I RETURN TO MESITAS

HEART DECIDES - MIND FOLLOWS

It was 31st of May. I had muy backpack ready. I said good-bye and left. Or should I rather say tried to leave, because exactly five weeks later my staff, my pack and my Self reappeared in the gate of Alma de Niño orphanage.

What was it about this place? Who had called for me?

I never return, only go forward - so what had happened? Was it because going to Land's end in Patagonia, Argentina through Ecuador-Peru and Bolivia would mean a shortcut, and the idea is to take the longest way possible? I can speculate and say: yes, that's it and that's why I came back and made myself a Brasilian visa (see images 1 and 2).

My feet go in front, my mind follows asking these "WHY" questions, speculating, creating theories when in fact there are no rules. On the morning of June 9th I woke up in the town of Orito, Putumayo (Putumayo is one of the 32 departments of Colombia that borders Ecuador and Peru) and knew: I wanted to return to Mesitas. Went to the bathroom, looked into my own eyes in the reflection of the mirror and confirmed that wish: I wanted to return to the orphanage. And so I did.

BACK OR FORWARD?

So what does it mean to be back? Doing what one did before? Returning to the old self?
Truth, in the beginning it was pretty confusing – I didn´t have a place to stay, so I camped in the yard, I tried to start my work in the kitchen again, but did not feel in the right place. Even making tea every night did not inspire me as much as before. I left for a week to go to Bogota to make a visa to Brasil and when returned started everything anew.

Estonian girl Siiri, a volunteer at Alma de Niño, had made a fundraiser and with the money collected built an art class – painted, furnished, full of fun materials to create with! Helping Siiri to finish the class and carry out the lessons, the new me became an art teacher.

We were in fact a team of three Estonians: Siiri, Kadri and me.

I started to give yoga classes in the girls´ house (we agreed to call it that, when it was actually a mix of oriental exercises I had learned on my way including the elements of shiatsu, do-in, yoga and creative visualisation practices).

On the weekends I would meet doña Marina and we'd go into the mountains, where she'd teach me about medicinal plants, coffee and cheese-making. While doña Marina would milk her cow I'd play the flute. The dog would sing. Later in her house we'd make shampoo of aloe and clay-masks.

THE SHOEMAKER & THE INTERNET MAN

My sandals had suffered somewhat from the journey, so one day I took them to town to be repared. The shoemaker, after asking me a few questions about my trip, returned the money I had payed him to fix them. In return I offered to give English classes to his seven year old girl. What a great trade - considering that my sandals from then on would need fixing quite often and the girl was a treat! Every night after work I would come to the shoestore, and we´d dance and sing with Paula songs in English.

The internet place continued to be kind and almost never asked me to pay. Even if I was making a phonecall.
"Leave it," said the owner
"How come?"
"It will return to us times three"

TRAVEL COMPANION

Last but not least, I have a travel companion. His name is David, he is 22, born in Venezuela, and though never been on the road, the journey within him seems to have started long ago.

David´s mother has sewn him a backpack from old jeans and he has a very antique map of Venezuela he is proud of. Among all practical things he intends to carry some rare items - a baboo stick, some postcards and photos and a staff but most importantly a noble mission: to seek out his dad on one island near Venezuela called Bonaire.

It all started in the internet cafe. Three dudes approached me asking if I could help them with their assignment for the English class.
"Sure, what is it about?" I asked.
"We have to make an Italian dance"
"Italian dance?!"
"Yes, but it is for our English class..."
"That´s great, but I know nothing about Italian dances even if they are for your English class," I said laughing.
"You come from Russia, right?" one of them asked "They all wear long dresses and have such hair-styles over there, I know"
"Not really (I answered to both guesses), my country is called Estonia"
The subject changed to my travels and now everybody in the cafe was around the table asking questions.
"How many countries have you visited?"
"Hitchhiking, 46"
"How many languages do you know?"
"6"
"Can you say something in each of them"
And so on.

The next day when I returned to the cafe, the owner´s wife told me that one guy in glasses had been looking for me.

Another day I met a couple on the street I had never met before and heared the same thing.

The following day the internet lady told me that the guy had been there again. I told her that he could find me in the orphanage for the boys, but actually due to the circumstances stayed in the girls´ house.

David came just before I was about to leave the house and without too long of an introduction told me that he wanted to travel with me.
I started laughing.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Because there is a line."
"Oh, no!"
"Yep, there´s this guy from Cali who saw my interview and is now here to travel with me to Africa. I told him no."
"Would you take me along?"
"Sure!"

So how to explain that? I myself am struggling to understand. It was kind of a pain to tell off Felipe in that way. He had donated music instruments to our orphanage and I had enjoyed the hospitality of his family for nearly a week in Cali. Truly I was very grateful to the guy. He was not at all a bad person.

Felipe grew up in a family that was very well off. In my story Felipe was a prince who wanted to become a beggar, but lacked humility and patience. I remember he had the book in his car - Mark Twain`s "The prince and the pauper". He used it to write down phone numbers.

Felipe actually tried to hitchhike with me from Cali to Buenaventura - left the side of the road in half an hour to go back home. I felt he was ashamed to be on the road, wanted rather to hide himself behind my backpack than to be out there thumbing cars.

Perhaps he was a traveller, but surely hitchhiking just wasn´t his way. So it was “no” to Felipe and “yes” to David. Let´s see what happens next.

And then on one more magical date of 07-08-09 I left Mesitas again.

To Mesitas:

Look at me, I am disappearing;
Seek for me tomorrow and you won´t find me.
still, even though my body won´t be here,
my heart will always stay