And datejenny.com is back…live from South America…

Before embarking on my journey, many people sent me off with well wishes such as “you’re going to have a blast!” or “have SO much fun!” I would politely reply thanks, but my intention for the trip wasn’t really to have fun. (I know no one in my family thought it sounded like a fun idea.) Of course, I hoped I would have fun, but more importantly i was just hoping I could do it.

I did the whole backpacking/hostel thru Europe about 9 years ago as a freshman in college. I met up with 3 friends in Switzerland, and we crisscrossed the continent having a blast. But Europe–it’s like Disneyland. If you want to go to FranceLand, GermanyLand, ItalyLand, you just hope on a train and it practically drops you off in front of Notre Dame with a colorful map with buildings that look like cartoon balloons. I also had the safety net of 3 other people to help make decisions and doublecheck the itinerary/maps/directions/bus schedules or whatever.

But this trip is different. I’m on old creaky buses rather than modern trains. Im trying to navigate vast amounts of terrain in a place notorious for wind, rain, and snow. I’m staying at hostels with grungy bathrooms and sleeping next to strangers who snore. I’m faced with many moments of extensuve walking, waiting, thinking, finding my happy place.

In short, this trip in many ways has been a trip of endurance. I’m exhausted. But the weird thing is, I don’t really want to stop. I wouldn’t really say I’m having so much fun. Fun to me is riding a roller coaster. I just feel more…(and this sounds cheesy)…alive.

For the last few years I’ve been working and trying to do (for the most part) what I’m suppose to do–work, date, go to church–and things were in a rhythm, life felt a little desensitized, and I was starting to feel bored. A trip to Hawaii did not sound like it would wake me up. This kind of trip did.

Here, I feel like my wits have to be in full force. I have to think one step ahead–to know where I am, where I’m going, where my bus ticket is so I don’t lose it.

I have the challenge to force myself to chill, pass large amounts of time in uncomfortable situations, and find ways to entertain myself for hours.

And the weather! This last week I feel like I’ve been playing chicken with the forecast, and I haven’t been winning. (I am in Ushuaia, the southern most city in Argentina (and the world) where it has been dumping snow.) Nevertheless, I have to tell myself that I can’t control the weather, I’m here now, and I better make the most of it.

But in between all these uncomfortable, uncertain, and lonely situations, I have had a blast doing new things, seeing new things, and meeting new people. After reviewing my last few blog posts, I noticed that it might appear I’m having a bad time. Not at all. Well, that bus ride wasn’t a fun time at all. No, that sucked. But i found the irony of the cloud in front of Cerro Torre to be more humourous than anything else.

In summary, it’s important to remember that I really had no clue what to expect when I hopped on a plane with a plan to travel Southern Chile and Argentina. And because of my ignoranc the trip isn’t perfect, and not every moment is “a blast” or “so much fun.” but I’m doing my best, and that in itself is the most rewarding.

In other words, it will be a success if I don’t get my camera stolen, improve my Spanish some, and…to prove my family wrong…don’t change my return flight and come home early.

P.S. Please note that my one-month expedition is peanuts compared to some of the other travelers I’m meeting who are on 3, 6, 12-month expeditions throughout South America and around the world. Peanuts!