Back in Boston

Well, friends and family, I am back in the lovely US of A. From Rosario, I took the bus down to Buenos Aires, where I stayed a few nights at the same hostel I had been to twice before. It was nice to know some people there, and I also quickly became friends with a few other guests who were listening to reggae music on the patio when I arrived. We made a little family for the weekend. I picked up my new, hideous passport (ugly not for the photo of me but for the horrendous background photos on all of the pages), bought a few cd's and a handful of books (a season of the cartoon Mafalda, a copy of the epic poem Martin Fierro, and stories by Horacio Quiroga), gave away my polyester sleeping bag, said goodbyes, and then left. Simple as that, I suppose. 

I flew to Miami, where I rented a car and drove across the state to visit my grandparents. After so long traveling by bike, I was amazed again by how much distance I can cover with standard transmission and internal combustion. I spent five days with my grandparents, listening to their stories and wisdom, and letting myself be entertained. And then I flew to Boston, where a new phone number was waiting for me, along with the reality that I have to get a job and that I'm going to start forgetting how to speak spanish unless I work hard at retaining it. Yes, it's something of a drag... 

But all hope is not lost, for I know I will return to the open road. This journey has struck a reverberating chord in my soul and filled me with energy and enthusiasm, and I am putting it upon myself to maintain it, as much as is possible.