Beyond our Borders – Part 1

Feb 28, 2010

February 27^th, 2010

As I sit here at the airport in Buenos Aires on my way back home from our amazing Antarctica adventure, I am drawn to reflect on some events from the previous several days. Upon returning to South America from Antarctica about half our group took advantage of a unique opportunity to visit Easter Island off the coast (waaay off the coast) of Chile. This remote island is closer to the western coast of South America than any other mainland on planet earth. The word “close” being used loosely, Easter Island is roughly the same distance away from South America that California is from New York. As I write this, I breathe with relief in discovering just a short while ago that my friends, patrons and comrades are all safe and sound, having escaped any wrath of the devastating earthquake that hit Chile early this morning. Merely an inconvenience as compared to what could have been and what is happening in the mainland, our group of 17 are indeed stranded on the far-away island as their flight to Santiago is in limbo due to damage at the airport. Most importantly, they are safe….and now enjoying an added post-post trip among the famous Moias–ancient statues–that sprinkle the landscape. Nice weather will help, as will the company of some good friends and a hospitable community in Easter Island. Hopefully the employers, dog sitters and fish feeders back home don’t mind a few extra days of absence.

My intent on this particular entry wasn’t to write about my friends in Easter Island, but rather to reflect upon something personal that I opted to do instead of accompanying a group to a solitary island in the middle of the Pacific. Today’s events warrant a small shift in my plan of what to blog, but I’m not the one holed up on an island in the south pacific, so I’ll just deal with it.

Life is full of choices and while I covet the experience of seeing a far away island, I chose another–and unique–path of an extended South American experience. At this moment I yearn to be with the group and assist with getting everyone home, but I am now on my way home by another route, having encountered a different, less inconvenient but still very eye-opening experience. Stay tuned in a few days for another entry, and some reflection on another South American community.

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