Patagonia Paddle
It’s December. The end of 2020. I’ve been back home, living in my parents’ basement with my boyfriend for six months now, and starting to dream about travel again. Here’s the backstory:
I was working as an engineer in Los Angeles until March, 2020. I put in my two weeks, bought a ticket to MJ in Chile, and planned to vacation there for three weeks before coming home and figuring out the next step. Instead, a global pandemic cancelled our return flights, we stayed rent-free at a kayak hostel for five months, and got a giant and adorable puppy. We had no particular reason to get back to The States, and the place we were staying was beautiful enough. It had rivers and fish and mountains and waterfalls. Wood-burning stoves and a slowly but steadily growing greenhouse. There were no jobs to get back to, no obligations or urgencies.. until my dad went into the hospital with a sudden seizure. Age 54 and in the best health of his life, he was diagnosed with Stage IV glioblastoma brain cancer. The day after they found the mass, he had brain surgery. Meanwhile, I was still 5500 miles away, trying to figure out how to get home immediately. I found a ticket home for the next week and started packing up. The plan was for MJ to stay with the dog, Kid, until she was able to fly (it’s a process to import a pet), but the night before my flight, MJ got an email that said his tourist visa extension was rejected and he would have to leave the country. In normal scenarios, a quick trip across the border to Argentina would reset the visa, but the border was closed due to Covid-19 so he decided to fly with me back home. In one night, we were able to pack up everything we owned, find a generous, kind friend to care for Kid indefinitely until we could get her home, find an equally generous friend to take us to the airport in the morning, and clean the entire hostel. Those friends filled me with gratitude, they really made it happen for us.
So we got to the states together before he separated to get to his family in New Mexico and I to Missouri. We were sad to have left Kid behind and scared we wouldn’t be successful in getting her home. Side note: my older brother and my dad put our fourteen year old dog, Duke, down that day. Two days before I got home! That was also sad. It was just a sad time man. Anyway, we ended up getting Kid home! We flew her to Miami for a million dollars and drove down from Missouri to get her. MJ is in Missouri now too, and things are a lot better.
At that time, all I wanted in the whole world was to be at home with my dad. To have my family, my love, and my dog in one place seemed like winning the lottery. I am so grateful to have this time with them.
Still though, I dream of traveling. This drawing was inspired by my time in Chile. I had the opportunity to go to Torres del Paine and be immersed in that beautiful scenery. I have been craving being in a kayak with cold water splashing my hands and face. I want that fresh, crisp air in my lungs. So while I’m here with my family, I will draw Patagonia and live inside the doodles.
