I am sure that at this point anyone who knows me is laughing, especially my mom who I could never surprise with my scandalousness. But, it is true. The old women avert their eyes and the old men stare in disbelief. I actually walk, the whole two blocks, from my gym to my apartment in just my bathing suit (a VERY modest one piece) and shorts. The worst part is, my hair is still wet from the pool and I havew no makeup on! Dear Lord! Really this whole thing is silly, but true. I tried to smile at an older woman as I walked home today from the gym and she jsut averted her eyes. She had been staring at me for a good 30 seconds or so. Oh well, I am a gringa, and I refuse to change somethings just because people stare.
I live near a long thin park called Parque Forestal. It's really quite a nice park and it has a long stretch of a lane for riding bikes or jogging. And since I have a fear of riding bikes in this city, I jog. It's really pleasent. I usually listen to radioDisney on my mp3 player and jog along to Jonas Brothers, Beyonce, or Julieta Venegas. Great stuff. Yesterday on my jog I noticed that the trees were beginning to change. Fall has finally arrived and I am glad for the change. But as I was jogging through the falling leaves, I began to think about how much I like fall. And I had this special moment when I realized that I want to be here in Santiago, jogging through this park for many falls to come. After the past few weeks of cultural adjustment being a little more painful than normal, this was a nice thought to have.
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