I miss the produce section in the grocery store

As I continue to adapt to living in Chile, I have noticed some things about the country that will take quite a bit of getting used to. Aside from the noisy streets that sit right below my balcony and the congested sidewalks that rarely ever clear, I have also noticed that Chile does not have a large selection in the grocery stores. As many of you know, grocery shopping is a pastime that I enjoy quite a bit, and the variety of produce in American grocery stores always had me oddly excited. Over the past two weeks, I have noticed how difficult it is to find some good produce in this country. There is a fairly large produce section, but they only have a few selections. For example, there will be oranges in one area of the produce section, then I'll walk to another part and oranges will be the main fruit over there as well. I guess I simply just miss my apples and sweet potatoes and broccoli. Luckily, there is a market which I frequent as much as possible.

Other than lack of apples and other delicious produce items, things are going fairly well. I've had random interviews and tests in order to get a job teaching English, and I'm still waiting on a place that will secure one for me. Other than that, I've been making some Chilean friends and they've been slowly introducing me to their habits of dinner at 11pm and going out until 6am. So, needless to say, my sleep schedule and food intake have changed fairly dramatically, but it's all part of the experience.

As of now, Chileans have vacation which means a whole lot of nothing for the city. Everyone is relaxing and enjoying a month off until March comes back with a vengeance and people have to resume their normal lives. Therefore, in the interest of being as Chilean as possible for the time being, I've decided to go hardcore with my relaxation and get serious about being part of this country. Though, I must admit that I go stir crazy after awhile if I relax too much and I find myself wandering the streets and ending up at my friends apartment to bother them.

Not much else for now. I hear it's still quite frigid where many of you are, so I hope you're using lots of wool (sweaters, socks, etc.) and packing on the layers. I'll try to fill you in on any interesting things that come my way, though the city will be dead for a little while. As for the produce problem, I'll be heading to the market across town quite a bit, so don't worry too much. :)

Keep the hugs flowing
send some to me
love love love...