THE END... Is this where I'm supposed to say what a wonderful time I've had and what lovely boys Ant and Emlyn are? Pfh! I had a terrible time and I'm glad to be rid of them(!) Seriously now it's the end, which only just hit me today (and I've been home two days!) that we aren't going back, there is no 20 odd hour bus ride to catch, looking up directions in the lonely planet is no longer required, no searching for the cheapest, ghastliness hotel room to spend the night in because my bed is right here, no excuses for the whiff coming from my backpack as there is a washing machine on site, the habit of looking for potential photo opportunities needs to be broken now that I'm home safe and sound much to my parents relief. I have so much to tell everyone, but no clue where to start ,all the events of the last 3 and half months are jumbled up in my brain: "what's my favourite country?", "what was the food like?", "the people?" no question has a simple answer, so just be patience with me while my eyes glaze over trying to remember everything, and to find a way to express, to share my emotions and experience. Each time someone asks me each question, each time my answer will be different. Each country left us starry eyes and singing its praises "this is the best country we've been to", that's until we visit the next one! If anyone had told me in Year 10 when I first met Ant and Emlyn that I would be spending a whole 3 months and a bit with them globe trotting I would have laughed so hard, I'd peed myself (not literally!), because we didn't really consider ourselves to be close friends: I just thought "ah, there goes the Irish t*** and the Belgium nutter" 5 years on I've up a mountain with them, sharing flee ridden beds and comparing fly bites ! (the bit about the flees is a bit of an exaggeration, well I hoping so anyway!). Being with two boys has had its moments when I've just wanted to scream "Just cos I'm a girl it doesn't mean I can do less that you!!!" I had a lot to do to prove myself and stop them from worrying (unnecessarily!) if I went off to the shops, did something on my own or got behind on the seat of a quad bike or even the little things like putting my mascara (FYI: which was the ONLY bit of make up I brought with me!) on became a subject of teasing from Ant. But being with these two has brought many advantages, some of the things we did, I may not have done without their dragging me along (in a good sense!), they have made me braver and definitely more into activities than I was before. Ant, the ambitious one, always the one to get us pushing a little bit harder when we are knackered and worn out half way up a volcano. I learnt that to push my physical limit's a bit harder there are amazing rewards (such as phenomenal views from the mountain tops as well as a sense of self-achievement) and that anything, in the right set of mind is possible there is no such thing as "I can't"! With these two, especially because of Emlyn, we have met lots of other deaf people along the way, and learnt how to communicate (with the help of Emlyn who has an amazing talent of picking up other languages, at lighting speed compared to me!) with them in their sign language: its given me a taste for international communicating (so it IS possible after all to communicate with someone despite them speaking another language, amazing!). I think it helped me to improve on my own sign language, to be more confident and to make myself clearer when I sign, not to be embarrassed about looking silly! I really hope that on reading this that the boys aren't falling off their chairs laughing "she thinks she's improved on her signing, ha, ha!" ! South America itself is not what I expected, it enhanced my all expectations, but weather-wise I had visions of myself in a bikini most of the time, but imagine my surprise when I learnt that it was WINTER in south America! The bikini stayed at the bottom of my backpack, untouched for most of the journey! We travelled through snow, ice, storms, rain, sun (occasionally!), up and down mountains, through rivers, down sand dunes, in and out hot springs, across salt lakes, not a minute of it when by when I wished I'd booked a two week holiday for sea, beach and sand. Not even when I woke up sniff necked, having spent the night in the car, freezing my nellies off as more often then not I was greeted by a beautiful sunrise and the first sights of our new destination. Thought we had some bad luck and some other hiccups along the way, I believe we managed to turn things around, adapt and improvise, to make the most of what is, not dwelling on our misfortune for too long: which shows great strength of character and determination. We made the most of what the situation was and having lots of fun even when things hadn't gone to plan. Its certainly a more interesting and exciting way to travel, coping with unexpected events, I think it makes you appreciate your experiences and life a whole lot more. As our clothes got scruffier and Emlyn's beard grew longer, we all grew closer, learning things about each other that we hadn't known before and had loads of laughs if not an odd tiff! Looking back at the photos makes my heart skip a beat and beam with pride, I cant believe we have done it, but we have: not only have I collected photos, passport stamps and many memories that will last me until I'm old and senile, I've also gained two wonderful, good friends and had an experience of a lifetime. What more can you ask for? (yukky, that last bit was a bit sloppy, sorry boys !) : ) Bree xxx