Arrival

So I have successfully made it to my hostel in Santiago. The flight was good with no problems or delays.



Many people have asked me why I have chosen to go to Chile to teach. Part of me feels like I should have a simple answer to this question but I really don´t. A large part of it is that I have been interested in really exploring and experiencing a foreign country for a while and now is the right time in my life to do so. At this moment I don´t have any obligations -- no debts, no kids, tying me down to one place. I realize that if I wait until later to travel abroad that later may never come. One reason I´m choosing to teach abroad now instead of going to graduate school is that right now I am debt free while if I waited until after graduate school to travel abroad I´d have the burden of school debts.

Additionally, I was starting to feel a little restless in Washington DC. My job was starting to lose its freshness and I was starting to feel like I was doing the same old thing every weekend. One thing I thought was missing from my life in DC was excitement and I wasn´t sure how to create it. In college, life was fairly exciting because I was trying¬experiencing something new every week. In the adult world where most jobs involve doing related tasks everyday how does one create that excitement?

Part of me is also looking forward to the challenge of it. I, at the moment, feel like I haven´t challenged/pushed myself enough the last couple of years. I fully expect this trip to be very difficult but I am also looking forward to that difficulty.


I suppose before begin a trip or journey, one should first define what they goals or expectations of the trip are. So far my goals are fairly simple ... learn more spanish, enjoy another country taking in all the sights and experiences that I can, to be a good teacher and to also conduct important research such as --


´¨smoothcall: there is none. you just writhe in pain and try to find the least uncomfortable position
hope the clunky arm rests and seat belts dont jut into your body
theres one thing youll have to tell me as soon as you go to the bathroom
do toilets really flush in the opposite direction in the southern hemisphere?
i forget if its supposed to be clock or anticlock¨¨