Ihesitate, pausing to stare at the sky stretching out above me. A few clouds try to contain the sun’s might, yet its rays still reach down to gently caress my face. This place is absolutely beautiful and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here, but my body aches with anticipation at the thought of leaving. My body shakes with the expectation of feeling this same sun reach down to touch my face in this same way almost 5,000 miles from where I’m currently standing.
And yet, even as I stand here trembling, the thought is unreal to me. Despite my best efforts, I cannot wrap my mind around this reality. Surely I’m not going to South America in just a few weeks with a hodgepodge of students who will become my family. Surely I won’t be in Patagonia, the Land of the Giants, in less than a month. Surely I won’t be living in Vina del Mar with the Pacific Ocean gently lulling me to sleep each night. I won’t explore the mysterious Easter Island, the most remote landmass on Earth, and I certainly won’t go scuba diving there. I won’t visit the driest place in the world, the Atacama Desert, or the wettest, the Amazon Rainforest. Climbing up to the ancient Inca civilization at Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Wonders of the New World? Ha, I wish. That’ll never happen. My mind casts off all of these fantastical, outrageous notions, declaring them to be silly dreams and nothing more.
As I snap out of my daydream, I notice the clouds have succeeded in blocking the sun. Lowering my eyes, I continue on my path and tuck the foolish dreams back into my heart. There is no time for such thoughts, my mind insists. Yet I know the dreams cannot be held down very long. My mind can never truly contain my heart, just as the clouds can never silence the sun. Disregarding the clouds, the rays will break through to gently caress my face once again, and in spite of my mind’s protests, I will dream.
I will dream of an incredible journey across another continent that will bond me to 28 other adventurers. I’ll picture myself traversing lands that few men will ever see. I’ll imagine walking in the footsteps of ancient people who were touched by the same sun I am touched by. Foolish dreams will burst from my heart and flood my mind. One day my mind will understand. One day I will be able to wrap my mind around the reality that these dreams are not foolish. These dreams will be reality in just weeks. I eagerly await that day, and until then, I will dream.
Next issue: freshman Ashley Blackstock from HIP
