapagos to chilly, wet nights high up in the Andes of Chile, to the cosmopolitan beats of Buenos Aires, I’ve become enamored with all things Latin American—especially the language. I’ve amazed myself at my new Spanish vocabulary and will miss the conversations I’ve had with taxi drivers, real estate agents, and even policemen. I have never known or spoken more of a second language until now. Not even after four years of honors Spanish in high school was I able to converse and understand as much as I do now. Sadly, my time for Spanish is over until I reach Spain so many miles and months away. It’s amazing how all of central and South America, and now practically half of North America, speaks Spanish, but the rest of the world, besides Spain, speaks none.