Current mood:	pleased
Entry tags:	daily life

We Moved! We Walk!
Yes, it's happened - for the first time in six years, we have OUR OWN APARTMENT.

I don't mean a private apartment, which we've always had. I mean one we pay for ourselves. I realize this doesn't sound like such a great benefit, but let me explain.

In China and Korea, one of the perks of teaching is usually a free apartment. True, sometimes schools only offer shares, but it's pretty easy to find places which offer free, private apartments. Our apartments in China were huge; the one in Korea was a closet. Nevertheless, it was a great benefit.

The problem with it is, as has become glaringly obvious here at our school in Mexico, is that having your home tied to your job can be precarious if you can't trust your employer. I always could in China and Korea. This is no longer the case.

So we decided we could go stark raving mad about it, or we could finally just get our own place.

It took some help from a friendly student, but we did it, and quickly, too. Within one week of looking, we'd found one in a nice neighborhood, not too far from work, paid the first month, and were set. I think we were moved in four days after we looked at it.

We love it. It's OURS (well, and the landlady's). No one from the school can come and ask for things out of it or make us move or ask us to share. They can't just show up any time of the day or night and make demands. If we get fired or decide to leave, we're not homeless. HA!

One of the unexpected consequences of moving to our own apartment, though, is we now have a commute. We don't just live down the street, or over the school. We live in a whole different neighborhood, and while this is a good thing, it also means we have to figure out how to get to class every day.

One way is the bus. But another way is simply walking. I thought at first that there was no way, it was too far. But it was finally figured out that just walking there doesn't take a whole lot longer than walking to the bus stop, catching the bus, and then walking from were you get dropped off to the school. (It actually takes less time than that entire enterprise, but even the walking times alone are about the same: 20-25 minutes straight to school or 15 minutes to the bus stop and five minutes after getting off the bus.) Thing was, I was worried I would be too tired and hurt to do a good job in class if I walked all the way, every day, so I kept taking the bus.

After a couple of weeks, though, I did two things. One, I decided to change my attitude and see walking as exercise and not just a drudgery. I started adding up how many minutes a day I walk, at least five days a week, and it's about an hour. An hour! A day! Not counting weekends!

The other thing I noticed is I really don't hurt as much as I used to. So I can do more and feel, well, not so bad.

This is exciting. I haven't really done any good daily exercise since leaving my wonderful bike back in Beihai (sob). And I had no idea, until I started adding it up, that I was getting so much exercise in each day. It's got to be doing me some good. Got to.