Minor Issues

Earlier I wrote about the positive things that were making my adjustment to life in Chile a lot easier. Now that I've been here a little over a month, I think it's fair to mention some of the things that have made my transition here a little more difficult. Overall, I think I was more than prepared for my stay here thanks to the wealth of information made available by all of the bloggers in Chile!

1. Smog
I still do a double take some days when I gaze out at the Andes at how close they are to the city. It's a shame that they are blanketed in a cloudy layer of smog. My contact lenses and my complexion can also attest to the fact that this is no exaggeration. I'm already 2/3 of the way though a bottle of contact re-wetting drops and my skin hasn't looked this bad since I was 19.

2. Homeless animals
If you have pets or love animals, it's just difficult to get used to seeing the animals out there fending for themselves, especially when I think about my kitty back home all nice and warm cuddled up on the dog's bed.

3. Food
There will be a separate post about this, but I made the mistake of going to the supermarket hungry the first few times that I went, not realizing that I was going to have to be a lot more prepared if I wanted to survive here. No more grabbing a box of Morningstar Farm, a container of hummus, and a bag of baby carrots to have on hand.  Time to start soaking those beans and scrubbing the carrots...

4. The Metro
Don't get me wrong, I wanted to live in a "modern" city with access to good public transportation, but the life of an English teacher takes you out and about a lot, and by the 4th time on the subway in the same day, both my wallet and my personal space are wishing for an alternate form of transportation, which is why I'm currently searching for a used bike.

5. Staring at the tall gringa
It takes awhile to get used to the fact that at any given time you can look up and make eye contact with 5 people who happen to be looking at you.  I think every gringo/a has a feature that gives them away, and for me it's my height. It's kind of creepy sometimes, but I'm beginning to adjust to the fact that I'm pretty damn tall in this city and people are going to look at me. Remember my nickname, girafa? :)

6. Teaching resources
I'm a teacher by trade and was fortunate enough to work at a school with many great resources and excellent technology. It's been a bit more difficult planning lessons when some days it's just downright challenging to find paper to make 8 copies. Paper is really expensive here, so I've gotten a lot of mileage out of my one whiteboard marker.

7. Having to be on guard all of the time
Before I moved here I was living in a town where I could accidentally leave my garage door open overnight and wake up the next morning and say "oops, it's a good thing I live where I do!" Now I walk around like every single person on the street or on the metro is trying to get their hand into my purse.  Maybe I'm a little over cautious, but better safe than sorry I guess.

Overall, I feel like each week I'm able to mark a certain milestone and feel more comfortable about my situation.  It's all about putting yourself out there and learning new things!