Whenever we think of Latin America, we instantly think of warm weather. Thoughts of the beach come to mind, blazing temperatures in the summer and mild, but never really cold, temperatures in the other seasons. As Tennesseans, we can't help but be excited by the forecast and the very slim chance of having any snow at all. These were my thoughts as I was packing my bags in a chilly, blustery, and unusually rainy February in East Tennessee. I packed T-shirts, shorts, the only footwear I thought I'd need (Chacos and Birkenstocks), with a few "colder" weather items mixed in. I landed in a very toasty Santiago, unsurprised by the amount of sweat my body was producing, only to end up in the moderately tempered Valparaíso. To my surprise, blazing hots days, even though I arrived in the middle of summer, have been very few. I've yet to need my rain jacket or umbrella. The high and low for the days rarely differs by more than 5 degrees and as I sit here writing this blog, there's a familiar feeling in the air, one I thought I wouldn't feel until I returned to the United States; it's fall!
Fall has always been my favorite season. Summer brought excitement and a sense of freedom, as school wasn't in session and all any school age child had was time, sunshine, and fresh air. But fall always brought feelings of change. Physically, the air was getting cooler, the leaves were changing, a welcome relief from scorching Southern summers. Fall was a new year in school, another opportunity to do well, new teachers, new classmates, new things to learn. And of course, with fall there's always the excitement of the holidays. I guess that's why I can't help but feel that same enthusiasm for change here in Chile.
My friends and I have noted a different feeling lately, dare I say, a little bit of a homesick feeling. Our town, our homes, our commutes, they aren't new anymore. Everything is becoming more routine and with that, creeping toward the mundane. We're ending our second month here. Classes are becoming more serious with graded work being returned, exams to take, and papers to write. Weekends used to be blissfully busy with our Whatsapp group full of energy and excitement. That has now been replaced with regretful declines of invitations and complaints of feeling tired. I too, am guilty of having felt this way, frequently complaining to my family (Chilean and American) about feeling perpetually tired, not wanting to go anywhere for the weekend, and just a general feeling -- tired. But perhaps I'm too hasty to label my feelings as tired or even homesick. I think what I'm feeling is change. Living in a place is very different from visiting a place. Visits are full of nerves, excitements, and new stimuli filling all of our senses. Living is slower, more relaxed, sometimes a little boring, but it's living (it's what we do).
Lucky for me, it's impossible for me to be down in Fall (even if it's April). :)
¡Chao, nos vemos!
 |
| Even my cactus Roberto is enjoying the change of seasons :) |
Fall has always been my favorite season. Summer brought excitement and a sense of freedom, as school wasn't in session and all any school age child had was time, sunshine, and fresh air. But fall always brought feelings of change. Physically, the air was getting cooler, the leaves were changing, a welcome relief from scorching Southern summers. Fall was a new year in school, another opportunity to do well, new teachers, new classmates, new things to learn. And of course, with fall there's always the excitement of the holidays. I guess that's why I can't help but feel that same enthusiasm for change here in Chile.
My friends and I have noted a different feeling lately, dare I say, a little bit of a homesick feeling. Our town, our homes, our commutes, they aren't new anymore. Everything is becoming more routine and with that, creeping toward the mundane. We're ending our second month here. Classes are becoming more serious with graded work being returned, exams to take, and papers to write. Weekends used to be blissfully busy with our Whatsapp group full of energy and excitement. That has now been replaced with regretful declines of invitations and complaints of feeling tired. I too, am guilty of having felt this way, frequently complaining to my family (Chilean and American) about feeling perpetually tired, not wanting to go anywhere for the weekend, and just a general feeling -- tired. But perhaps I'm too hasty to label my feelings as tired or even homesick. I think what I'm feeling is change. Living in a place is very different from visiting a place. Visits are full of nerves, excitements, and new stimuli filling all of our senses. Living is slower, more relaxed, sometimes a little boring, but it's living (it's what we do).
Lucky for me, it's impossible for me to be down in Fall (even if it's April). :)
¡Chao, nos vemos!