1. Walking everywhere
I like to walk for exercise so walking around a city everywhere to get from Point A to Point B is like killing two birds with one stone. Bus? Nah, unless it's 4am or raining, I'll take the walk any day.
2. My living situation
I have the best of both worlds. There is a family right outside my door if I want to be with people, speak Spanish, or drink some wine or have a cafecito. Otherwise I have my own place with as much independence and privacy as I desire. I also live with a roommate who is gone a lot on the weekends, so I even get a few days completely to myself each week. She's a great roommate but it's nice since I was so accustomed to living on my own.
3. Orange Crush Light
I'm not a huge soda drinker, but I am a fan of the occasional diet beverage, and the tinier the glass bottle the better. There is just something better about these "Light" drinks since I really do prefer Coca Light over Diet Coke.
4. Ice Cream, bakeries, and manjar
There is certainly no shortage of ice cream or delicious baked goods in this city. In fact, the McDonald's even has a separate counter in the front just for ice cream sales.I'm not ready for ice cream yet due to the temperatures, but sometimes I have to force myself to exit a metro station in a different direction just to avoid the bakery smells. Don't even get me started on the manjar, which is the Chilean version of dulce de leche. In other words, creamy caramel deliciousness.
5. Having a different schedule everyday
Yes, the schedule of an English teacher is nothing to dream about, but when you come from a life where you do the exact same thing at the exact same time for 180 days straight, there is something to be said about breaking up this monotony a bit. Yes, that does mean that I have to work at night, but it also means that I don't jump out of bed at 5:45 every morning, drink my coffee at the same time, eat a snack at the same time, run to the bathroom during the only 5 minute window that I can find. Teachers back home, you know what I'm talking about.
6. Using Spanish outside of the classroom
Teaching a language often compartmentalizes ones vocabulary. It's nice to be able to use some real Spanish and go beyond explaining why you need to use the subjunctive with certain conjunctions.
7. Not using a credit card to pay for everything
I think this one speaks for itself. I wasn't one to charge a $1.29, 22 ounce Diet Dr. Pepper or a coffee at the local quickie mart, but it's nice to be operating on a cash only basis, which is kind of ironic, since I just got my first paycheck here yesterday. It's not that I can't use my foreign credit card, it's just easier not to sometimes.
8. The random things that one stumbles upon in other countries...
