It's spring in Buenos Aires now, soon to be summer. I finally wheeled out the little AC unit my landlord pointed out to me months ago but never explained how to use. It took me a few minutes to figure it out and once I did, I couldn't get over how ridiculous it is. I thought I'd share the experience with all of you.
ps- Padfoot didn't realize I was holding a camera so he makes a quick cameo.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Rant of the Moment
I realize I have never actually had a post that was a Rant of the Moment, but I figure, for someone who hates as much stuff as I do, this was inevitable.
Rant of the Moment: Slow Walkers/People Who Don't Understand Sidewalk Manners
This has happened to all of us. You are walking along, trying to make it to your destination. Maybe you are in a rush, maybe you're not- it doesn't matter. Then, it happens-- a slow walker. They merge in front of you and suddenly trap you in their painfully slow rhythm. You feel like you are trying to walk up a down escalator as you desperately try to figure out how any human's legs could possibly move so slow. You dodge left, you weave right but, as luck would have it, slow walkers are almost always sidewalk hogging zig zaggers as well. If you're like me, this is the point when you start mentally screaming MOVE MOVE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WALK!
Eventually, you will be able to get around this slow walker. If you are having an especially rough sidewalk day, you might immediately run into the bad manners sidewalk people. These are the people who stop dead in their tracks to do or look at something like check their phone, light a cigarette, have a lengthy conversation with a long lost friend they have stumbled upon in the streets, etc. Or perhaps someone who is walking in the opposite direction and decides to look you in the eye and play chicken as they plow directly towards you.
Am I one of the few people left that treats sidewalks as I would the road? Stay to the right, allow faster walkers to pass, never cross into oncoming traffic and never make unexpected stops. Pretty simple rules people, let's put them into good use.
The irony of this post is I didn't even walk around today as I am bedridden. I suppose this issue annoys me enough on a daily basis that the irritation is still fresh in my mind.
Rant of the Moment: Slow Walkers/People Who Don't Understand Sidewalk Manners
This has happened to all of us. You are walking along, trying to make it to your destination. Maybe you are in a rush, maybe you're not- it doesn't matter. Then, it happens-- a slow walker. They merge in front of you and suddenly trap you in their painfully slow rhythm. You feel like you are trying to walk up a down escalator as you desperately try to figure out how any human's legs could possibly move so slow. You dodge left, you weave right but, as luck would have it, slow walkers are almost always sidewalk hogging zig zaggers as well. If you're like me, this is the point when you start mentally screaming MOVE MOVE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WALK!
Eventually, you will be able to get around this slow walker. If you are having an especially rough sidewalk day, you might immediately run into the bad manners sidewalk people. These are the people who stop dead in their tracks to do or look at something like check their phone, light a cigarette, have a lengthy conversation with a long lost friend they have stumbled upon in the streets, etc. Or perhaps someone who is walking in the opposite direction and decides to look you in the eye and play chicken as they plow directly towards you.
Am I one of the few people left that treats sidewalks as I would the road? Stay to the right, allow faster walkers to pass, never cross into oncoming traffic and never make unexpected stops. Pretty simple rules people, let's put them into good use.
The irony of this post is I didn't even walk around today as I am bedridden. I suppose this issue annoys me enough on a daily basis that the irritation is still fresh in my mind.
From Thriller to Chills and Fevers
Today was supposed to be awesome.
This was the plan: Sleep in, work out for a couple hours, do some yoga, enjoy the nice weather, get some work done on Travelated and then, to top it off, go to an amazing Thriller event outside the planetarium. A huge group of people will be taught the Thriller dance and simultaneously perform it with other groups around the world.
This is what has happened slash is happening: I woke up with a serious fever, my entire body hurt and I was having hot/cold flashes. So, I went to the fruit stand, shivering in the 67 degree weather to buy some stuff. Then, I went to the video store I have tried to go to a few times, signed up for a membership finally and felt stupid seeing the guy who is always really nice and chatty with me as I stumbled around, half coherent, looking for "Blazing Saddles", having no idea what the Spanish translation would be. I then stopped and picked up an ice cream bar for my next hot flash and went to the pharmacy for medicine. Since then I have been in my bed covered in blankets (and then ripping them off when I start sweating) and half ass working and watching movies. My friends met 30 minutes ago to go to the awesome Thriller event.
