Wow, has it really been four and a half months since my last post? For those of you who haven't totally given up on me, our move to Piriapolis in April actually turned into two moves. The second move being in June. Needless to say saving money on a cheap place to live isn't always the best thing to do. 'Nuf said about that.
We are loving where we are except for the unusually cold and rainy winter. The name of our new barrio in Piriapolis is Punta Fria (I guess we should have paid more attention.) We are extremely excited to have our electric bed warmer, gas stove and two electric heaters.
Old business out of the way, it is time to talk about culture shock again. Right now I am in the midst of major negotiations with my new found home. For me, this phase is a combination of stages two (cultural shock), three (initial adjustment), and four (mental isolation). It is the time when differences between the old and adopted cultures seriously collide. What it boils down to is a frustration that things are not the way they are supposed to be. According to experts, mood swings are the norm and depression is not uncommon. Hellooooo!
These stages manifest within weeks of arrival and last anywhere from six months to two years. I am at month 18 and there are still days I have trouble coming to grips with life in a 2nd (some days I would argue 3rd) world country. I guess the sociologists and psychologists had to come up with a "one size fits all" definition of culture shock, but let me tell you, it varies greatly from person to person.I do actually have moments when things seem fairly normal and I feel like this is home, so maybe I am moving in the right direction, albeit slowly. I just hope the normal moments increase exponentially. Like really soon. Let's just refer to this as the 'winter of my discontent'. Not terribly original, but an apt description nonetheless.
On a lighter note, we are meeting great people, both locals and expats alike. Our circle of friends is larger than it ever was in the States, so I guess there is something to be said for life-altering, mind-numbing change. Oh yeah, and Uruguay placed 4th in the World Cup. I felt extremely proud for our little country. What a huge accomplishment. And this week Joe and I found out we are officially Uruguayan residents.
A perfect transition to the final stage of culture shock. Coming soon...