The Picture I never took

Punta de lobos

Surf Capital, Chile

November 16, 2014

The Picture I never took

There we were, eight close friends. Many of us having different places that we call home, from all over the world; Canada, Germany, Colorado, Indiana, Maryland, and Illinois. We had not known that the others existed before a few months ago. Whether it was random chance or density that we all came to Chile, I am glad that we all did, and that we were all there together. To be able to hear about everyone’s different pervious life adventures, and learn about their different cultures was eye opening. And now to share so many new adventures with these people is really amazing. So much life and good times have been had in the last few months here in, Chile. So many places had been visited, so many new people had been meet, so many questions have been answered, and so many more questions had been asked.

Now the warmth of the small fire on the beach brought us together. The fire was made out of small drift wood pieces but the flames and heat were strong. We huddled close. We all wanted to be there. We were all happy to be there. To be in the now. To be there: along the rugged coast of Chile, on a beach, next to perfect waves, out in the world. Wets suits, hung behind us, attempting to dry. Surfboards hung from everywhere, off of the make shift surf shack, that some of us had rented from. A Mate gourd was passed around. Two homeless dogs, also gathered around for the warmth and free belly rubs. Sandwiches and bananas, and cookies, were passed around. Happiness was shared. Talk of how we wished to one day open our own beach side, surf hostel, began. JP said, “We will have a barbeque, and sell hot dogs for one dollar and everyone will be happy, I think that will be good.” I love the simplicity of the way people speak English when it is their second language. I also love the simplicity of JP’s statement; food, a place to stay and surf, what more do you need? I have learned to really enjoy the simplicity of life, and it has inspired me to continue my quest for minimalism. That is one reason why I love surfing, all you need is your board, wetsuit, and time.

Perfect waves rolled in from the depths of the sea, and curled in an almost slow motion speed towards us. With the classic “Titas” of Punta de lobos in the background and glassy left breaking point break waves curling behind us. The surf breaks in three different spots when it is small. The smallest of the three is where we surfed, and now we had a clear view of the last few surfers of the day, trying to catch that wave. That is always the challenge with surfing, wanting to get that one last wave, only one more. But you don’t want to try to hard and then not succeed and have a negative experience at the end of the day. Just like with my time in Chile, I want that last “perfect wave,” that last beautiful sunset, that one last thing. I feel that it is not good to put too much pressure on the “end.” You should always leave wanting more, but also being happy with what you have. The picturesque waves continued to perfectly curl, this time with a rider slashing his way into the beach. The ocean’s deep blue color blended in with the grey sky. The contrast of the white, almost turquoise water, smashing into the black rocks was memorizing.

If I try to look back on what my mind set and knowledge set was before coming here, it would less experienced. I feel as though I have really left my little world of living, in a snow globe in the mountains of Colorado and I have entered the world as a whole. I have come to see and appreciate different places and people. I never liked cities before I came to Chile, but after nights of wandering the labyrinth of Valparaiso and feeling the energy of the masses in Santiago, I learned of appreciate a wider variety of places. I had traveled before this trip to Chile, but with my higher level of comprehension, maturity, and better communication skills, I feel that I have gained the most from these few months.

I have become the person I wanted to be, more or less. At least for now. Obviously I will always strive to be better, smarter, stronger, ask more questions, and go more places. But for the moment I am satisfied with my self. I always wanted to travel South America. I always looked up to those cool older people, traveling, having a good time, playing music, surfing, doing things on their own. Now I am that person, my friends are those cool people. My mind remembers the activities of the night before. We sat in a circle in our Cabana, that we rented out. We passed around plates full of food and glasses full of drink. After our stomachs were satisfied, the music began. My two friends from Canada are talented signers and guitar players. Their rhythms, along with the mix of our voices occupied us for the rest of the night and most of the early morning as we sang. I all ways wanted to meet a beautiful girl to travel with too, and that actually happened to me. Through a chain of small world connections we meet while skiing at Portillo, Chile and then ended up traveling to Peru together and now Pichilemu.

My dream has become a reality. And by learning a little Spanish, I have a little more understanding of the world and a greater perspective of reality as a whole. I believe that understanding a different language allows you to have a deeper understanding and connection with a culture and therefore a glimpse into a completely different reality. Then your understanding of that perspective adds to your understanding of your native language and home culture, and builds up to who you are. In addition by meeting all these people from all over the world, and learning about their different home cultures, I now have a glimpse into their different realities. All these things add up and make me a more knowledgeable person and a better person, for my self. I think that is what makes life: having experiences and they all add up into your collective consciousness and create what you are and what you believe. I have had so many experiences in these last few months, and I have gained so much. All things are connected, and I have come to realize this from all my travels. Everyone feeds off of each other’s energy, and with all the good new energy being spread down here, it is good.

I have learned to be more mature, more understanding of everyone’s differences, more social. With the loss of my camera, while traveling in Peru, I have learned to enjoy things in the present. While there is something extremely satisfying about capturing a unique moment on camera and being able to look back on it, there is also something special about not capturing that moment. Knowing that you may only experience a certain event or feeling once, or knowing that you may only see a person for a few more hours has a certain feel to it. It makes you feel alive, makes you feel apart of the living, and ever changing world. The life of a traveler as many benefits to it, it allows you to connect with the energies of many different people and places.

Even though I couldn’t take a picture of us sitting on the beach, next to fire on that grey day, in Chile, I will always remember that day and all the things that came along with it and how it meant so much to me.