Come Take a Walk with Me

A local started chuckling to himself as I once again excitedly took pictures from the one of the bridges that I've been crossing nearly every day since I arrived in Illapel. He stopped to ask if I'd like him to take one with me in it, and I happily accepted. I can't tire of this landscape and the breath-taking views on my scenic walk home from town. Today I'd like to take you on that walk with me. Here are some of the things I get to see every day. The second to last photo is a view over the town of Illapel and the last photo includes a shot of my home.

Teaching in Illapel has been quite an adventure. I've taught lessons on environmental awareness to students anywhere from 5 to 17 years old. Did I mention that all my lessons are conducted entirely in Spanish? Given that I was told I'd be working with English teachers, I assumed (wrongly) that my lessons would be conducted in English. However, where I once felt like a circus animal jumping through ridiculous firey hoops, now I feel much more confident and I'm certain I've vastly improved since Day 1 at school. Now I'm only the circus animal who wears the funny costume and gets paraded around. Okay, maybe there's still a hoop or two, but I've got the routine down pretty well.

After I went home, enjoyed lunch, and attended to a few matters of business (including the continued quest for an apartment in Paris which seems to have just taken a turn for the better!) I took another walk around the mountainside where I live. Simba (the dog) followed and Fifi (the cat), rather suspiciously, took a sudden interest in the plants that just so happened to be in the exact area I was walking. Wandering around, I admired some very impressive landscapes and decided that I may need to invest in some photo-stitching software (or at least a free-trial version).

Finally, enough was enough: I scooped Fifi up in my arms much to Simba's dismay. I realized that I hadn't gotten a good cuddle with a cat for over a month. If I were more of the sentimental type, I might have started crying over Reese, the kitty I had to leave behind at MIT with an underclassman. I can't help but think that if there is any way I might get myself a little Parisian kitten... Well, for now Fifi my gata chilena (Chilean cat) is more than enough. When I stand looking at the sun's last rays reflected off the snow-capped Andes, a delightfully warm ball of fluff's purr reverberating through my chest cavity, I feel like the luckiest person alive.