So, that is the bad news. However, I'd like to note that I had an awesome Friday night. My new friend Alex came over and we made a homemade pizza and vaguely watched a movie but really just talked and ate candy. She's from Buffalo, NY and we actually have a lot in common. We talked forever and it was a nice, cheap night in.
Tomorrow I am off work! Sundays off work are so wonderful. Hopefully the fever will be gone by tomorrow so it doesn't ruin my whole weekend. Jorge and I are supposed to go to a Cafe/Bookshop/Music Store near my place that Jorge loves. I am looking forward to it.
Today is my mom and Abby's birthday. I called both of them and it was great to hear their voices. I wish I could see their faces! It is also Patrick's birthday, but sadly I don't have his number so I was only able to wish him a happy birthday via Facebook.
Life has been a little stressful lately but overall I'm still happy to be here. My job situation will change in December when I stop being an au pair. I'm a little nervous about it, but I'm hoping for the best. It falls at an unfortunate time as I will have to pay for my pricey apartment and Christmas, but hopefully my savings and picking up new students will carry me through it. During the summer (which starts in December here) I'm hoping to do a lot of work and build up some money. I might start looking into online work again too.
I'm going to attempt to re-watch Blazing Saddles later and try to actually pay attention. I might even watch the Argentine movie I rented, El Secreto de sus Ojos, which won some awards. Hopefully I can focus.
This was the plan: Sleep in, work out for a couple hours, do some yoga, enjoy the nice weather, get some work done on Travelated and then, to top it off, go to an amazing Thriller event outside the planetarium. A huge group of people will be taught the Thriller dance and simultaneously perform it with other groups around the world.
This is what has happened slash is happening: I woke up with a serious fever, my entire body hurt and I was having hot/cold flashes. So, I went to the fruit stand, shivering in the 67 degree weather to buy some stuff. Then, I went to the video store I have tried to go to a few times, signed up for a membership finally and felt stupid seeing the guy who is always really nice and chatty with me as I stumbled around, half coherent, looking for "Blazing Saddles", having no idea what the Spanish translation would be. I then stopped and picked up an ice cream bar for my next hot flash and went to the pharmacy for medicine. Since then I have been in my bed covered in blankets (and then ripping them off when I start sweating) and half ass working and watching movies. My friends met 30 minutes ago to go to the awesome Thriller event.
So, that is the bad news. However, I'd like to note that I had an awesome Friday night. My new friend Alex came over and we made a homemade pizza and vaguely watched a movie but really just talked and ate candy. She's from Buffalo, NY and we actually have a lot in common. We talked forever and it was a nice, cheap night in.
Tomorrow I am off work! Sundays off work are so wonderful. Hopefully the fever will be gone by tomorrow so it doesn't ruin my whole weekend. Jorge and I are supposed to go to a Cafe/Bookshop/Music Store near my place that Jorge loves. I am looking forward to it.
Today is my mom and Abby's birthday. I called both of them and it was great to hear their voices. I wish I could see their faces! It is also Patrick's birthday, but sadly I don't have his number so I was only able to wish him a happy birthday via Facebook.
Life has been a little stressful lately but overall I'm still happy to be here. My job situation will change in December when I stop being an au pair. I'm a little nervous about it, but I'm hoping for the best. It falls at an unfortunate time as I will have to pay for my pricey apartment and Christmas, but hopefully my savings and picking up new students will carry me through it. During the summer (which starts in December here) I'm hoping to do a lot of work and build up some money. I might start looking into online work again too.
