Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans

I can't believe that it's been almost a year since I touched my blog...When I look back, I see myself so focused on what was supposed to happen next that some days I forgot to live my life, something totally contradictory to what I had learned while I was living abroad. Instead, I came back and reverted to my good old American ways of worrying about what people would think if I was unemployed or what they would say about me having to stay with my parents for awhile. I buried my head in my computer and spent hours online looking for job opportunities that simply weren't there. When I finally let go and decided to go with the flow, I found myself here in Tucson, a place that I had previously visited 4 times. I'm not sure why I was resistant, but when I got here in December I decided to make the most of it. I got a part time job, I started volunteering, I joined a hiking group, and I met a good girlfriend who is in a similar position as me and we decided to combine our "new to Tucson" forces and see and do as much as we can on our limited budgets.

Here I am almost 6 months later, and with a lot of perspective I realize that my biggest problem had been trying to control all of the tiny details of my circumstances that simply didn't need to be controlled. I got everything  that I was asking for in coming here, I just didn't know it at first.I wanted a place with a good climate, outdoor activities, beautiful scenery, job opportunities for teaching both English and Spanish, an "international" type of environment, a situation where I had enough money to live on, and health benefits.

Tucson has been the perfect transition for me from Chile, I just didn't know that I'd have to wait 6 months before I could even start my transition. My part time job is fun, I get to work outside 90% of the time in a beautiful nursery with hardworking, fun people who make me laugh and make me feel like myself again. I teach English classes to refugees and adults who can't afford to pay for classes but understand the importance of transitioning into their new culture. I tutor English and Spanish, and next week I'll begin teaching university ESL classes for foreign students coming to the University of AZ to begin their studies here in the US. I'm lucky that my parents have a place for me to live here with beautiful views of the canyon and within walking distance of a National Park. I'm finally living my life and not making any other plans, and it's a great place to be.

Proof that our pets will adapt to any new circumstances

Happy Hour in the desert

May 5th Super Moon

June 4th Lunar Eclipse

Last stop, Peru

I'm back in the Northern Hemisphere, but before I close this blog out for at least a short while, I wanted to do a photo post of Peru. Yes, it'll be a photo post since I'm currently too lazy to share any more than that. I'm doing what I always do in the summer, enjoying my summer vacation...!!! It really doesn't matter that this vacation could extend beyond the summer since I'm technically unemployed. Details, details, people. Said photo post will also require a faster internet connection speed than I have up here in the north of Wisconsin.

Figuring things out

I know that I haven't written a lot lately and it isn't really for lack of having anything to talk about. I've made some decisions about the way things are going to go in the somewhat near future, but a lot of the changes that I'm seeking are out of my control, and so the waiting game I play. I don't want to share tiny bits and pieces, so when I know more I'll be sharing a lot more about what I hope is happening next. For now, I continue to teach English and enjoy my time in Santiago and try to focus on improving my Spanish. I also have a couple of new conversation partners that I'm excited to get started with very soon!

Changes and going with the flow

Do you ever stop and think about how life seems to be going perfectly in one direction and then suddenly out of nowhere something pops up to take you somewhere completely new?
It happens on a small scale, like when I leave the institute thinking that I'm going to go and do one thing, and then suddenly I bump into a friend and end up at happy hour, and it also happens with the big things, a conversation in passing that sparks an idea that takes you off to a completely new place, either physically or mentally...
A fleeting thought about the beauty and grandeur of the Great Wall of China and a week a later appears a grant opportunity for foreign language teachers. Coincidence, or destiny? The trip to China somehow leads to me living in South America, and here I am looking at the next "next step"...

That's exactly what they are, steps to something bigger and better if we allow them to be. If we knew what was ahead, would we ever take the small steps? If someone told me that this move to Chile would result in me going back to the USA to leave my old teaching job and look for another job would I just opt to skip the Chile part and make only one change instead of two? Sometimes we prefer the easiest course of action, but isn't that where we'd miss the learning?

I want to emphasize that I would classify my time here in Chile as exactly that, a learning experience. Yes, I've traveled and shared lots of photos with you here on this blog, but I can assure you that when I look back on this experience I'll remember more about all the things that I learned, both big and small. Yes, I came to Santiago to gain English teaching experience and to put my Spanish into a more practical context, and in the meantime I learned about a new culture and embarrassed myself a few times in the process. I didn't write much about my daily frustrations on this blog because I try to focus on the bigger things and frankly with everything that's going on in the world I don't think my minor setbacks would always be very well-received.

It is appropriate to share, however, that my experience here isn't about how many people cut me in line or stared at me or grinned when I opened my mouth and actual Spanish came out. I've tried to take a better look at myself and how I react in these moments and also keep in mind that there are plenty of crappy people in my own country. When you move to a different country you realize very quickly that the easiest course of action is not to try to change or be bothered by how everyone else does things. The best way to assimilate is to get with the program and quickly set your own expectations aside. At the end of the day it boils down to how we adjust, grow, and internalize these little changes that we've made and put them into practice when the next opportunity for change appears in our lives. For me, patience and acceptance are two big things that I hope to be able to take with me when I go.

Things I Like

I've only been here for 2 1/2 weeks, so please note that these are pretty simple-minded observations.  I'm not going to speak here about any kind of earth shattering cultural differences, just my own personal preferences. I promise, I'm really not as shallow and simple-minded as I might come across on my blog sometimes. Please notice that in an effort to be positive, I'm posting the "Likes" list first, but don't worry, the "Dislikes" are coming soon...

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...

10 Random Thoughts

I'm not in Chile yet but I am starting to feel like I'm not yet really here anymore either.  I can't come up with anything concrete to write about pertaining to one topic so I guess I'll just try to formulate my thoughts into a list.

1. Kind of ironic that my first day of work in Chile will be exactly the same as it would have been had I kept my current teaching job. (Friday the 13th? Not sure how I feel about that either way)

2. I can't seem to stop eating avocados almost daily although they will still be a main staple in my diet very soon.

3. People are starting to ask me if I'm freaking out yet and I continue to say no.  When will I say yes?

4. It's been so hot here this summer that for the first time in my life I think I might be excited about putting on a sweater in a few weeks.

5. I spent 500 bucks on a kitty cardiology appointment today and when good news accompanies it it's amazing how you just don't really care how much it costs.

6. I borrowed a luggage scale from a friend and just weighed my first suitcase with a whole lot of stuff in it and I'm only at 26.5 pounds so far. Score.

7. My cell phone is now a piece of crap. It doesn't ring anymore and when half of my friends call it restarts itself and goes straight to voicemail.  I guess it's good practice for my future piece of crap Nokia.

8. At my house right now (where only one person is currently residing) there are 2 cars, 3 computers, 2 ipods, and 2 Kindles.  I can rationalize some of this, but seriously, why bother? Ridiculous.

9. Perfect timing that I get to see my whole family at my brother's wedding right before I leave.

10. I really hope that living in Chile sparks my interest in cooking some more.  I love foods that are good for me but love them so much more when someone else cooks them for me.  This is so not a part of my gene pool...not sure what happened.