Living in a culture different than my own, there are many times when I feel out of place. Therefore, I have come to appreciate the little luxuries in life (one of my goals for doing the whole PC thing -- I want to learn to really appreciate my life as a U.S. citizen). I would like to share some sources of my happiness with you all:
* Internet! In the U.S., we have it all the time, and it's FAST. But here, I have to feed my addiction every few days, in hour increments. And usually it's painfully slow. Must. Exercise. Patience.
* Jugo! "Juice" in English, but that word doesn't fit. Here, it's "jugo" and it's delicious! Doña's make it fresh from pineapples, tamarinds, mangos, guanabanas, and other fruits for which I will never know the English names.
*Cheetos! Paletas (popsicles)! Coca Cola (or Kola Real sometimes)! I usually tried to refrain from junk food in the States, but here I love it! It gives me comfort, makes me happy!
*Speaking English! Will be more of a luxury when I get to site, but it's really nice to be able to just relax and speak my native language.
*Running! Some fellow Trainees and I have become running buddies. We run on the road out of town, and it is so BEAUTIFUL. Cows and horses grazing in the pasture. Sunsets, pink clouds. Lush, green trees (there aren't many of those in NYC). Fresh air. Love it!
* Cool nights! Stars, stars, stars! It gets hot here, so the cooler evenings are so refreshing. Lots of time I'll sit on the balcony sipping jugo or a Coke. And the stars.... well, I've lived in a large city for many years, and you just don't see stars. The city lights blow them away. But here, they are breathtaking.
*Office episodes! American news! Every week we've had screenings of a few favorite American TV shows, and it's amazing. I never thought I would appreciate American TV, but I really love watching something that I can understand, something that is about my culture. Also, I never get the news here. I have no idea what's happening in the homeland!
*Emails! Letters! Packages Please! There are many things available in the U.S. not readily available here. Anything from home is wonderful. Enough said.
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