Meet Team Quinoa

Today, Sara left us. Not in malice, but in adventure. She is splitting off to continue her adventure in Bariloche and Mendoza to hike and bike and God-knows-what while we head to southern Patagonia. This has caused a lot of reflection for me, so I want to take a moment to introduce my travelling companions, or as we call ourselves, Team Quinoa.

Team Quinoa at Machu Picchu

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Alex Free // The Expert / The Hipster

Alex and I at Ushuaia, Patagonia

Alex is the definition of hipster. Mention The Arctic Monkeys or The Strokes and you can see the fire light in her eyes. However, she does not need you or anyone to join her for a dance party. As soon as she plugs in her earphones she is raptured into her own personal concert. You can hear her singing and see her head banging in planes or on any other mode of transportation. She is basically an honorary band member of a band in Idaho, Marshall Poole. If you talk to her, you will be sure to hear about Idaho within the first five minutes of conversation. She will probably mention the true hipster scene or the outdoors hikes and biking trails as she is an athletic powerhouse. A social butterfly, she always tends to find herself dates with random people who turn out to be band members or hipsters like herself. She is the ultimate planner, but makes sure to plan time for spontinaity. I can currently hear her on the phone planning a hiking trip for May. If she wanders off by herself there is no need to worry, because it is a common theme for her to walk off in a new city or a mountain alone for hours on end. She miraculously manages to maintain a rocking fashion sense even while backpacking. She is a creative writing major and has already written two novels in the genre of magic realism. You can tell she is a writer by the words she says and how her fingers connect to the keys on a laptop.

Sara Hyman // The Scholar / The Klutz

Sara and I at Lake Titicaca

If you need a source for classical liturature, you need a Sara Hyman in your life. She will incorporate Kant or Reinassance references into everyday conversation. However, she is so much more than merely her intellegence. She will willingly have heart-to-heart conversations with you on beach porches and she is ready for any adventure if offered the opportunity. Her love for Jesus is evident in everything she chooses to do in her life. She has a beautiful heart for service which can especially be seen during the summers as you can find her volunteering on Skid Row or other places in need. She will graciously lend you her phone charger at any moment of the day. You will commonly find her reading on her kindle as she tends to read full books in less than a day. Despite her wisdom, she will easily be taken out by small dogs or be knocked over by bees or other insects or elements of nature, or really anything beyond her own two feet.

Angeli Mata // The Trainer / The Comedic Relief

Angeli and I at the Salt Flats in Bolivia

If Team Quinoa was a sitcom (which it very well could be), Angeli would be the audience's favorite character. She can make any person feel comfortable in a conversation and is warmly welcoming with her smile and spunky personality. She loves to wander through supermarkets and can sometimes take days comparing prices of deoderant at different stores in different towns to make sure to get the best bargin. She is majoring in Sports Medicine and will unashamedly proclaim her hate of vegetable oil and will take as much time as she needs to read the labels on every single can of tuna to make sure to get the healthiest choice. She accomplishes day hikes with her entire backpack filled and will even walk around the city with her backpack to make sure to get every bit of training in before our treks. She leads Insanity workouts in upstairsapartments and will have an enouraging word for you at any moment of the day. She shreds on a snowboard but will be completely modest about any of her skills when asked. She is a true and trustworthy friend who will openly talk about her Catholic faith whenever someone might have a question.

 

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All in all, I have been completely honored to have spent so much time with such quality people. Buenas Suertes to Sara on her future adventures, and the rest of us will see where life takes us in these next two weeks in Southern Patagonia.