¿Quién Soy?
So I am living in South America for 9 months--4.5 months in Chile and 4.5 months in Peru. I don't have a job and I don't speak Spanish. So what am I doing here? I'm thinking of it as a well deserved vacation and a chance to do things that my normally straight-lined, overly responsible life hasn't had time for.
My husband Taylor is doing research for his ph.d. in Poli Sci. He speaks Spanish and splits his days between interviewing important people and watching TV (for research purposes only, really!). I just finished my masters degree in May, so this is a convenient time for me to take off and travel--I'll get a full time job next summer. My primary task for now is learning Spanish. I'm taking classes at Escuela Bellavista in Santiago, but I'm not sure for how long. I don't have anything else lined up for Chile, so unless something falls out of the sky I'll probably keep taking classes until I can't justify paying any more. I honestly have no idea when that might be--at this point I really can't tell how this learning Spanish project will turn out--but that deserves its own post.
We live in an area called Providencia in Santiago, in a spacious apartment we share with our friend Tasha, who's also doing her dissertation research. Aside from the 70s decor, it's a great place--I admit we're quite enjoying how far the dollar goes in Santiago (although the dollar itself isn't so great right now). We have a big kitchen--a rarity in Chile, a big dining/living area with a balcony, an extra room for an office, and the building is in a super convenient and safe neighborhood. It feels good to be settled (finally, after some serious computer issues that I'll avoid writing about unless it comes up again)--the apartment really does feel like home. Maybe too much so, because with our comforts and the internet, I can easily forget that when I walk outside I can barely communicate with anybody.
My husband Taylor is doing research for his ph.d. in Poli Sci. He speaks Spanish and splits his days between interviewing important people and watching TV (for research purposes only, really!). I just finished my masters degree in May, so this is a convenient time for me to take off and travel--I'll get a full time job next summer. My primary task for now is learning Spanish. I'm taking classes at Escuela Bellavista in Santiago, but I'm not sure for how long. I don't have anything else lined up for Chile, so unless something falls out of the sky I'll probably keep taking classes until I can't justify paying any more. I honestly have no idea when that might be--at this point I really can't tell how this learning Spanish project will turn out--but that deserves its own post.
We live in an area called Providencia in Santiago, in a spacious apartment we share with our friend Tasha, who's also doing her dissertation research. Aside from the 70s decor, it's a great place--I admit we're quite enjoying how far the dollar goes in Santiago (although the dollar itself isn't so great right now). We have a big kitchen--a rarity in Chile, a big dining/living area with a balcony, an extra room for an office, and the building is in a super convenient and safe neighborhood. It feels good to be settled (finally, after some serious computer issues that I'll avoid writing about unless it comes up again)--the apartment really does feel like home. Maybe too much so, because with our comforts and the internet, I can easily forget that when I walk outside I can barely communicate with anybody.
posted by HelenO at
2:20 PM
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