I'm going to attempt to re-watch Blazing Saddles later and try to actually pay attention. I might even watch the Argentine movie I rented, El Secreto de sus Ojos, which won some awards. Hopefully I can focus.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Quick Re-cap
I apologize for not updating this recently. I have been incredibly busy and at this point a detailed update just seems exhausting. Instead I will give you a quick re-cap and give you some photos and if you want details, you can just ask for them.
Colonia, Uruguay
Splitting a bottle of wine at lunch? Don't mind if I do.
The girls with whom I spent my last Friday night.
Ana got an ice cream maker for her birthday and we made mint chocolate chip. She and I were destined to get along.
Juan and Jose went to the US for 12 days. Jose literally threw these at my face when he came back. I savored the first one by making it last for 4 bites. Oh Reese's, why haven't you made it to Argentina? It would make explaining my name easier and also make life tastier.
- Travelated launch went well and we are still working hard. This is part of why I have been so incredibly busy. Keep spreading the word. This project makes me very happy.
- Spent a weekened in Colonia, Uruguay. Details to come in the form of an article for Travelated.
- Created a scavenger hunt and painted nails at a 11 year old's sleepover birthday party
- Saw a local indie rock band called Adicta and really enjoyed it
- Enjoying weekly outdoor Boot Camp exercise classes
- Came closer to beating Jenny at Squash than ever before (15-13!)
- Recorded a video to be played at an assembly at St. Cecilia School to say hello to all my old students.
- Discovered a coffee shop nearby that gives free coffee refills during certain hours. Refills are unheard of here, so this is more exciting than it sounds.
Colonia, Uruguay
Splitting a bottle of wine at lunch? Don't mind if I do.
The girls with whom I spent my last Friday night.
Ana got an ice cream maker for her birthday and we made mint chocolate chip. She and I were destined to get along.
Juan and Jose went to the US for 12 days. Jose literally threw these at my face when he came back. I savored the first one by making it last for 4 bites. Oh Reese's, why haven't you made it to Argentina? It would make explaining my name easier and also make life tastier.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Happy Travelated Launch Day!
The day has come! Travelated is going at full speed and I would absolutely love if you would check it out and share the link. We also have a photo contest going on that you should definitely enter. I took my own photo and, if I were eligible to win, I think I'd have a pretty good shot.
Try and top this. I dare you.
Try and top this. I dare you.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Long Days and Pillow Fight Failures
It's been a little while. Sorry about that. I've been kind of stalling on writing an entry because I had a series of pretty shitty days. It seemed odd to put up a downer post right after "Freedom". Alas, such is life and I should be real.
My series of shitty days began 2 weekends ago, which was a pretty big social failure. I should note that people in Argentina, even expats who have now assimilated, are not known for their punctuality nor reliability. I had a weekend packed with plans involving 5 different people and only one plan/person didn't fail me. Thanks, Jorge! I had a lovely dinner at Sarki's (an excellent Armenian restaurant) with Jorge and his parents. They were both awesome and it was a fun time. After that, the weekend went downhill.
The week that followed was not any better. I was very stressed and after coming off a weekend of being bailed on, I really missed my dependable friends back home. In no way did it make me homesick, just friendsick. Keep the emails and Skype dates coming guys, because you are dearly missed.
I guess I cannot truly pinpoint why the past week was such an overall failure. I guess it was a combination of being stressed about budgets, receiving an email with unwanted information, being told I looked fat in a very matter of fact way right after an intensive workout, being bailed on multiple times, and plans just not working out as I had hoped. This weekend was supposed to make up for last weekend, I'll give it a B- for effort.
Friday night I went out with a new friend, Gaston. We went to a nice Mexican restaurant and I had delicious enchiladas for the first time since my arrival. I'll be honest and say these enchiladas were nowhere near as tasty as the Enchiladas Yolandas from Chimichangas, which I enjoyed with Ellen and Ben on my last night in STL. However, it was certainly the best Mexican I've had here. Gaston is one of my students so we started in English but thankfully we quickly switched to Spanish. Speaking English to my students actually is very tiring and literally hurts my face. You all know how fast I talk and how big my chipmunk cheeks are. I really have to force myself to concentrate on talking slowly and exaggerating my facial expressions. My cheeks are a lot of weight to move around and I generally end the day with face aches. Anyway, end of face ache tangent. The food was good, conversation was also fun. The night ended early, around 12:30 (that's really early here). I could have gone to a friend's house who was having a get together but I wasn't feeling up to a social disappointment so I worked on Travelated and chatted with Adam and Cole online. I enjoyed Friday night.
