Well I have been waiting to blog because I wanted my next
post to be my big decorating reveal!
Turns out that can’t be done in a week…lots of ideas are done in my head
but apparently it takes time, money and labor to carry all those out. Somehow whenever I watch HGTV they seem to
get those rooms designed in a day, why can’t I?! I really really love to decorate! My ideas have changed several times since I
got here. Couch shopping was
ridiculously hard in the beginning because everything was over priced or old
fashioned. Finally I found my modern and
contemporary taste but that was only to be found at high-end stores…and I mean
more expensive stores than I’ve ever walked into in the states! Gosh they were beautiful. It makes it even
harder living in these luxury apartments and seeing that everyone here has
gorgeous designer homes and I feel like I have to keep up with the Jones’s. However I know better and Jesus tells me that
they probably have everything they own on credit while we pay in cash…well at
least we typically pay off credit within two months or less. I also wonder if the people here hired
designers while Jesus and I are creating our own design. I’ll be so proud when it’s done and I know
that we designed it ourselves. We did
have one big help in the area of design. We found a custom make furniture store
where we bought a couch, curtains for most of the house and two rugs all for
less money than what we paid for our couch in the states! So far we have gotten our couch and a rug
delivered but are still waiting for everything else. The couch is beautiful! Jesus wanted a sectional like we had in MN so
we got one but I got to pick the colors for my design and when they made it and
delivered it, it was massive! I already
designed one living space with small furniture, as I felt desperate to have
something to sit on when we moved in so now I’m working on tying in the massive
pieces with the smaller pieces but I assure you I’m onto something. My world changed when I switched the two
living spaces and put the massive couch further back…isn’t that called
perspective or something when bigger items are in the background? Anyway I can’t wait to finish but I have to
and so do you to see the photos!
I do have a photo of the first room I designed with the tiny couches but this room has since been relocated and I want a new rug because the one here is too small for the space...
I’m still practicing my Spanish and have ample opportunities
every time someone comes over to deliver or install something while Jesus is at
work. I notice myself using less
charades and more vocabulary. It’s funny that I find myself even speaking
Spanish to Joaquin but I think I should stick to English because everyone else
can speak Spanish here and I want him to learn both and not be confused. I even accidentally speak Spanish to Jesus
and that’s just funny when I do that. I
still fell like everything I know I learned in College and I’m just remembering
everything rather than learning more but who knows? I had opportunities to
practice back home as well with my sister in law and her family from Mexico so
it’s not like I never used it. Jesus’s
sister and brother in law know a woman that owns an English institute here so I
plan on looking into teaching a class or something there. I should probably find a Spanish class to
teach me as well. It’s been hard to get
involved in things yet because I just want to feel settled and have the
apartment set up so it feels like home and not a big empty space when I walk
in. We also don’t have real Internet yet
for me to look up opportunities of things to be involved in. I’ve only been in the apartment just over a
week and before that was a hotel so I really should be more patient with
myself.
Last night I had an emotional break down thinking that I
would be here for three years and not have any friends because it’s too hard
with the language barrier and I don’t know how to meet people while Jesus is at
work. I take walks around the complex
with Joaquin and try to talk to all the Nannies (who were surprised that I
wasn’t the nanny by the way) but even that is difficult to feel like we could
be friends because of the language barrier.
Jesus and I left the house for dinner last night as I was drying all my
tears and who was outside?! Two of the
young moms I met at the pool last week and 2 others! One of them exchanged phone numbers with me
and they all told me which apartment they were in and that they always are
around together and do things like breakfast once a month and that I was
invited! You can call that a coincidence
but I’ll call it a blessing that helped me realize I haven’t even been here a
month yet and I will make friends eventually…
Another interesting thing about these women is that they all
have nannies and maids and someone to cook for them etc etc. Seriously what do they do all day? In the US I did all of that and had a job! However this apartment is pretty big and I
cannot keep these marble floors clean enough so maybe having someone help a few
hours a week isn’t bad. I wouldn’t mind
a babysitter from time to time either but I’m still not sold on a nanny. One of the reasons I moved here was so I
could be mom and not have an outside job so I am going to do that. However if someone wants to babysit while I
teach an English class or go shopping or go to breakfast, that’s ok by me. I also feel awkward about a maid because many
people have them live in their homes.
The apartment even has a small room for them to sleep. In my opinion it’s a glorified closet and I’m
not comfortable with someone living with me and that they wouldn’t even have a
normal room if they did. I’d feel so
obligated to entertain them while I don’t even know how I’m spending my days
yet besides cleaning and playing with Joaquin.
So a few hours a week should be all I need for now. Also if it gives someone a job and helps her
out then that’s ok too. Jesus mentioned to me that he sees only two
socioeconomic statuses here. You either
have money or you don’t. That is just something that I’m not comfortable with
yet whether it’s true or not. As a child
I grew up poor and then as I got older I lived middle class and comfortable.
It’s like I don’t want to be seen as someone with money while at the same time
I feel almost looked down on by those who do have money for not having a maid
and a nanny and all these things. But
luckily I’m not here for other people and what they think of me. I’ll do what makes our family happy and what
we can afford but we just need to get settled first.
I’ve had some fun experiences the past week and a half like
ordering cachapas (an Ecuadorian corn pancake tortilla kind of thing…) from a
street stand and noticing the McDonalds packed and hopping at 9:30pm. I’ve also enjoyed the beautiful parks in the
area where Jesus plays basketball. I watch both that, volleyball and ballet
lessons all while I walk with Joaquin. I
really feel a sense of community here of people enjoying getting together. The other experience I wanted to share was
that of visiting the mute…now isn’t that rude to call someone a mute?! That’s what I thought until I found out
that’s how he’s know to all those around him and it’s ok. This man is someone that Jesus grew up with
in the family and he’s blind and deaf and can only make noise but not
words. He sits in his rocker and is
amazingly smart. He knows how to do daily tasks like clean the yard and take a
shower. He knew who Jesus was when he
touched Jesus’ face after several years. He put his hand down low to represent
a child and than brought it up high showing that Jesus was all grown up. I went to meet him and was overcome with
emotion for so many reasons. One because
of how amazing this man was and another little bit out of sympathy (which I
know I probably shouldn’t feel that way because he’s happy) and also an emotion
of fear. Because he is blind he walks
around feeling everything with his hands and needs to touch you and your face
to see who you are all while making loud noises. I had no reason to be scared but I found
myself pushing Jesus in front of me when he reached out to touch me. I did get brave and give him a hug. It’ funny because I have been around many
disabilities and things like this in my life but there are certain things that
I just have a hard time with and I don’t know why. Many of you know my dad who has multiple
sclerosis and is not in an average state of mind but he’s not scary. There are plenty of people at his nursing
home that are in much more interesting states of mind than him and they’re not
scary…well some are. I also remember one day as a substitute teacher when I
subbed for a high school/college aged group of students who had various
disabilities and were learning basic life skills. I couldn’t handle that either seeing people
with feeding tubes and those who couldn’t dress themselves. Clearly I have some kind of issue that
manifested itself the other day visiting “the mute.” On the other hand, I was so impressed and
blessed to have been able to meet him!
Here are a couple photos of our fun dinner at the restaurant "Camp David" high in the mountains overlooking Santiago.
