Lists - Changes

Today's list is one of the most notable changed circumstances. These include things I'll miss from this trip, things I won't, and things that I miss from home. When I planned and even when I started this trip, two months didn't really seem like that much, but with just two days left, it sure feels like we've been gone a long time. When you're gone for that long, it becomes more than just a vacation; to an extent, we've been living abroad, taking care of the mundane everyday things in life as much as sightseeing. Hopefully, this short list provides a brief snapshot of how these 56 days have been noticeably different in more specific terms than simply being away from home.

1. Language. The daily use of Spanish for nearly all interactions outside of those with Dylan has been an exhausting challenge, as I've been mostly learning as I go along. At times, I have found this challenge very rewarding. Being able to fend for myself in a foreign country speaking a language I only started to learn in March - whether it's been ordering food or buying bus tickets or defending myself against corrupt tourist police - has been a great part of this entire experience. It allows you to interact with locals in some small way on their terms. It both demonstrates a willingness to engage in cultural exhange and enhances that exchange. I can't help feeling that the many backpackers - mostly Europeans - we've encountered who have been unable to say anything more than "buenos dias" have undoubtedly missed out on what I consider a critical part of such a trip as ours. At the same time, it isn't easy constantly translating your thoughts into another language for eight weeks, nor is desperately trying to understand rapid-fire speech when any small misunderstanding can mean anything from being served the wrong dish to winding up 200 miles in the wrong direction after five hours on a smelly bus. I'm very much so looking forward to returning to constant English, though I do plan to continue learning Spanish on a somewhat less breakneck pace.

2. Showers. I promise never to take hot, clean, showerhead-equipped, pressurized, enclosed showers for granted ever again. Enough said.

3. Dinner company. Dylan was a great friend when we started and he is now possibly an even better friend, but I swear to God we've had only three meals apart out of a total of something like 150 since the beginning of June. Time to switch it up a little.

4. Cool stuff. A catchall category to represent the fact that no matter how tired of traveling I've been on any given morning, any negative thought has soon replaced by the knowledge that - if I can just get myself out of bed - I'm probably going to see something remarkable, even unforgettable within the next few hours. Some days have been quiet, for sure, but others have been stuffed full of enough experiences to last for weeks under normal circumstances. Nothing against law school textbooks, but I will definitely miss the excitement that accompanies the expectation of a new experience that I've felt nearly every morning here.

5. The climate and the terrain. I know from many of you that the weather at home has been rather marginal so far this summer, but that hasn't stopped me from often wishing I were at the beach instead of some town nestled deep inside the Andes in the middle of the winter. Summer has meant the Jersey shore pretty much forever and it's been a noticeable absence. Especially given that we've been to so many other types of terrain on this trip. Desert, ocean coast, cold and snowy mountains, hot and arid mountains, rainforest, several lakes, all manner of cities and towns, and we almost even made it to the jungle. The daytime temperature has ranged from 30 to 80. Not that I particularly enjoy the high 80s when they come with overwhelming humidity, but I'm a guy that likes the beach and the summer, so I've had about enough of the pick-a-random-climate game.

6. The "gringo" effect. We've been called gringos - never to our face - on many an occasion here, almost always by very young children staring at us in amazed wonder. In spite of this, we haven't felt nearly as out of place here as I imagine Western visitors to more depressed areas of the world do. That being said, we've certainly been pretty easy to pick out, especially in some of the smaller communities we've visited like Isla Amantaní on Lake Titicaca. Even though our hosts have been unfailingly generous, kind, and helpful, there's a comfort to fitting in and, to a larger extent, not always being served; it's a comfort that we've been clearly lacking for a while. Dylan has told me several times already this trip about how much he dislikes "service" in general, and that if it were up to him, things like GPS navigators would be illegal because they render people impotent. Despite his extreme position, and the fact that we've done plenty for ourselves this trip, it will be nice to get back to the usual anonymity.