Saturday was supposed to be pretty awesome. It started great, with a delicious delivered sushi lunch with Jorge. After that, there was an event, LUCHA DE ALMOHADAS (PILLOW FIGHT) that involved thousands of people gathering in Bosques de Palermo (a big outdoor green area) and having a giant pillow fight. Obviously, this sounds amazing. The event has happened twice before and had great turnouts. This was not the case this year. Jorge and I walked through the streets, carrying our pillows and became more and more aware of the fact that no one else was carrying pillows. We arrived and found a group of maybe 40 people. It was so awkward we decided to turn around and leave. Disappointment.
However, Jorge and I did manage to salvage the day a bit. We walked though the Bosques de Palermo, enjoyed the scenery and Jorge snapped some nice shots of our pillow adventures.
As we walked home we had several of our own spontaneous pillow fights, most of which Jorge won. He's very tall, serious height advantage. We decided to get ice cream (I swear it was Jorge's idea first!) and we went to one of my favourite places, Crepes and Waffles where Jorge and I ordered the same waffle which included chocolate sauce, dulce de leche, bananas and a scoop of vanilla.
After that, we both felt happier and sleepier.
I spent a large part of my Saturday evening watching bad television and working on Travelated. Jenny and Jorge came over for dinner and drinks but after dinner I was so tired and spaced out/upset I just wanted to go to bed, which I did.
Sunday was hectic. Gracia was supposed to call me on Friday or Saturday to let me know what time she needed me. I generally work 4-9 but this Sunday was the party for Coca, the grandma. Yes, her name is Coca. Gracia forgot to do this so I got a text at 11:00, which was 10 minutes after I woke up, telling me to be there at 12 or 12:30. San Isidro is far away, especially when taking into account the slower schedule of Sunday buses. I would have needed to leave at that moment to be sure I'd arrive on time. I quickly showered and had to kick Jenny out (she was crashing on my couch) and headed to work. I spent most of the day being sassed by the 13 year old and scrubbing outdoor chairs. I didn't mind so much, I was kind of looking forward to the family party. This was a mistake. I was thinking, families tend to like me and include me. I speak great Spanish so no one will be afraid to speak to me. Wrong. I sat awkwardly at a table of food that I mostly couldn't eat due to the meat content and tried to work my way into family conversations. Once I realized I couldn't make that happen I ate a lot of cake and cookies to occupy my time and hands. I hovered between the small children who were too young for me and the adults who were too old for me. My best social interaction of the night was with the 1 1/2 year old who took quite a liking to me and pulled me around the house in circles. I continuously cleared dishes and tidied up, feeling more like a maid than anything else. It made me miss the Mortons terribly and saddened me to know that I really have no family celebrations to look forward to at all.
That made my outlook for the week look bleak, but today did not turn out so bad at all. I tutored early as usual but did not have to work after 11am due to a lot of student cancellations. I actually hate cancellations because they affect my salary, but today I just went with it. I had lunch plans with another potential new friend, Andres. I had a nice lunch then worked out a lot. I also love Mondays because it is Travelated meeting day. I had an excellent meeting with Alex and Emily and we are all very confident the site will be in excellent shape for the big push on Monday, October 4th. I am so passionate about this site and my partners, I know it's going to be a success. There will be a blog about the push, don't you worry. I feel as if I have a weekend love affair with Travelated; I await the extra time all week then cram in as much work as I can during all hours of the night. I think it's a great relationship.
Things to look forward to:
For more photos and overall awesomeness check out Jorge's blog.
