Precious Pets

A perk of owning only one cat?  By definition it makes one a cat OWNER, not a crazy cat lady. (or so I maintain...) I know I made the right decision many years ago when I opted for a cat rather than a dog.  My family had dogs growing up, so I never considered that I would ever choose a cat.  My main rationale at the time: my selfish lifestyle and me wanting to come and go as I pleased.  In my opinion, a dog is a two-person job at the very least.  I didn't want to have to plan my social life around my dog's schedule or feel guilty when I had to run home and let him out and then watch his sad eyes as I slowly tried to sneak out the door again.  I soon learned that I would feel just as guilty about leaving my cat at home alone and that he would look at me with those same "What?  You're leaving again?" eyes.  I have to say that I sufficiently projected many dog-like qualities onto Cameron.  He greets me at the door when I come in, he goes outside on a harness/leash thingy, he licks my face when I wake up in the morning, and he begs for anything fish or poultry related.  He hasn't quite graduated to eating salad like Abby's cat, but he sure does sit and beg for treats out of the cabinet well.

Not to mention his human-like qualities...he texts?!?

Lately I'm just feeling really guilty about leaving my little guy behind.  Well, he's not so little anymore, that's part of the problem since he is now 11!  I know cats live a long time but I worry about him adjusting to life at my parent's house so much that he won't re-adjust well to living with me again, (I'm pretty sure he loves their place more than mine anyway) or that I won't come back to the US in a year and I'll have to ask them to keep him, or put him in a crate and ship him to Chile...

I think I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but I can't help but worry about the changes to his lifestyle.  I'm not sure, how many people bring their pets with them to other countries when they permanently move?  For those of you that have acquired pets in Chile and may return to the US at some point, do you just pack up the crate and say "Hold on to your fur, we're taking a little trip!?!"

My Summer Part 1

Spent a few days in Boca Raton with Meg and Jenna...

Celebrated Courtney being 14 years cancer free...

 Had a boating day with the girls and even got to drive a little...

 Borrowed some mint-green Manolos to wear to a fancy SATC 2 Party...

 Sold a bunch of my stuff at a yard sale...

Had my first going away party...

Dog-sat for my second favorite furry friend...

Watched the Cubs really suck it up...

Watched the Brazil v Netherlands game with a bunch of disappointed brasilenos...

Actually put some effort into celebrating the 4th this year...

So far away

A lot has happened this week and things are starting to sink in at many levels.  My move to Chile is not so much in the distant future as much as it is becoming a part of the present. Reading about poor Sara's scary health situation and having a health scare in my own family really has made me think about the reality of living so far away from all of my loved ones.

I can't really say that I operate well under pressure when faced with a crisis of my own, but I seem to react well when others are in crisis.  I guess that is probably mostly true for all of us, but this week that mirror was really held up to me to take a long hard look. Fortunately my step dad's bypass surgery was a success and he should be back home by next week.  I'm also grateful that I was still here to lend a hand to Kris and Nate when their new twins decided to make an appearance at 33 weeks.

These are the moments that make the reality of my decision to leave for a whole year a little harder to accept.  Family and friends are the most important parts of my life, and I'm fortunate to have their support as I venture off to add a new chapter to my life.  I hope that a part of this transition for me will be learning how to give my love and support from afar and remembering that home is only a plane ride away.

Is it ok to jump on the bandwagon?

Ask any of my family or friends and they will tell you that I'm a sports girl, I always have been.  Maybe it's a Chicago thing, maybe it's just how I grew up.  I watch the Bears games, attend at least 8 Cubs games a year and watch a good majority of their games since my summers are work-free.  I was here for the Bulls 3-peats of the 90's and experienced the White Sox World Series of 2005.

This summer I entered into a different realm of the sporting world here in Chicago, as I was more than happy to jump on the Blackhawks bandwagon.  For many of my younger years, the Blackhawks was a successful franchise, but games were unavailable on television and attendance was poor.  My brother moved to Colorado and was a huge Avalanche fan who questioned my loyalty to our home city's team.  I always shrugged off my lack of devotion to the fact that many other Chicagoans weren't watching the games either.  Well this year both the Cubs and Sox are pretty darn bad, so I'm officially a Stanley Cup/World Cup girl.  I'm not ashamed to admit it at all.  I wasn't out buying Patrick Kane or Team USA jerseys, I have merely been enjoying the atmosphere and excitement that comes with a Stanley Cup victory and the playoff run that went along with it.  You hardcore fans can call me bandwagon, but is that such a bad thing, to have the sports fans of the city congregate at friends houses or at local establishments to support a winning team?  The Cubs have broken my heart so many times that I deserve a chance to displace my loyalty somewhere.

