The sink and surge of memories

I've said a number of times over the last few weeks that instead of trying process all that's going on, I'm simply going to let life happen. Maybe because of this, I wasn't prepared mentally for this return to Argentina. I was mentally prepared to start an adventure--travel with just a backpack through the mountains--but not to return to Argentina.

At age 16, my thee months as an exchange student in Argentina proved to be a difficult period for me. There were definitely great moments, wonderful friends and amazing opportunities, but the lows were particularly low.

As is normal with the passage of time, many of those lows have sunk deep into my subconscious, while the highlights linger on the surface of my memory. So to suddenly have them surge up again caught me off guard.

It does makes me realize though how much I've grown and changed over the last five years. Instead of being intimidated by the idea of living abroad, I thrive on its challenges and rewards.