Winding down.

I made it back home. It's been almost three weeks since I've stepped off the plane into the warm Texas air. Dang, it's good to be back. I get to see my family (especially mi madre) and friends. I've eaten some rather spicy Mexican food and even caught the tail end of a few country songs as I quickly change the radio stations in my mom's car. A good old Texas thunderstorm rolled through Arlington and I felt like a kid again as I was startled from my sleep.

Sigh.

After I relished in the presence of good company and good food, things quickly wound down to normal. For the past two months, I had been running at a fairly nice pace through out Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. Now, things have come to halt. I'm on hunt. A job hunt that is, and things are going slow as expected. Tonight I made the horrible mistake of flipping through my photos of Santiago, and after a very vivid dream of being surrounded by the Andes mountains, I couldn't help feeling a little tug of sadness over this weekend. But I guess the grass is always greener on the other side.

Even though I don't want to start the slippery habit of saying "My life starts when..." or "I'll be happy when..." it seems like much of my well being is hinged on this search for and finding of a job. Honestly, if I had the choice, I wouldn't return to Santiago. Texas is the place for me in this moment. I just gotta find a place in Texas.

*I do plan on updating highlights from my travels in Peru and Bolivia. In the meantime, check out my new blog for the new chapter of my life. Oh, for the lack of cowboy boots!

Any suggestions or advice for the recently repatriated expat?

Good News Bad News: Living in Santiago

Although teaching English in Santiago may have its many downsides, the few positives outweigh the negatives by far. My time here has only been sprinkled with a few bad experiences. When I finally decide to leave Santiago, I will take home the greatest souvenir- perspective. Living abroad truly enriches your life and instills in you a strong sense of confidence. If I can jump on a plane to South America, then I can do just about anything. Life is never without its bumps, but hands down, teaching and consequently living in Santiago has been the greatest part of my 24 years on this earth.

Bad News - Relax, there isn't much bad news when it comes to living in Santiago!

1. Expenses- Alright, everything here is very comparable to Texas (and I say Texas because it has a lower cost of living than other states). A trip to the grocery store costs about the same. In reality, this is only bad news if you have planned on lower expenses in a South American country. However, clothes and shoes run a bit high for the shoddy quality.

2. Less Amenities- I don't have a dryer, dish washer, indoor heating, air conditioning. To me, this is perfectly fine. Actually, I enjoy putting a little extra effort in hanging up my own clothes. Unless you want to pay a lot of money for all the comforts of your cushy life back home, enjoy this so called "suffering." It makes you a better person. 

Good News

1. Rent- I rent a room in a fairly large older apartment in Providencia. I pay about $260 a month and it includes electricity/gas/internet. My roommate situation is ideal. After I was hired at my institute, I had grand plans of finding my own apartment. However, compared to my month earnings, the feat is fairly unfeasible for a single person. Plus, if you do not have an i.d. card, I hear it's difficult to contract  internet service and it opens up more opportunities for someone to take advantage of your bright-eyed gringo-ness. On another note, finding a room to rent is another great way to meet people and practice your Spanish. It cuts significantly cuts down the amount of loneliness of the first month.

2. The City Itself- When I first arrived in South America I jumped off a plane in Buenos Aires. It was huge, the people were beautiful but cold, the downtown was a little dirty, the transportation was a nightmare, and I couldn't receive change anywhere. So, I was immediately relieved when I hit the streets of Santiago. There is smog and it may not be as fascinating as other cities, but it's the perfect first-time-living-abroad city: different enough to be interesting but similar enough to be comforting.

3. La Vega- This is wonderful. Just plain wonderful. The prices of fresh produce and everything else you could possibly want is sinfully cheap. It's about a 45 minute trek and a couple of hours of dedication. However, I leave with a bag (sometime a bag and a coche) full of beautiful vegetables, dried goods, and fresh eggs.

4. Wine and Pisco- Wine is good. Wine is cheap. Nothing is better than finishing classes a little early on a Friday afternoon, coming home, and pouring myself a little (or big depending on the week) glass of wine. As for pisco, the origin of this liquor is a huge debate between Peru and Chile. It's very difficult to find the US, but it's everywhere in Chile. Whether you like a sweet pisco sour or the ever popular piscola, you will have no problems ordering one at any establishment.

5. A Lot of Humans- I have met more people from around the world here than is anyplace in the US. Santiago is home to some very large university making it a hub for international students. I've met people from Sweden, Norway, Germany, France, Slovakia, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Ireland, California and almost every South American country. Whether you take a TEFL course, study, work at an institute, or just bum around, Santiago is a great city to meet other people.

DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! Move abroad, travel, open your mind, and change your perspective. Stop living with your parents or off of their money, step outside of the comforts of home, and enjoy something that reaches beyond the horizon of what you know. Sometimes it's difficult to read through pages of pathetic facebook updates. "My problem is this. My problem is that." NO! The problem is yourself. Now, do something about it and stop littering my newsfeed! Please, of course. :)

Life Currently: Aside from the impending excitement of the September holidays, the weather is by far the best part of this week. It has been in the upper 60's to mid 70's. Nothing brightens your day more than a dose of sunshine. Me encanta Santiago en la primavera! For the next three months, my goals are to eat more veggies, think more positively and kindly, and learn more Spanish. Just practicing for my trip home... which I purchased my plane ticket this past Friday!

La Malena- bad kitty, doesn't come inside when I call her!

air dried

welcome home

My first bottle of Pisco back last fall!

Half a Year.

Yes, it's been too long. Perhaps my vague promises to continually update my blog only serve as a jinx in disguise since the space between new post has become longer and longer. The past month and a half has been such journey of little ups and downs. I have battle the pangs of homesickness and fought through the desires to wander to another country. When living abroad, there comes a point when you realize that life is life. I wake up in the morning, go to work, come home, and then sleep. However, when I wake up in the morning, I know that I am starting a new day in the South America. When I teach my classes, I'm constantly making acquaintances with new people. When I arrive home, I'm arriving at the apartment I pay for with the money that I make. And I rest easy knowing that tomorrow is one day closer to the weekend. Life is so good.

Although I do not believe my six months here justifies a complete judgement of the country, I would like to comment on my experience so far. My list of grievances is short and somewhat petty; however, I deal with these on a constant and daily basis. On my daily walking commutes to and from my classes and my apartment, I find myself dodging a slew of erratically walking Chileans. If I'm not trying to pass a line of arm linked females, then I'm tripping over the youth that has stopped to light a cigarette. Secondly, the amount of PDA is ridiculous. I hate being stuck next to a pair of ugly, pimpled face teens seeming to suck the life out of each other on the metro. It's even worse when you make eye contact. Many have attributed this phenomenon to the fact that everyone lives at home until 30; however, I've seen some pretty old couples rolling around in the grass of Parque Forrestal. If you have read any expat blog from Chile, then you know other huge complaints are the number of cat-calls women receive, the innumerable amount of student cancellations and tardiness, and the pollution. So I will leave those alone.

I have had some significant experiences in Santiago that I'm sure (as always) you are dying to hear about such as falling down the Andes mountains, a student turning into a stalker, being ever so classy at a vineyard, learning more about the US economy than ever before, pondering the puzzle of Chilean food, passing through the student protests and experiencing the joys of teaching ESL.  Therefore, over the next week, I plan to catch up on so much lost blogging time. Get excited.

I leave you with a tribute to Oscar Wilde that I found walking through Providencia.