A place I can hang my hat

There are many different ways to live life depending on who you talk to.

Some opt for a secure job, a home with a two-car garage and a family while others fervently argue that to truly live one must go beyond the expected societal norm and out into the vast expanse of the world. Neither is wrong and neither is right.

However, the people who elect one lifestyle over the other typically feel strongly about their choice. Some for necessity, some in the name of what is expected and many just because they can't imagine life any other way.

The grand majority of the people I've met on this South American adventure are openly disgusted with the idea of settling down. Soccer moms -- don't even think about it. PTA -- not a chance. Buying a house -- what kind of tontería is that?

But is it possible to be neither? Or both?

I'm living with an ultimatum. I leave Santiago in four months. In the meantime, our walls will remain bare. Our kitchen will never be fully stocked. I'll have to say goodbye indefinitely to my Chilean friends in December. Life is temporary. Transitory.

This experience makes me realize that I want something permanent. A place I can hang my hat. I want to buy a Seattle condo. I want roots.

I wouldn't have known this about myself unless I had embarked upon this journey. I would have spent life yearning for the unknown; the draw of living in a world so unlike your own you can't even imagine. And I've been there. It's exhilerating, refreshing, exciting, hard at times but oh-so-worth it. Situations like these teach you the most about yourself. And often surprising realizations.

So while I still haven't decided exactly if I'm ready to settle down, I know for a fact that I'm ready to put together my adult life. If you had asked me that six months ago, I wouldn't have been able to give you an answer.

Thanks Santiago. XX Bree