When where you live becomes your home

After a long travel weekend last weekend (more on that to come), it struck me that I was ready to go home, and that "home" was Santiago. It might not be my permanent home, but sometime into my 3rd month here in Chile, it became the place that I wanted to come back to. I craved the familiarity of my "own" bed, my space in la casita, my comfort zone here in Chile. As much as I've enjoyed running around each weekend trying to see and do as much as I could fit in, I decided this weekend to do the opposite. I enjoy Santiago on the weekends since there is a certain tranquility that you just don't experience during the week. I can ride my bike and not have to carefully weave through both people and cars on every block, I can take the bus or the metro without being a piece of some sweaty sandwich, and I can sleep in on Sunday without having to set an alarm. I did the things that people who live here do. Instead of going to a museum or a new restaurant, I disinfected veggies from the feria, soaked and boiled beans, and organized my winter and summer clothes. I went to yoga, rode my bike, and even went to see "Eat, Pray, Love" with some gringa friends. Although I'm not taking a year to travel around Italy, India, and Indonesia, I am taking a year to go where I want to go and do what I want to do, so I definitely identified with Liz Gilbert's journey. Right now I'm just enjoying the peace that comes with living in a different place in the world and having it be comfortable enough to be called home.