There is a witty American-Argentine singer named Kevin Johansen who writes about feeling pulled between two continents, two countries and two cultures. “I leave because here I can’t. I return because I can’t there either… I just want to be home, but I don’t know where that is anymore.” (sounds much better when sung en castellano).

People often ask me what I miss about Canada, and which do I prefer - Canada or Patagonia? If I lingered over it, the discussions and contemplations could fill a book. Perhaps one day they will. But I decided a while ago to not dwell, to not lament and definitely to not compare. Max gets frustrated by ‘here’, his home country. And he sometimes feels stifled ‘there,’ in Canada. Focus on the good in both, I say. It’ll only mean bringing out the best in where we are, and thus in us.

But just let me indulge a wee bit, will ya? Here are some essential ‘pros’ on my list of why I love Patagonia: I love the coffee here, the resourcefulness of the people, the reasonably-priced wines, the emptiness of the horizons and the vastness of distances. Time seems to have stood still here, and it is a luxury to see things more purely. Patagonia is organic. There is no rush. Land and sky are the boundaries to our lives. I’m moved by the wind, the freedom from consumerism, and the initiative Patagonia gives me to live freely. I’m inspired here. What more could I ask for.

As for the cons, I’ll leave that for another rant (see “Short on money, long on time” below).