First semester reflections

This is a long one, we we’re so busy living life, learning, walking, experiencing that we let our posts take the very back seat. These are the words of the four incredible young men that now have 4+ months of life in Patagonia under their belts. We could not be more proud of them nor proud to be a part of their team.

Zach

This semester has taught me a lot. In terms of the external- culture, language, lifestyle- as well as the internal- myself. The intensity of the setting has served as a perfect domain of hard self-reflection. When you watch somebody roughly your own age single handedly seize a furious cow by the horns and muscle it to the ground, it really puts your own ability in perspective. I’ve had a lot of times like that, in which cultural contrast has forced me to look into myself, to honestly analyze what qualities of mine fall short. Being without has forced me to identify what I really need and what is just extra weight in my backpack, literally and metaphorically.

Above all, Patagonia has given me a frame of understanding the world that is more rooted in objective reality. Being such an experience rich in self reflection, this semester has essentially given me the base knowledge to understand how little I know and how much work I need to do on myself in order to become a man. 

It’s a strange concept, having to be taught that you don’t know anything, but some things require a certain level of base understanding in order to comprehend the bigger picture. To illustrate this idea, imagine a man who doesn’t know how to swim training for a triathlon. In order to comprehend the difficulty and passion necessary to complete the swimming portion of the race, the man must first learn to swim. Before he does that he cannot possibly understand how much work he must do to achieve this goal. He has to arrive at a certain base level of understanding, before he can visualize the bigger picture. 

This semester has taught me to swim. When I arrived here, I was entirely oblivious to the difficulty and passion necessary to become the kind of man I want to be. I had no understanding of how much work there is to do in order to achieve this goal. This semester has guided me to arrive at a base level of understanding in order to visualize the bigger picture of the life I want to live.

Noah 

Being back in guadal with everyone feels like a big city after living on the trail and at the ranch for so long. Good memories here in the land of plenty, as we’ve come to call the town. Reliving the last 4 months with friends that feel like family. So much has changed for all of us since we arrived, mentally and physically. The first semester of this program is coming to an end, and now I find it necessary to sit back and reflect on the meaning of this trip. What have I learned? Where to begin with that question? I’ve learned how to start fires without fire starter, work in a ranch, cook on the trail and in a kitchen, and speak (some) Spanish. I’ve learned the importance of awareness and being present, and how I can help people without being asked first. I’ve learned that I have a group of friends that have my back through the most intense of situations. From the chaos of chasing down farm animals to the mental struggles we all face, this group of brothers has helped me through it all. This trip has been anything but easy, it has challenged me in more ways than I can count. But returning to the meaning of this journey, has it been worth it? Has it been worth the 5 hour treks in lashing rain? Has it been worth giving up all the material comforts I enjoy at home? Has it been worth waking up at 5 in the morning to start the fire so me and my friends can have breakfast and hot matè? Yes, I can definitively say that it has been worth all that and more.

Jacob

In 4 months in patagonia one blog can’t even begin to describe what us as individuals and as a group have learned. We have been through bad times and a lot of good times together and have come out better people on the other side. We have met so many amazing people and formed amazing relationships, we have grown physically and a lot mentally. An example of coming far physically would be turning a walk that took us 6 hours the first time, and making it in 2 and a half hours most recently. Our mental capacities have grown and we are able to absorb much more and be really present mentally. We are only halfway to the end of the program but the strides the group has made already is staggering. With new members now joining it is our hope to keep being present and absorb knowledge as well as help this next group make the transition as we did.

Jack

It seems as though everything has changed since our arrival in September. I can remember the fields barren. The mountains encapsulated in snow. The rivers winding their way around the rocks on the bottoms of the river beds.

Now the sun burns bright in the sky until 10 pm. The grassess have grown tall. Bending with the breeze, not to return to their upright position until the winds grow quiet with the night. The rivers run with strength, eating away at the earth, pulling branches and trees with their current. 

Our first semester here in Patagonia has come to a close. The boys and I are about to begin our personal travels. We have lived here for four months now. In these four months we have lived a variety of places and situations. From Sol de mayo ranch, to the backcountry, to various gaucho families and ranchers. Here my brothers and I have reflected our environment. Growing together with the seasons the rivers and the grasses. Growing because it's what we search for and what makes sense with fulfilment. Each of us doing it with the humility that runs in the rivers, the humility that grows in the fields, and the confidence that breeds the mountains. Growing with our new families and friends, learning everyday from each other. 

We have gained countless skills and new capabilities. These capabilities and skills now allow us to live and thrive in any environment. But what speaks most to me are the relationships we have built here. The new relationships with ourselves and those with others. To me the most important are those with ourselves. 

My relationship with myself has changed dramatically this semester. Earlier in the semester I encountered a threshold concept. Living with the boys and being a mentor was difficult at first but I began to figure out the dynamics enough to do it well. What I was lacking however was perspective. I lacked an honest perspective of myself and my role. Living and teaching the boys made me realize how little I really know. I did not understood the amount of questions I had but really began to ask them. This lead me to understand and accept that I know nothing, or at least I know much less than I originally thought. My newfound perspective hit me hard. In this place it really rocked my world. It was a very hard thing to swallow for me. Knocking my ego down to the ground. It wasn't until I began to act and live upon this new idea that I felt I could lead and mentor. Live and be a friend. Once I passed this perspective check I began to live and learn happier. More proactively and with more humility. I saw a real change in my relationships and how I viewed them. I thank my friends for inadvertently showing my this way of looking at things and really loving it. 

So, here we are ending our first semester. Looking back, focusing on the most profound movements and trying to give body and shape. Doing my best here with words. Sharing the pieces I can. I don't know much but what I do know is wherever we are going next we will go there well and do it well. We understand. I understand what I need to do and I will take these ideas and perspectives forward to share with as many people as I can. 

At the back of a long dirt road are the surprises we search