The mountains are calling, and I must go.

The great naturalist John Muir said it best, "The mountains are calling, and I must go," and so, now, I must go.

One year in Tiraque, full of challenges, wonders, and the chance to listen to God's voice in a completely different way. I was called to come, and now I am called to go someplace else, back to the mountains, where my heart has really been all along. I have no regrets about coming to Tiraque with JVI, and this experience has shaped me and will be a part of me forever. But now it is time for other things.

The way things have worked out, I would have left in October anyway when Brad goes to Perú, but now after having been away from my site for 3 months with health problems, (and having had to accept the possibility of returning to the States for surgery at any point) every time I went back to Tiraque, I felt like I had already left, and my place there got smaller and smaller. The idea of coming back for two months to re-enter while also preparing to leave is something I have decided not to do. Like I said, I feel like I wasn't there anymore, anyway.

I am now in La Paz with Raúl. I will hang out here, while I look for work as a wildlife biologist back in the Southern Appalachians. I will be home in time for Christmas with my family and new niece/nephew/godchildren regardless of whether I have a job.

I still have lots of stories about Bolivia that I haven't had a chance to post recently because of all that has been going on, but now that I am in La Paz, I will have better access to the internet, and I will continue to post things, probaby more frequently. So, please keep in touch! And I can't wait to see y'all again.