Well, I´ve officially been back in Iquique for a week now and I must say, I'm feeling pretty awesome about the decision I've made. But before I get into that, can we take a moment to appreciate the new blog layout and the little animation thingy that I made? What do you think? Would it detract from my blogger street cred if I told you that I made it using paint? Shit, too late.
Anyways, as I was saying... life in Iquique has been great. I have been surfing, tanning and spending time with a lot of friends that I hadn't seen in what feels like a really long time. I'm also meeting a bunch of new people from all over the world, thanks to my new job. A few days ago, I started working as a receptionist at the hostel where I'm staying. The job has been a serious lifesaver since I came back with close to no money and have yet to start any classes. The kids' course I was promised didn't pan out after all because of low enrollment, but things are rolling right along with the mining job. On Friday, I spent three hours in the clinic doing a ton of different exams. Now have the official stamp of approval to go up to the mine (from the medical perspective, at least). The visa situation is another story but that is suppose to be getting sorted out this week.
Today I met up with my co-worker, Maja, who use to work at the same site. She gave me the low-down on the students and a few extra tricks of the trade. Looks like I'm in for a cold "Bolivian Winter", which might actually be nice after so many weeks of face-melting heat. My projected start date is next Monday but it still feels like there is a lot to do and I'm a bit dubious. Meanwhile, I'm digging the job at the hostel and taking things one day at a time.
I'm not really sure what to expect at the mine site. To be honest, I've heard some slightly scary things about the working conditions but I'm actually looking forward to getting an insider's view of something so essential to Chile's entire economy. I'm also stoked for the improvement in my own economical status that this job will make.
Overall, I imagine it to be pretty much exactly like this, only with copper instead of diamonds...and in Spanish of course.
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