When everything happened and I left home, this song appeared in a mix of many other songs while I was in Sacramento. This song was a navigate and question of what I was out there, and a lot of my friendships.

As I met more people and encountered vagabonds, homeless and the like I found there was a mutual struggle during the pandemic. The cities were bare. People were hurt.

Before the trip I was having Snapchat conversations with a very great friend, Kevin. Some wild ideas to get out of where we were and this pandemic certain had strengthened our relationship. New Mexico? Texas? Mexico?

Then I left from Seattle for Sacramento at the beginning of July, I had no idea where to go after. California restrictions did not seem visitor friendly. Los Angles? San Francisco? The bay? Mexico. Warm. Maybe, I would fit in there and not raise any eyebrows with mixed skin, maybe that would feel like a temporarily home. Maybe I could rent a ranch and stay down there for a little bit. Maybe even make it back to my birthplace (Guatemala).

I was set. I had my passport and the will to do it. I held it over my head though that I had wanted to I would go all over the United States. The cities were tough though and the restrictions for vagabond were not too nice, which I’ll talk about later.

However, that night I met a carpenter and his wife watching the fireworks (California goes crazy) for 4th of July. We introduced ourselves as visitors and I explained my situation and my journey to gain more perspective. They were incredibly kind and receptive to what had occurred.

I asked them about Tahoe. Tahoe kept arising in my life from conversations, tv shows and the like. They told me that of all the natural beauties, skin slopes, fishing, and hiking there. Sounded like a nice change from the urban jungle.

So that’s what I did. The next trip was a few hours from Sacramento (Thank you Keth for the ride to the Train ha-ha, I made it on time I guess). The views were just as stunning but this time just the vast deserts and hills of the California valley. Much needed refresh from the corn fields and pastors of Wisconsin.

As the train crossed the US plains, flourishing biomes to the east coast, I disregarded this song further along the journey.

However, at the last few days of my travel I lingered if staying down here was what I really wanted to do. Tucson, Arizona. Close to Mexico and Central America.

However, I figured out one thing through it all (In New York) …I liked my friends more than visiting Mexico or traveling to Guatemala and needed to return to see them before the school year started. Through the entirety journey I mourned my friend Kevin’s death.

I truly wanted to spend more time with them. I texted my friend in Madison the night before and asked if I could stay with him, and like a friend, he said yes and I was excited to see the boys again. We had been through so much already. So that’s what I did, booked the flight night of and left in an Uber during a flash flood.

(Also one side night I was so fricking happy to see @brian.mork the moment I got back to Madison.)

I have yet to meet someone who isn't unique in their own way