Nunca sola

Nunca sola = never alone

I´ve discovered one of the things that will drive me insane this year: I am never alone. Having a pack of other gringos to hang out with has been awesome, and orientation would be a lot less fun if we each did our own thing. Sharing a room with two other WorldTeach volunteers also isn´t so bad -- the main downsides being a serious lack of space for three people´s year´s-worth of stuff and making sure I don´t get locked out when I take a shower. What really gets me now is that, because of safety concerns, I can´t do anything outside the hostel by myself.

I´m feeling very contained and constrained by this. I have hope that I will feel freer once I settle in to my host family placement and get more comfortable with the lay of the land and the language. But we´ve been warned that Chileans don´t have the same culture of personal space and personal time that we do in the States. As someone who loves and desperately needs those things, this is going to be very difficult to cope with.

On the other hand, I wonder what kind of chances I took in the States that I shouldn´t have there / wouldn´t here. Was it really safe for me to walk to the grocery store alone through West Philadelphia? Was it really safe for me to walk home by myself from bars or the gym well after dark in West Chester? Was it really safe for me to meet all those internet dates? Ha -- definite no on the last count!