The Falklands

We have been in the Falklands for just over three days now. We arrived in Port Stanley in 40-50 knots of wind. Originally, we were going to a dock on the up wind side, but the wind was too strong and the officials on the radio steered us to another wharf, a rusty old one further down wind. This wharf was brought to the Falklands by the British during the 1982 war or conflict with Argentina to be a landing dock for supplies. It is six barges that are attached to a fixed bridge, meant to only stand for five years and it has been here for nearly thirty.

Later, when Porter, Mama, and I went out to go on a couple errands on shore, we walked along a grassy path in between the shore and the street. Here, I started to notice how different from Chile and Argentina it is. With some inspiration from Mama, I thought about what I was seeing. First of all, you must know that the Falklands are part of the United Kingdom and all the cars drive on the right side of the road. For me, the right side would be the wrong side of the road. Next, the houses have lawns. In Chile, they never had defined lawns around their houses. Not only are there nice lawns, but they are beautifully kept. The grasses are well trimmed and flowers grow by the fences and sidewalks. Actually, everything is neater. There is not much litter. I knew people would speak English but it still was a bit weird hearing snatches of conversation that I understood. Because they speak English, I can engage with other people without needing to think about how to say everything and without pausing to say "Um" and "Er" between each sentence. I am not criticizing the Chileans, they were very forgiving and helpful about language mistakes, but it is still nice to talk where my knowledge for words is not so limited.

Since arriving here, I have noticed that the primary tourist attractions are the wildlife (especially the birds) and the conflict of 1982 between Britain and Argentina. Monuments and memorials all over town make me want to dig a little deeper into the history of the conflict. Seeing more cool wildlife sounds great too. I will never get tired of watching animals. We are going to be here in the Falkland Islands for at least ten more days and I am excited to see and learn more. - Jack Rabbit