Well, hello again.
Surprised that the landscape around us is so familiar? Yeah, well, so are we. We’ve returned from Puerto Rico and will be searching for a home closer to family in the States. We gave it an honest try, but between the traffic and the fact that our housing would be so far away from the University, well, we gave up the idea. Yes, it was a very quick trip, but we had to ask ourselves, “how long do we need to decide that we can’t make it work?”
After observing – up close – that American laws of the road, though given lip-service, are not enforced, T. said that she’d never be able to figure out how to drive there. We’re both lacking the essential cutthroat willing-to-use-car-as-weapon skills. D. said that he’d only drive if he had to, and that he’d never ride a bike there… We’d gone from looking at neighborhoods within walking distance of the University to an hour-long commute for a house that was in a good, safe, clean neighborhood. This isn’t what either of us wanted – a long, dangerous commute, and plunging into car culture with both feet. So, after D. had a great meeting with some Master’s students at UPR, we packed up, and decided to just call our time in the land of “Paradise” (it says so in the airport) a vacation. A strange vacation, where we spent more time house-hunting than hunting for a clean beach.
(Our decision was also helped by the fact that despite assuring us that our possessions were, indeed, in PR? They were not. They remain in a warehouse in Florida. Maybe.)
A bit bemused, we’re back California, grateful for friends who have once again provided a landing place and wheels. At least we both can work from anywhere, so we’ll be taking the next few weeks to catch up on various projects which need attention.
We don’t even know which way to hope anymore, in terms of finding a home…
Keep a good thought for us, won’t you?
-D & T
Oh wow, so sorry that things didn’t work in PR…but tropical vacations are always nice 🙂 Fingers crossed for that potential job offer!!
Good to hear from you and sorry that was a bust but sounds like it was meant to be you move on. Take care and keep in touch. Good luck with your next try. Nan
Bienvenidos again. Sorry things didn’t go smoother in PR, but I’m sure glad you’re back in PH. Hope to see you around the neighborhood soon!
Continuing to send you good thoughts. You’re going to find the right place for you.
Sometimes you just can’t know until you get to a place and try to live in it!
I’m sending good thoughts your way. They may be a bit muddled with libations. If you see a pink elephant in your path, that might be mine. 😉
Good lck and hope you feel confident soon.
Oh, my. 😯 I get behind on my reading, try to piece things together with photos on Flickr and well. I’m sorry to hear PR didn’t work out simply because of all the moving you’ve had to do — but happy for you that you’ll be near family in the states! Having to deal with horrible traffic on a daily basis makes everything else in life not so shiny. I’ll keep my very best thoughts for you regarding your possessions finding their way to you soon — and for you being able to find a place to call home that you like.
Heavens to Betsy. After all that, your worldly goods weren’t even in PR? Truly, when this is all over and far enough behind you that you don’t get the dreaded giggles of fear, there is a book that will come from all of this. The only thing is, T. may have to tone it down a bit to make it so-called “believable.”
I am keeping good thoughts for both of you (and some of them involve lemon cake).