one week down

It's been exactly a week since I've gotten here, and I would say I have adjusted well. I won't lie, it has been a bit difficult for me to get used to the pace of small town life. Really, I've mostly only lived in cities in my adult life, other then the college years and my short stint in Rengo. Chicago, Arequipa, Santiago; those places are very different from La Uniòn. There isn't a whole lot to do here, and I must admit I have found myself feeling a little bored at times. But, I haven't started teaching on my own yet (that starts Monday), and I'm sure at some point I'll start developing some sort of social life. At the same time though, I realize I will learn to embrace this slower pace of life. I think I am starting to. Yesterday, when I was starting to get a serious case of cabin fever, I went for a walk around the town. The sky was so blue and the clouds were so full and pronounced, like a perfect sky from a painting. The blue contrasted nicely against the green. There is so much green here. There were rose bushes all around, and many people out walking, which I always love to see. And a few times, I would look down a street as I came to it, and I would be on top of a hill with a gorgeous view of the rolling, fertile landscape that is characteristic of the south of Chile. And the air is so fresh. I definitely don't miss the clouds of car exhaust fumes that were constantly blowing in my face in Arequipa. And I don't miss the foggy, polluted air of Santiago. And all the noise. I think I just need to allow myself to slip into a different mindset while I'm here. It's okay to walk through life a little slower, go to bed little earlier, take more time for enjoying meals, live a little quieter. I just have to think, it's not boring, it's just different. If I keep this way of thinking, I know I will find the pleasure in small town life. And I am definitely going to love teaching and I already love my students. One thing I do wish though, I wish the school had some heat. Apparently it does, but it needs to be turned on. It is like ten degrees colder in there then it is outside.