Happy New Year!
On this joyous, first day of what some believe to be the last year of our history I have several things I want to say. For starters, I hope that I don’t have the typical problem of writing “2011” beside the date for the first few weeks of the year. I know that it is now 2012, but my brain has formed a particular affection for 2011 and I know that it will take time to heal this. I just hope it takes less time than usual.
As is common on these seemingly monumental days in the year, I have been reflecting on the vast difference in direction my life has taken over the past year. Graduating university, leaving home for the first time, traveling solo for the first time, leaving behind a loving and caring family, and a career I now know I never wanted. Although it was a struggle to get to this point, I know that that I could not be happier with how this year turned out. Even if I have more bug bites and currently sleep in a loft, I feel like I have grown immensely as a person in my time away.
What I find most impressive is how strange the world works some times. I had never thought in my life that I would be embarking on an adventure of living in Balgue, Nicaragua for the next couple months. While my original plans to travel may have changed, the spirit of the trip remains the same. I still want to expand my knowledge, grow as a human, and continue exploring this world around me.
More importantly, I feel like I have been on a journey of self-discovery of epic proportions. The people I have met here have been teaching me a lot about my own strengths and weaknesses. And while learning about your biggest flaws are not always easy or comfortable, I feel like I have never been in a better time or place to deal with them.
Case in point, I really hate those pigs. But really, there is a part of me that loves them too. Loves them for being so blissfully ignorant of their gross ways. In many ways I resent having to feed animals that I see as unnecessary food and having to devote my weekends to lighting fires to cook their food. In short, they are high maintenance divas, without knowing they are. But every time I drop food into their pen, I stand and watch in utter amazement how they consistently act like utter buffoons. How greedy the big, mean pig is. How they consistently howl and squeal for food, like I have been starving them their whole life when I actually fed them two hours ago. Yet something in their interaction is utterly compelling. Even as you stand and watch the big pig take a dump on the piglets.
Life is a crazy, strange world. Where one moment you are talking to the investor and his family about the merits of working on an organic farm and the next you are talking to some fellow Canadians about West Edmonton Mall.
What I do know is that I have loved every minute of this wild ride I’m on. Even the pigs. And thank you, to all of you, for reading all about it.
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