South America: In Retrospect

I'm not quite sure how to sum up the last 9 months in one post, but I'm going to try. I know I'll think of other things to add long after I publish this post. But where to begin?

9 months and 6 countries. My passport is very nearly full. Only one page left. There are not many things more satisfying than a customs official searching through your passport, looking for a blank space to place his mark. But I collected so much more than stamps in a passport.

I learned more in these last 9 months than I ever have. I learned that some vegetables are not all bad, but that guinea pig definitely is. I learned alpaca burgers are one delicious meat, and that Argentines and Uruguayans know beef better than anyone else. I kind of learned the difference between ser and estar, but I never did figure out when to use por and para. I just pick one. I learned the real reason why you use "much" and not "many" and vice versa, as well as when to use the present perfect instead of the simple past tense. I learned how to salsa, but only kind of how to tango. And much, much more.

I also met more people this year than any previous years. I met some funny people, I met boring people, I met people I wish I hadn't, I met people I couldn't have lived without, I met people I forgot about the next day, I met people I won't ever forget.

People have been asking me what my favorite place I visited was, and I don't know how on earth I'm supposed to pick one. Of the countries I visited, I am and always will be the most loyal to Peru; it was my home for 6 months. One of these countries, Bolivia, is sadly on the brink of Civil War. The Peace Corps has gone so far as to evacuate all their workers. Lucky I got there when I did. Instead of picking one favorite, why don't I make a "best of" and "worst of" list. It's what everyone else does at the end of the year, so I'll do it for the end of my trip.

Best experience: teaching
Best flag: Cusco
Worst accent: Chile, I can't understand a word anyone said.
Best food: Argentina, no contest.
Worst meal: Cuy, no contest.
Best Amazing Race moment: Random Peruvian woman racing Peter and I to the bank.
Worst roommate: Templeton
Best Hike: The Inca Trail, obviously.
Best Island: Easter
Worst Name: Um, Hitler anyone?
Best Natural Wonder: This is a tough call. How do you choose between the Amazon, Lake Titicaca, and Iguazu Falls? I think I have to give it to Iguazu in a nail-biter, if only for the rainbows.
Best Moment Involving a Piece of Fruit: Feeding a banana to a monkey in the Amazon.
Worst Moment Involving a Piece of Fruit: Laying a banana peel out on the beach of Easter Island as a diversion for the flies. That was kinda gross.
Best weekend trip: Mindo, in Ecuador
Worst bus ride: Tres Cruces back to Cusco. Thought for sure I would lose my lunch.
Best dance: Salsa.
Best city: Buenos Aires

Since I've been home, I've had a few adjustments to make. I wouldn't think I would ever have to adjust to the ability to throw toilet paper in the toilet, and yet, that's been one of the hardest things to remember. It's also a bizarre thing to hear English conversations happening around me, as well as speaking English to waiters or store clerks. I have to stop myself from kissing people on the cheek when I see them so as not to seem alien. Shaking hands seems so stuffy.

What are the chances that I will go abroad for an extended period of time again? Very, very good.