My series of shitty days began 2 weekends ago, which was a pretty big social failure. I should note that people in Argentina, even expats who have now assimilated, are not known for their punctuality nor reliability. I had a weekend packed with plans involving 5 different people and only one plan/person didn't fail me. Thanks, Jorge! I had a lovely dinner at Sarki's (an excellent Armenian restaurant) with Jorge and his parents. They were both awesome and it was a fun time. After that, the weekend went downhill.
The week that followed was not any better. I was very stressed and after coming off a weekend of being bailed on, I really missed my dependable friends back home. In no way did it make me homesick, just friendsick. Keep the emails and Skype dates coming guys, because you are dearly missed.
I guess I cannot truly pinpoint why the past week was such an overall failure. I guess it was a combination of being stressed about budgets, receiving an email with unwanted information, being told I looked fat in a very matter of fact way right after an intensive workout, being bailed on multiple times, and plans just not working out as I had hoped. This weekend was supposed to make up for last weekend, I'll give it a B- for effort.
Friday night I went out with a new friend, Gaston. We went to a nice Mexican restaurant and I had delicious enchiladas for the first time since my arrival. I'll be honest and say these enchiladas were nowhere near as tasty as the Enchiladas Yolandas from Chimichangas, which I enjoyed with Ellen and Ben on my last night in STL. However, it was certainly the best Mexican I've had here. Gaston is one of my students so we started in English but thankfully we quickly switched to Spanish. Speaking English to my students actually is very tiring and literally hurts my face. You all know how fast I talk and how big my chipmunk cheeks are. I really have to force myself to concentrate on talking slowly and exaggerating my facial expressions. My cheeks are a lot of weight to move around and I generally end the day with face aches. Anyway, end of face ache tangent. The food was good, conversation was also fun. The night ended early, around 12:30 (that's really early here). I could have gone to a friend's house who was having a get together but I wasn't feeling up to a social disappointment so I worked on Travelated and chatted with Adam and Cole online. I enjoyed Friday night.
Saturday was supposed to be pretty awesome. It started great, with a delicious delivered sushi lunch with Jorge. After that, there was an event, LUCHA DE ALMOHADAS (PILLOW FIGHT) that involved thousands of people gathering in Bosques de Palermo (a big outdoor green area) and having a giant pillow fight. Obviously, this sounds amazing. The event has happened twice before and had great turnouts. This was not the case this year. Jorge and I walked through the streets, carrying our pillows and became more and more aware of the fact that no one else was carrying pillows. We arrived and found a group of maybe 40 people. It was so awkward we decided to turn around and leave. Disappointment.However, Jorge and I did manage to salvage the day a bit. We walked though the Bosques de Palermo, enjoyed the scenery and Jorge snapped some nice shots of our pillow adventures.
As we walked home we had several of our own spontaneous pillow fights, most of which Jorge won. He's very tall, serious height advantage. We decided to get ice cream (I swear it was Jorge's idea first!) and we went to one of my favourite places, Crepes and Waffles where Jorge and I ordered the same waffle which included chocolate sauce, dulce de leche, bananas and a scoop of vanilla.
After that, we both felt happier and sleepier.
I spent a large part of my Saturday evening watching bad television and working on Travelated. Jenny and Jorge came over for dinner and drinks but after dinner I was so tired and spaced out/upset I just wanted to go to bed, which I did.
Sunday was hectic. Gracia was supposed to call me on Friday or Saturday to let me know what time she needed me. I generally work 4-9 but this Sunday was the party for Coca, the grandma. Yes, her name is Coca. Gracia forgot to do this so I got a text at 11:00, which was 10 minutes after I woke up, telling me to be there at 12 or 12:30. San Isidro is far away, especially when taking into account the slower schedule of Sunday buses. I would have needed to leave at that moment to be sure I'd arrive on time. I quickly showered and had to kick Jenny out (she was crashing on my couch) and headed to work. I spent most of the day being sassed by the 13 year old and scrubbing outdoor chairs. I didn't mind so much, I was kind of looking forward to the family party. This was a mistake. I was thinking, families tend to like me and include me. I speak great Spanish so no one will be afraid to speak to me. Wrong. I sat awkwardly at a table of food that I mostly couldn't eat due to the meat content and tried to work my way into family conversations. Once I realized I couldn't make that happen I ate a lot of cake and cookies to occupy my time and hands. I hovered between the small children who were too young for me and the adults who were too old for me. My best social interaction of the night was with the 1 1/2 year old who took quite a liking to me and pulled me around the house in circles. I continuously cleared dishes and tidied up, feeling more like a maid than anything else. It made me miss the Mortons terribly and saddened me to know that I really have no family celebrations to look forward to at all.
