Establishing a routine.
We have now been in Chile for a few months. Previously, everything was once extraordinary. The smells, sounds and sights were overwhelming. Day by day, as our daily routine settles in, things have become more ordinary. The kids are in school, I go to work each day. This is a time when the blog may become a bit stagnant...(sorry for the long gaps). That said, I don't want to imply that life here has become predictable. It has not. Though the extraordinary experiences are less frequent, I enjoy them more. I feel that I have a more stable foundation from which to appreciate them. I have the time and space to think about them, to reflect. When we first arrived, the experiences were stacked one on top of the other. Over-stimulation was a word we used a lot. Now I can savor new experiences and that is nice.
For example, escalators. Here are two pictures, taken a few days apart. Can you spot the difference?
This is in the entrance to our supermarket, but the observation is true throughout town. It appears that, like on the sidewalks, there is no 'keep to the right' rule that allows for orderly flow. Depending on which day you arrive at the market, the right escalator might be going down, or it might be going down. Some say that this (and the chaos on the sidewalks) stems from two facts: (1) few Chileans can afford to drive and are thus not accustomed to the 'rules of the road' and (2) most of the streets in cities are one way, thus even drivers are not imprinted with a strong sense of 'right and wrong' sides of the road.
I have also appreciated the escalator problem from an engineering perspective...is this done to make sure that the motor and parts do not become worn out? Or is it as simple as the preference of the person who turns the escalator on in the morning? Hard telling not knowing. It makes the market that much more of a mystery.
For example, escalators. Here are two pictures, taken a few days apart. Can you spot the difference?
This is in the entrance to our supermarket, but the observation is true throughout town. It appears that, like on the sidewalks, there is no 'keep to the right' rule that allows for orderly flow. Depending on which day you arrive at the market, the right escalator might be going down, or it might be going down. Some say that this (and the chaos on the sidewalks) stems from two facts: (1) few Chileans can afford to drive and are thus not accustomed to the 'rules of the road' and (2) most of the streets in cities are one way, thus even drivers are not imprinted with a strong sense of 'right and wrong' sides of the road.
I have also appreciated the escalator problem from an engineering perspective...is this done to make sure that the motor and parts do not become worn out? Or is it as simple as the preference of the person who turns the escalator on in the morning? Hard telling not knowing. It makes the market that much more of a mystery.