The top picture was the one we took on our third day in Chile. I had decided I was going to be adventurous. If someone asked me to go and do something, I'd set aside my fear and I'd say "absolutely". And that's exactly how I wound up in this first picture. We were walking around the plaza, exploring the beach, getting our first feel of how the bus system work (oh my, what an experience) and we were enjoying our time in a foreign country with our laughable Spanish.
The second picture was taken on our 120th-ish day in Chile. The most notable difference, in my opinion, is less pounds and more hair, but it's more than that. Amy and Michael were about to leave. Classes has just ended. We were all feeling nostalgic, a little sad that we had to leave, but also a little excited to be returning home or embarking on new journeys. But in our last few weeks in Chile, on the day we took this picture, this were so much easier than they had been. We spoke with confidence to Chileans and those we interacted with. Things that had once been a colossal change had become routine. We'd all mastered the public transit system, getting on and off where we pleased, spouting off bus number and routes like we'd been using them our entire lives. We had become confident in our surroundings, we'd leaned into each other when we were uncertain or insecure. We'd learn to flex when we were about to break and move on when we'd done what we could. We were different people than when we arrived.
No one can convince me otherwise.