That made my outlook for the week look bleak, but today did not turn out so bad at all. I tutored early as usual but did not have to work after 11am due to a lot of student cancellations. I actually hate cancellations because they affect my salary, but today I just went with it. I had lunch plans with another potential new friend, Andres. I had a nice lunch then worked out a lot. I also love Mondays because it is Travelated meeting day. I had an excellent meeting with Alex and Emily and we are all very confident the site will be in excellent shape for the big push on Monday, October 4th. I am so passionate about this site and my partners, I know it's going to be a success. There will be a blog about the push, don't you worry. I feel as if I have a weekend love affair with Travelated; I await the extra time all week then cram in as much work as I can during all hours of the night. I think it's a great relationship.
Things to look forward to:
- Several new friend hang outs
- Weekend in Colonia, Uruguay with Jenny this weekend
- Getting off the boat at 3am in Colonia and immediately going out drinking
- Bike rides in Colonia in 70 degree weather
- Another Sunday off work
- Travelated launch!
For more photos and overall awesomeness check out Jorge's blog.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Freedom
Back when I kept a different online journal, one much more like a diary than this one, I remember creating a post highlighting how sad I was when one day while driving "You Remind Me Of Home" by Ben Gibbard came on and the refrain pounded painfully into my head:
"...in a suburban town with nothing to do, patiently waiting for something to happen...
You're wasting your life, wasting your life
wasting your life, wasting your life"
Why do I bring this up? I am making the most of my life now. I want to say it-- or type it--loud and clear: I'm free.
I have always been a complete workaholic, totally focused on the future and my success. In the past, it never occurred to me that I might be holding myself back, or at least letting my far too limited description of success get in the way.
This isn't totally, new, of course. I have been trapped before and I always realize it and get out. I know that there is no point in living a life that feels like work. Towards the end of high school I was miserable in my suburban town and desperately needed to better myself. I knew it made much more financial sense to live at home and commute to school, but I couldn't compromise my happiness.
At the end of university I knew I hated my well-paying marketing job. I knew I was better than that pointless cubicle and I wasn't willing to start paying off the $50,000 debt I accrued while working towards two degrees that had absolutely nothing to do with my current job.
I worked one wonderful year at St. Cecilia's School and Church. I cried when I left because looking back, I knew there had not been a single day that I had woken up and not wanted to go to work. That is true happiness.
However, it was definitely time for me to move on. I had long since outgrew St. Louis. I know that I knew that long before I was ready to admit it to myself, my friends or my family. I was trapped, but didn't want to be. It's hard to know that even people and things you love can be holding you back.
I have not once regretted this move. In fact, it only makes me realize that I waited too long and that I truly have no real reason to rush back to the US. Friends, before you flip out, of course I miss you. I miss you so much more than I can even express and I still am not used to not being able to text you, see your face, or hang out at all. However, the expat life is calling and I need to roll with it.
I love being happy with my work and not caring about being rich. I have 3 jobs, 4 including my work with Travelated. I could be working a lot more hours at my better paying English teaching job if I would just quit the others, but I refuse to do that. I had a talk with my boss from the English Institute about my Au Pair work. She just could not understand why I would travel an hour to San Isidro and an hour back into the city center 4 days a week when I could get paid more with her, right in the city. She said "Rease, is that even profitable for you?" My answer? "Not especially, but I miss working with kids and these kids make me really happy. I enjoy it."
