Adios Pintag

I have about ten days before I have to leave my host family in Pintag in order to take the second half of my classes in a town called Mushullakta, located in the foothills of the Amazon. I was not aware that I had such little time with my current host family until this Monday, when my host mom, who was as shocked as I was, told me how sad she was that our time here was soon ending. This realization on how fast my time here has gone felt like a slap in the face, in many ways it was a reality check, one that reminded me that my time here is temporary, and most definitely limited.

Since that moment, I have felt this pressure to make every moment count, all while reflecting on how I have decided to navigate my time since I arrived. This has been a conflicting process, because I have the feeling that I could have done more, but at the same time I feel like my time here has flown by. Mitigating this has been difficult, for in wanting to make the most out of the little time I have left, I realize that it is not necessarily about doing more, but more so getting the most out of the things I do.

This appears to be a recurring theme here in my time abroad, the realization that it truly is not about the quantity of things I do, but more about the quality of the experiences I have. After putting this in perspective, I try to live every moment with intent. Now, consider every time I share a cup of coffee with my host mom as a special one. Today I even took the long path to go to class in order to take advantage of the cool rainy weather, which I will be missing once I am in the Amazon.

Overall, preparing myself for this new chapter has been a process, one where I anticipate the transition into a new environment, family, and routine. However, I leave knowing I made the most out of my time here, and feeling ready for what is to come.