Brrrrrrrrr….

Very cold, wet rainy day. A good day to be inside, warm by the fire, with a stack of good books and a glass of scotch. Actually, as long as I don’t have to go outside, I love days like this.

I’ve been reading some of the American expat LJ communities, and I have to say that I really admire people who decide to settle long-term in a country that is entirely foreign to them. England was a piece of cake, basically; I felt very little culture shock. What would it be like to move to Thailand, or Morocco, or Japan? Someday I would like to find out. I did make an extended trip to Peru, ages ago. I stayed in Lima for about two months. It’s different when you’re just visiting; you’re shielded, to an extent, by money and the amenities afforded travellers. Real life, settling in, finding a job, would be very different. I did have one very disorienting moment in a supermarket, though. It was the contrast between the familiar (long, well-lighted aisles, stock boys filling shelves) with the unfamiliar (my Spanish wasn’t good enough to be sure what a lot of the products were, and there were many exotic foodstuffs and products that I had never seen). I felt almost dizzy for a moment, as though everything was spinning around me. Strange.

In Peru I ate roasted chunks of beef heart from a cart outside the hugh bullfighting arena, but I freaked when I ordered a paella-type seafood dish that had a tiny, perfect baby octopus/squid thing on the rice. Urk…horrible. There was a bitter-chocolate, alcoholic drink that was gorgeous, and a popular softdrink called Incacola, a pale yellowy-green cola drink. I was staying with two friends, Fanchi and Kika, and the beaches were gorgeous.

Well, back to the print ads that I’m supposed to be doing for a local employment agency. Ho hum. Hey, it’s some extra cash.

The wind sounds as though it wants to tear the roof off. I don’t think I’ll be able to ride today…the indoor arena no doubt being filled with tons of kids taking lessons. *sigh* Yesterday I was working Kipper from the ground, limping because I had a terrible blister on my heel from the new jodpur boots, and Kip stepped on the back of said heel, tearing the skin off all the way down. I hopped up and down, cursing a blue streak, while he goggled at me in horsey astonishment. I could practically see him put his hooves over his ears in horror at the horrible language. :)

Ok, back to work. Stay warm, all.