I’m sitting in the grass on the point by the beach. The wind is a little cold, but the sun is warming my back. I walked here barefoot to feel the sand and said hello to a brown horse. I’ve been feeling sad to leave my family. Time went by so fast. I love it here, especially this moment, the beautiful summer. The orchids are here, and calafate are starting to produce berries. Monte Olivia is in front of me, the waves are crashing behind me, the birds are singing to each other. Or maybe to everyone, everything on earth, or this island. I hope that if I do come back here someday that it will be the same as I remember- windy, cracked sidewalks, dusty streets, cold water. I hope I can see a sea lion poke his head above the water, or a pod of black dolphins. Maybe I will be lucky enough to come back, but it almost seems impossible, given how lucky I already have been, to be here in this place. Today is perfect. 

I hope that things are the same if I do come back, but a lot of things are already changing. Climate change is not well addressed in the government. The current presidency is very conservative, and doesn’t focus much effort towards mitigating problems. In this province, there are a lot of efforts to preserve natural space, but there’s also a lot more wealth here than in other parts of the country. Argentines value that their country is filled with such natural beauty, from waterfalls, mountains, lakes, and deserts. I think it probably feels quite secondary to all of the financial struggles here.