Honeymoon's Over

I've been here for just over 3 months now and I'm feeling very much at home. I'm continuing to enjoy my life here, but the initial excitement of being in a new place has worn off. Ballester is familiar, I even recognize people sometimes when I'm walking around town. There are a couple people who are usually running or walking at the plaza when I go to run who have become familiar faces. I don't usually think twice or feel anxious about the language barrier when I go places now. I'm used to the way things work with the grocery store, transportation, etc. There are certainly still things I have to learn, but I'm comfortable with life here and used to constantly having to learn new ways of doing things.

The honeymoon phase has worn off at the comedor as well. A positive thing, in my opinion. The children are starting to joke around with me, which is fun. Today, they learned that I'm cosquillosa (ticklish) and I learned a new word. They like to make fun of my accent when I speak Spanish. And they find it hilarious to ask me a work in English and then repeat it back to me, attempting to copy my southern accent which I find hilarious. They're learning that I'm not as clueless about their culture as they thought I was - I catch them when they say bad words or make bad gestures. Some things don't need translations.

When the initial excitement first started wearing off, it felt strange. I kept feeling like everything was supposed to be new and exciting, but it wasn't anymore. It wasn't aweful, but it took some time to get use to real life happening in a different country. I'm not a tourist and this isn't just a week long trip. Not everyday is a perfect day. I get tired. I get in bad moods. I get frustrated. But such is life. And overall, life is good and I'm trying to savor every moment as it is going by way too fast.

Also, Thanksgiving pics are up!