And as for you World Cup, a die-hard soccer fan I am not, but a supporter I am.  Thank you to my friends Meg and Javier, who encourage me to participate as a fan of the US or of Chile, my country to be, or for whatever team I may choose that day. Whatever kind of ball or puck is flying around, it's always exciting to support a team that is passionate about what they're doing.  It's inspiring for me to watch Chile and the excitement that has enveloped the country from afar.  I'm ready to pack away my Cubs jerseys in exchange for my "I Heart Chile Futbol" t-shirt. (thanks Javier) Although I will arrive in Chile upon completion of the World Cup, in my heart I will know that I got up early, wore my shirt, looked at all of the pictures, and felt the surge of pride that came with Wednesday's victory and hopefully with the games to come.

Closing Up Shop

Last year at this time I was busy finishing my school year and beginning the organizational stages of my summer away in China.  It seemed like everything revolved around that trip.  Nope, can't do that, going to be in China then.  Sorry, won't be back from China until right before school starts.  This year I am kind of feeling the same way.  My usual 11 weeks of bliss are going to be packed into about 9 (cue the tears, I know) since I will be spending my last week in the U.S. in Boise for my brother's wedding and then I take off for Santiago the week before school would normally begin.  This compresses and intensifies the social calendar a bit.  No complaints on this end.  Cubs games, barbecues, extra yoga classes, Tuesday lunches with friends just because, none of it a bad thing.  I like to socialize.  I like to walk around Target for 2 hours on a Wednesday morning, just because.  This summer it will be interesting to see if I can that without actually buying anything since it's a little counterproductive to pack up most of your belongings and then hit up Super Target for more "just in case" things.  Kitchen towels? Don't need you.  Flip-Flops?  No way.  Certainly no more cute outdoor garden stuff either.  Adios.  This is a habit that I hope to break while living in Chile, shopping...just because.  I've already been practicing detachment to all of my "stuff" and I think it's a practice that would lead a lot of us out there to more fulfilled lives, but that is a topic for another day.

So as I pack away my house and my classroom on my final day of school, I wonder what the future has in store for me.  It hasn't really all sunk in yet, as my decision to leave next year is still a part of the future and not quite yet a reality of the present.  Should I be crying as I take down my posters and hug my students goodbye?  Should I have some sort of regret about giving up the familiarity of the last nine years?  Not yet.  I'm sure at some point in the next two months the weight of it all will finally catch up to me.  But until then, I will enjoy Target, Starbucks, Dairy Queen, Tacos el Norte, and all of the other comforts of home.

Hot Dogs, a cultural phenomenon

When your assignment for Spanish class involves a "tour" of a Spanish speaking country, the most logical food sample to share from Chile is a completo, right? 

Chicago and Santiago, not really that different?!?


Side note: 45 degrees in Chicago today and 73 in Santiago. Hmmm, I thought it was spring here.

Why I Chose Chile

Lately, the most common question that I have had to answer is "Why Chile?"  According to a colleague of mine, I chose Chile because a palm reader in Hong Kong told me that she saw me living in a country south of the equator.  I can assure you that there was no self-fulfilling prophecy at work here. While I can credit my seminar in China studying English teaching methods for inspiring me to teach English abroad,  I had actually forgotten about my fortune teller until about a month ago. I found the tiny piece of paper that she had given me with some notes about my "future" and it actually indicated that I would be heading to Australia.  The ironic thing is that my original intention was to go to Spain, and it appeared that I was hitting wall after wall in terms of trying to choose a city or lock in a job. I also had to consider taking a leave of absence from my current job and how it would coincide with the school year here in the States, which of course wouldn't naturally direct me toward a country the Southern Hemisphere where the school academic calendars would be different.

So, to answer the question as directly as I can, I actually chose Chile due to a natural process of elimination.  I won't mention any other countries, but you know who you are.  When I started reading about Chile I already felt welcome there, even without my feet ever having stepped on its soil.  It will pay me a decent salary to teach others a second language, the only job that I have ever been employed to do since I graduated college.  It won't freeze me out in the winter (OK, so I am learning that I might be wrong about that), and as I keep reminding my Mom, it will provide me a pretty safe and modern environment to enjoy the next chapter of my life.

I have read multiple perspectives written by those who are just beginning, continuing, or even ending their love affair with Chile.  Whether they went there originally to study or just to explore the geographical wonder that is Chile, it strikes me how many people are returning for the second, third, or even fourth time.  I spent my study abroad time in Costa Rica, and although I loved that time of my life, in no way did I feel such a strong pull to lead me to live there a second time.  To me this speaks volumes about the kind of experience that I'm hoping to have. While I know that being an English teacher in Santiago is not all that unique, I know that my own experience will be unique from everyone else's and that is what I'm looking the most forward to.