Am I making money off of Travelated? No, not yet. Hopefully when we do the full push, that will change, but for now, I still have so much fun meeting with Alex and Emily via Skype and spending hours working on the site.
My life here is full of new experiences and challenges. I've learned more than just culture and language, I've put myself in uncomfortable situations and excelled. I make business phone calls in Spanish. I talk to random people in coffee shops because I like the music they are playing. I play squash at least twice a week. Have I ever won a game? Nope. I may not be amazing, but I can really hold my on on the court now and I promise you, my first victory is in the making and I am really enjoying the challenge.
Money will always be necessary, but "profitability" will never be my main concern and I will never be appearing crazy stop me from doing something I want to do. I really hope all of you live the way you want to and the not the way you feel you have to.
For more motivational thoughts, please check out my friend Emily's blog post "Independence". We seemed to have both had the same idea for a post and I like it.
Also, for your enjoyment, some proof that I really do play squash:
"...in a suburban town with nothing to do, patiently waiting for something to happen...
You're wasting your life, wasting your life
wasting your life, wasting your life"
Why do I bring this up? I am making the most of my life now. I want to say it-- or type it--loud and clear: I'm free.
I have always been a complete workaholic, totally focused on the future and my success. In the past, it never occurred to me that I might be holding myself back, or at least letting my far too limited description of success get in the way.
This isn't totally, new, of course. I have been trapped before and I always realize it and get out. I know that there is no point in living a life that feels like work. Towards the end of high school I was miserable in my suburban town and desperately needed to better myself. I knew it made much more financial sense to live at home and commute to school, but I couldn't compromise my happiness.
At the end of university I knew I hated my well-paying marketing job. I knew I was better than that pointless cubicle and I wasn't willing to start paying off the $50,000 debt I accrued while working towards two degrees that had absolutely nothing to do with my current job.
I worked one wonderful year at St. Cecilia's School and Church. I cried when I left because looking back, I knew there had not been a single day that I had woken up and not wanted to go to work. That is true happiness.
However, it was definitely time for me to move on. I had long since outgrew St. Louis. I know that I knew that long before I was ready to admit it to myself, my friends or my family. I was trapped, but didn't want to be. It's hard to know that even people and things you love can be holding you back.
I have not once regretted this move. In fact, it only makes me realize that I waited too long and that I truly have no real reason to rush back to the US. Friends, before you flip out, of course I miss you. I miss you so much more than I can even express and I still am not used to not being able to text you, see your face, or hang out at all. However, the expat life is calling and I need to roll with it.
I love being happy with my work and not caring about being rich. I have 3 jobs, 4 including my work with Travelated. I could be working a lot more hours at my better paying English teaching job if I would just quit the others, but I refuse to do that. I had a talk with my boss from the English Institute about my Au Pair work. She just could not understand why I would travel an hour to San Isidro and an hour back into the city center 4 days a week when I could get paid more with her, right in the city. She said "Rease, is that even profitable for you?" My answer? "Not especially, but I miss working with kids and these kids make me really happy. I enjoy it."
Am I making money off of Travelated? No, not yet. Hopefully when we do the full push, that will change, but for now, I still have so much fun meeting with Alex and Emily via Skype and spending hours working on the site.
My life here is full of new experiences and challenges. I've learned more than just culture and language, I've put myself in uncomfortable situations and excelled. I make business phone calls in Spanish. I talk to random people in coffee shops because I like the music they are playing. I play squash at least twice a week. Have I ever won a game? Nope. I may not be amazing, but I can really hold my on on the court now and I promise you, my first victory is in the making and I am really enjoying the challenge.
Money will always be necessary, but "profitability" will never be my main concern and I will never be appearing crazy stop me from doing something I want to do. I really hope all of you live the way you want to and the not the way you feel you have to.
For more motivational thoughts, please check out my friend Emily's blog post "Independence". We seemed to have both had the same idea for a post and I like it.
Also, for your enjoyment, some proof that I really do play squash:
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