Cold

I've decided something: I don't like being cold. I don't mind cold weather, but I d0n't like being cold.

You would think the two go hand in hand - cold weather and being cold - but they don't.

For example, I like sitting by a window and watching it storm outside. I love the feeling of walking from the cold outdoors into a heated house. I like when I have to wear so many layers that it doesn't even matter what the bottom 3 layers are because nobody will ever see them. I love an excuse to wear fuzzy socks, warm scarfs, colorful gloves, and cute hats. I love drinking warm beverages and warming myself from the inside out. I enjoy being able to see my breath. I enjoy the comforting weight of having like 13 layers on my bed. I like the warm food that comes with cold weather - soup, squash, etc. I like cuddling up with other people to get warm.

However, Santiago is a bit different kind of cold. Not only is ''it cold,'' but ''I'm cold.'' Different. And no me gusta.

I don't like worrying that my fingers and toes might fall off. I miss sleeping starfished out on my bed instead of in a cramped ball. I don't enjoy standing in front of a shower running with lukewarm water, fighting myself to undress and get in. Or on the chance that it is a warm shower, the warmth overshadowed by the feeling of a million needles like when you jump into a hot tub after rolling in the snow. I don't enjoy practically sprinting from the bathroom back to my bed after a shower. I miss real heating - whether it be a fireplace (which is illegal here because of pollution) or real house heating (which is ridiculously expensive). Instead, I have a space heater that is the eqivalent of if Easy Bake Ovens made heaters. It's basically a lightbulb that is supposed to heat my room. To compensate, I forgo fire hazards (sorry Kerry) and bring it in bed with me. Setting it up 4 inches from my face so it simultaneously heats my face and my pillow. I don't enjoy being so excited to go to bed because it means blankets, but dreading going to sleep because it means turning off my heat light bulb. I miss not having a snuggle buddy. I don't enjoy the weird weather that is freezing in the morning but warm in the afternoon so I am stuck carrying 14 other layers around with me all day.

I had a dream (notice: not a nightmare) that I wet my pants because a) it would be warm, and b) I didn't want to have to pull them down to go to the bathroom.

So, in short, it's cold. And I'm cold.

I'm not miserable, and the weather is only a VERY small part of the experience, but I wanted to write this as an explanation as to why I'm opting out of traveling to the South. It's supposed to be one of the most beautiful parts of Chile, but for me right now heading anywhere except towards the equator seems like a bad idea. But the weather, combined the with fact that I don't want to carry all the clothes necessary to make it bearable much less enjoyable, combined with the fact that I would have to backtrack BACK from the South in order to continue North, makes it seem unappealing at the moment.

So I am going to save the south for when one or more of the following conditions are true:
a) I have a snuggle buddy
b) It's summer down here
c) I can do an awesome trip where I start in Santiago, go down to the tip of South America, pop over to Antartica, come back, and head back up through Argentina so I don't have to back track
d) I have enough money to afford lodging with sufficient heating
e) I have a cammel, donkey, or llama that can carry all my stuff
f) I magically have enough time and money that makes an expensive 12 hour bus ride that I'll have to repeat to go back worth it
g) I turn into a polar bear

Yep, so that's it. Again, not complaining. I'm still super happy here. Just a little freezing.

Okay, I'm going to stop typing now so I can put my llama gloves back on.

LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!