So we're trying to stay positive. It looks like we can find work here teaching English but we're considering other countries too (where we could teach english). The downside to Santiago is #1 the smog. It's gnarly. You smell it and taste it almost all the time. They have smog alerts sometimes where it's not recommended to do physical activities outside. Number 2 is that it's just a really big, congested city with too many people, cars and buses. (You see how this is related to #1. And the metro (subway) and buses are super crowded much of the time. Currently we have about an hour commute on subway, then a bus and the bus drivers are ruthless...it's like a workout just trying to hold on and not get slammed into somebody or a window. (I miss my car...)
Now, the good things are that we've made really good friends here. And the climate is really good...it's sunny and nice here everyday. Their winter is supposed to start soon which means rain and slightly cooler temps. And the rain cleans the air...but it hasn't rained yet. They're in an "la nina" drought cycle. And I've been to a pretty good skatepark twice now that's only like a 30 minute ride away on the metro.
And now to make matters worse Cherith got a cold/flu thing that has lingered for about 3 weeks. Cherith's friend and I insisted she go see a doctor on Wednesday. He said she has a virus that's going around which is complicated by the smog. So he "prescribed" her some stuff that is basically over the counter stuff. He also gave her some kind of immune booster. I'm glad she went. She has had a pretty bad cough for much of this illness. I managed to avoid it until this past Monday. I went home sick on Tuesday. I don't feel too bad now but the bad news about the Peace Corps and our current jobs has been a lot to deal with.
We'll keep everyone posted on our next steps...
Sunrise over the Andes from our balcony.
