Retrospective

I spent all of last week in Valparaíso, Chile's cultural and artistic center. I must admit that this trip wasn't my first option. Machu Picchu, where I had originally planned on going, got cancelled because not enough people signed up. At first I was dissapointed, there's no comparing Machu Picchu's historical value with Valparaíso, a city I thought I already knew. In the meetings the trip didn't seem half as exciting as my first option and I even considered changing trips, good thing I didn't.
As soon as we arrived at Valpo I understood that everything happens for a reason. Machu Picchu will be there many years from now for me to visit, but the experiences I gained from this trip I wouldn't have gained any other way or at any other time. My Week Without Walls trip was different, I wasn't there as a tourist, I was there as an artist, just like the ones we worked with, trying to make a living out of their own creativity, finding inspiration in even the smallest details, things that people don't pay attention to or would consider trash. It was this process that fascinated me, discovering how a metal rod someone threw away can flourish into something beautiful, into something worthy of admiring, how a rusted nail can turn into art.
Looking back, I'm glad Machu Picchu got cancelled, you learn most when you are wrong about something, and god was my original conception of the trip wrong. I'm glad I had the opportunity to share with amazing people, not only the artists I met there, but also the people coming with me on the trip, it wouldn't have been the same if they hadn't been there. I grew so much in just one week, I discovered new passions, friends, and lifestyles, which in the end is all that matters. The things I gained, the people I met, I wouldn't change for anything, not ever.