We count time (el tiempo) in years, in months, in days, in hours, in minutes and in seconds, and it seems that there is a continual struggle (una lucha continua) to have more time to get more things accomplished. In reality (en realidad), time is a finite and man-made mechanism that follows the rhythms (los ritmos) of the Earth, and provides a context for when to work, when to sleep (dormir) and when to play (jugar). Naturally, our bodies would follow a rhythm that follows the day, but with an awareness of time, we structure our days (los días) and months (los meses) and years (los anos) to have time to do the necessary things in our lives as well as the rewarding personal things we choose to do (hacer).
There are 365 days in a year, except for leap years, when there are 366 days, as an extra day (un día más) is added to the end of February (febrero), which I believe is done to make up for the quarter day that is extra each and every year (todos los anos). Whatever the case, the point is that the year is a measure of time, and as I get older, each year seems to move (mover) faster while I am desperately clinging to hold on to each day. To people that are young (joven), each day is a lifetime, but to those of us who are adults (adultos), each day becomes another step closer to growing up and to growing older.
Yet, in a past calendar year spanning from November (noviembre) 2007 to November 2008, I came to understand (entender) that I had spent more time in South and Central America than I had in North America, in fact, I had spent more time away from the United States than in the my home country (mi país). Beginning in November of 2007, I went to Santiago, Chile for a period of about 2 weeks, in December and January, I was in Argentina and Antarctica for a period of three weeks (tres semanas). Upon my return from this trip, I immediately went to Monterrey, Mexico and in the spring (la primavera) of 2008, I also visited Juárez, Mexico a number of times. In July of 2008, I left for Santiago, Chile where I have been until now. During that time (durante este tiempo), I have visited Argentina twice, traveled to the north and south in Chile and have also made it to Uruguay. When I stopped to count (contar) it up over the course of the year, I realized that I had spent closer to 200 days away (afuera) and only about 165 back home.
Whatever the exact numbers, the point (el punto) is that with this kind of experience, it certainly changes a person and begs for self-reflection and individual perspective (una perspectiva individual). I have had a chance to see the US from a distance (lejos), to learn about the news back home from other sources, some in English and some in Spanish. I have experienced a presidential election abroad and have also had to defend (defender) my country; our ideals and liberties, our politics (nuestras políticas) and our culture, and I think this has made me a better American, whether in the south or the north.
The question I have is, what kind of citizen (ciudadano) will I be when I return home? Will I have the patience to spend the time over the next year in my life (mi vida) in the United States or have I entered a new realm in which only time away will be rewarding? I think that my life will be changed, and I have to say (decir) that it already has, but I think my time will come, over the next calendar year (el próximo ano), to apply (aplicar) what I have learned back home and to model a new perspective (una perspectiva nueva) for my fellow North Americans.
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