Sundays are for rest

Okay, the previous post was more about what I "did".... this post is more about how I'm doing / feeling these days.

1- The "round the world" travelers are addicting and I have a serious case of envy. I definitely still feel very confident in my decision to move to Santiago, but I can't help wonder what else I could be doing now.... (heck, in Prescott AZ or Mobile AL as a professor!!?)

2- I am communication-starved. The internet connection just isn't sufficient to use skype or yahoo to call friends back in the states, and I don't know a cost-efficient method (yet) of calling to the states (the methods I know cost about $0.50/min for me to call the USA ... but only $0.04 for the USA to call me ... and you guys', except for Yvonne and my mom, haven't called me, at least to my knowledge!) So when I meet other english-speaking travelers, it's awesome to speak in english and just talk with them, ask them questions, and share traveling stories.

3- I realize that, as I approach three months here in Santiago, I am still essentially friendless. My few initial contacts proved to be difficult to sustain over the "summer", and my efforts at being proactive and seeking people out have not yet borne fruit. For example, as I type this post, it has been exactly 48 hrs since I have spoken to someone (other than "buenas ____" to my doorman as I come and go, and also "dos kilos, por favor" to the guy in the street market as I bought some grapes this morning). This is neither unexpected nor overwhelming; however, it is still difficult for an extrovert not to interact with anyone for several consecutive days. Thus, traveling proves to be a nice respite from my solitary existence here in Santiago.

4- The university semester starts at the beginning of March, and I am interested to see how our campus looks and feels once it's populated again.

5- I wonder if this sense of isolation and loneliness is a product of "culture shock". I don't yet know how / where to meet people in Santiago, and of course the language barrier is pretty stiff. And perhaps I am expecting too much of the locals -- that they would reach out to me, invite me into their lives. Again, I don't think this struggle is unique to Stgo.; I'm sure it's normal for anyone who relocates to a new place where they don't know anyone. Patience (not something I am known to have) is coming in handy! I am praying that these emotions would sink in and teach me, so that whenever I am in a place to be hospitable, I would offer my friendship with abundance and without reservation or respect to other obligations. (Someone can copy/paste this last sentence back to me in a few years to see how I'm living up to this goal!)

6- Electric screwdrivers are NOT power drills. I am now the proud owner of an essentially worthless electric screwdriver, and I am still not the owner of curtains over my windows. Perhaps I'll have to bite the bullet and just pay someone to come to my apt. and install the things. And I was so proud of myself for going to the home depot-type store, all in spanish mind you, and finding what I (thought I) needed, buying it, and hauling it back through the metro (you try getting onto the subway with a 2.5 meter (~10 ft) metal dowel rod, a 20-lb set of put-together-yourself bookshelves, and the aforementioned power tool & accessories! Not easy!!) My walls are made of cement (meaning even something simple like hanging posters proves to be quite challenging), so I need a drill to hang my curtains (and also install 3 light fixtures ... now I have bulbs dangling by their wires protruding from my ceiling ... it's like the apartment was 90% finished when the first tenant moved in, and has been ever since!)

Okay, that's enough rambling for today. Enjoy the Academy Awards tonight ... I wonder if they are on t.v. here in Chile?