Birthdays and Playmobile Toys! Part I

Playmobile.

That is the endearing nickname the my gracious brother and our friend Fabian have bestowed upon me. Actually, it was Fabian´s even sweeter sister, Meme, that came up with it in the first place. As some of you know, I shaved my head before we started our trip. My hair grows quickly. I have, at this time, what my brother likes to call the ´tweener helmet head, where my hair is no longer that short, but not long enough to lie flat. So now they call me Playmobile (you remember, those crazy plastic toys with the hair that pops off?) (picture caption: a foto of my brother and I...we call him BOB, short for bob esponja (sponge BOB) and ´brother of baksheesh´...those who know him, I am sure can figure it out).--this pic won´t add right now so I¨ll put it up later.


So basically my hair is always covered by a bandana or a headscarf (I wear yours a lot, Nikki!), and we are pretty sure that everyone in Chile thinks I have cancer. (disclaimer: our joking is not meant to make light of cancer or offend anyone. God knows that one heartbreaking loss of a family member is enough for us to understand it is no joke). So Fabian asks his little cancermobile what I want to do with my last months on earth.....hmmmm. What a good question! My first reaction is that I want to do exactly what I am addicted to: travel. I want to experience all the corners of the world and meet all the kinds of people it has to offer.....oh, wait, that´s what I am doing! It is a pretty cool feeling to realize that this truly IS a trip of a lifetime. Can anyone say carpe diem?


But I want to think about it further, and really let it sink in. A 12 hour bus ride through flat, barren land is a perfect time to ponder that question--especially considering this bus ride falls on the anniversary of my birth :) At first I become saddened because there are so many things I want to experience beyond seeing and experiencing foreign landscapes: I want to fall in love, I want god to open my heart to her, I want to share my life with my kids, and I want to keep fighting the long defeat (fellow Dr. Paul Farmer admirers will know what I am referring to here).

I love traveling, that is for sure. I have the bug. I love meeting different people. Anthropology major, hello! But I am reminded of an awesome quote by Mark Twain (and backed up in the movie 'Into the Wild' if any of you have seen it): "To get the full values of joy, you must have somebody to divide it with ". What I would REALLY do with my last few months on earth would be to spend it with the people that I have already fallen in love with. Doesn't matter where; doesn't matter what--we could just make dents in couches the whole time, if you are game. That being said, this trip is undoubtedly going to be amazing (besides, I always have my bro to share it with), but more than anything I want to share it with you all. So that's how I want you to view this blog. It isn't just an update for you to know what I am doing and use for procrastination (though I also support that with my whole heart)--instead, know that it is my way of sharing my experiences with you...because that's the only way any of this will ever matter. Love you, and keep sharing YOUR lives with me, please!!